The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-05

and social duties; while In summer.
book-buyers-a class largely composed
of ladies-are at a loss to know what TO.
do with themselves, and have to read
as last resort. Then, again, he de-
clares that books published in October
and November have scarcely appeared
before they are driven out of view by
the rising tide Of gift books that floods
the bookstores in December; and
when that tide has ebbed they have
already lost the charm of novelty, SO
that they are unable to compete with
the freSher harvest Of January.
Thus far NJ. Gin may be correct as
to the most suitable time for the publ
cation of new books. But one would
almost be pardoned for pinning his
faith to the dictum of the late Mr.. II. O.:
HOughton, who, in reply to the ques-
ton as to what is the best time for
springing a new book upon the read
ing public, coolly replied: There's no
best time at all Whenever You have
anything good, let it fly! If it is really
good it will, in some way or another,
bring its reward. If the world does
not pronounce it good-why, so much
the worse for YOU N. Gin is logical.
but in the great publishers utteranee
there is good slice Of hard common
sense.
Another point taken up by the Revue
EncyclopediQue writer is the reason
for the decline of the reading habit
for he maintains that it is decidedly
upon the decline. In France less read
ing may be done than formerly, though
we doubt it; but with us the very
opposite is the case. We are, as a
whole, a nation Of omnivOrOus readers,
and our Literary appetite is growing
more and more vOracious. We men
tally devOur verything in black and
white upon which We can alight We
are rather inclined to suspect N. Gin
Of being slightly in error when he tells
us that the bicycle fever-which, he
declares, has injured the business Of
the theaters and cafes-has also affect
ed the reading habit But 1t is always
difficult to make q Frenchman un-
derstand that muscular exercise de-
velOpS mental exercise. Some of our
best university athletes are often at
the head, or very near to the top, of
their college pass-lists. 1t may be true:
as NJ. CHM alleges, that the quantity Of
good reading matter furnished by some
newspapers does not tend to help the
circulation of books. This much we
will certainly grant him without fear
of controversy.
NJ. CHM says that the business OF
French booksellers is decreasing so
rapidly that they have endeavored to
arrest its decline by forming a syndi-
cate, which has entered into negotia-
tons with the publishers syndicate
with view to fixing uniform prices
and trade discounts. and cutting Off
the supplies Of dealers who undersell.
This measure was aimed principally at
the book department of dry goods es-
adjustments, where books are sold I'M
usually cheaply, by reason of the large
quantities purchased. Some steps of
this nature have also been advocated
in this country. But feeling of har-
mOny none the less exists between pub
lishers booksellers and the great dry
goods men, and nobody seems one
penny the worse"
The French were one the greatest
reading people in the world Some
years ago it was next to impossible to
hire bOOtblack or messenger boy to
attend to ones needs until the little
rascal had devOured his penny paper.
France, too, in the quality of her liter
AZURE was at one time unexcelled and
her bOOkmen were fat and happy. If
such change as NJ. Chm describes
has really taken place, one may al
most be pardoned for inGuiring
whether it may not be a deterioration
of the quality which has detracted
from the quantity sold. Literary men
on this side of the water may be in
tereSted in the French gentleman's
advice as to the best time for giving the
public the fruit of their mental labor.
They will also regret to learn from
him that the reading habit in France
is ON the decline; but they will none
the less assure him that the best time
for publication is. in their belief, when
all parties concerned are quite ready.
As for the reading habit over here.
we frequently know more about the
publications OF Paris
month before they appear than the
average body of Frenchmen knows
about them month after they haveap-
peared. We read everything, from a
humorous description of a dogfight up
10 learned essays On the transit of
Venus.
Europe is mad with a mining boom |
8 fitlov oil