The San Francisco call., 1895-12-01


The editor of the Saturday Press, the
organ of the State Grange, assumes an at
titude of disapproval toward the Guild of
Letters, which he incorrectly styles "The
Authors Guild for its action in publish
ing Miss Coolbriths poems through an
Eastern house. He assails the consist
ency OF ''raking together pile of Califor-
MIA dollars wherewith to purchase Bos-
ton inscription for the cover of Califor-
MIA book" and with logic which he
would repudiate were it applied to the
marketing of prunes and potatoes, which
are the more legitimate subjects of
his editorial opinionings, questions the
right of book so published to be called a
California book" This self-appointed de-
fender of California's literary honor fur
ther asks:
What, by the way, is California hook ,"
Is II chiefly book that cannot get published
in other ways than by subscriptions of Cali
fornia coin? Is it book that cannot get pub
lished freely by established firms, whose busi-
ness it is to publish books? II SO, what
evidence have we that the world OF letters
letters does not need California books, how
do California books serve anv creditable pur-
pose?
X 4 X X X
Probably no move for the advancement
OF California's interests, social, literary or
commercial, has ever come into promi-
nence unattended by the brayings of the
uncomprehen6ing. The Guild of Letters
has, of course, to come in for its share of
misapprehension, but one would hardly
look for it to come from this source. Be
cause his shrewd constituents, the Gran
gers, com bine to send their products to an
Eastern market, to be disposed Of through
Eastern commission houses, would the
Press editors bucolic fancy question the
right of those products to claim the ad iec-
tive Californian? There are certain CONNER
cial flaws that apply to poetry, as we'll as to
potatoes, and one of these is that both these
commodities must be put upon the market
by those whose business it is to handle
them for this purpose. Unfortunately,
however, poetry suffers in the marketing
from a misapprehension on the part OF
some that it is not one OF the necessaries
of life. There are probably not three
writers OF verse in America to-day who
could find a publishing-house willing to
undertake the publication of his verse and
trust to the sale of the book for remunera-
ton. Publishers say this frankly and are
not ashamed. Volumes of verse do not
command a ready sale.
That even publishers may be at times in
error is evidenced by the fact that the en-
tire edition for this coast of Miss Cool
BIRTHS poems was exhausted within
fortnight after the book reached San Fran
cisco. 1t has, in fact, had the most unpre-
cedented success of any book of verse that
has been published of late years.
X Il K + 4
In this connection it may be of interest
to state something of the way in which
'Songs From the Golden Gate" came to
be published 1t was not "bv subscriptions
of California coin.' nor by the "raking
together of California coin." The California
field of letters consisted originally OF half
a dozen cultured men and women, who
desired to do something to further the
cause of letters on this coast. By one OF
this coterie the question OF publishing Miss
Coolhrith's poems was laid before the
others, and the problem of meeting the
expense was solved by the simple process
of ore member writing a check therefor,
while the others undertook to make the
necessary business arrangements attend
ant upon finding suitable publisher and
bringing the book before the public.
after al! arrangements had been
completed and these members OF the
guild had undertaken the publication. at
their own risk, an associate membership
was established, which promises to become
an honor to Californian culture. The
manuscript was sent East, partly from
very laudable desire on the part OF the
guild to make their venture under the
very best auspices possible, partly to COM
mand for it that Eastern market which
could scarcely be reached by them with
the facilities at hand upon this coast.
They did not send Miss Coolbrith with the
manuscript She still remains with us, an
honor to artistic California, and her poems,
redolent of the hills and valleys, the
streams and forests of this great State,
which she has so loved and sung, speak for
California art East as we'll as West of the
Rockies.