The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-28
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Most readers of the CALL will remember
much-talked-of novel that decade or
more ago appeared in one of the leading
American magazines and afterward IN
book form under the title of 1.-THE Bread
winners"
The book had great popularity for a
season. II was for time what "Trilby'
is to-day, the talk of the reading world.
1t was crude, it was vulgar, it was trivial,
but partly, perhaps, because of its anony-
nous authorship, it held public attention
for year and day, ran through fabu-
lous number of editions and was solemnly
welcomed by certain OF the heavy English
periodicals as the long-expected typical
American novel"
This was ten years ago, and the other
day the present writer, who in the days of
Its vogue penned columns of comment
anent it, just as, to-day, hundreds of
writers are penning columns of Trilby-
phobia, actually bought stray copy of
this literary derelict in absolute forgetful-
ness of the ink expended in threshing out
Its dement's ten years agone.
The incident is of passing interest as
illustrating the fragile nature of the bubble
reputation, as applied to novels. The list
C ould be extended indefinitely of books
that have sprung into similar prominence
during the past twenty years to be an
nounced as the long-looked-for American
novel They have sunk again into oblivion
and the great American novel is yet I'M
written and likely to remain so.
There is no reason to suppose that II 1t is
ever written it will lay claim to what
foreign critics will consider a character
istic American flavor. To have that it
must have a cosmopolitan flavor. The
American people are composite people,
and those things that are most character
istic of us are also characteristic of many
other peoples. We are, moreover, of
widely varying types. We may know the
English, the French, the Russian people
comparatively well through their fiction.
but at most characteristic" novel in
this country can only be characteristic of
one section. We have New England
type. Another type, especially character
istic, prevails in the South, while the
Middle West. the Far West and the Pacific
slope present characteristics wholly
unlike either of these. Moreover, what our
critics are wont to style characteristic of
any one section are often types that fill the
people of that section with establishment.
Take for instance that amazing tale OF San
Francisco life, Golden Beak, the people
of which so undoubted an authority as
The Bookman declares are drawn to
life." There is characteristic" nine
teen year old Divorce from San
Francisco who gives characteristic" de-
scription of San Francisco society which
The Bookman writer pronounces deli
cious." Here, for instance, is her account
of society leader who is in the insurance
business and divides his time at social
functions between leading the german and
taking risks:
When young lady first goes into society in
San Francisco, If he isn't on her side she can't
do anything at all. He is asked out to dine
every night, and OF course it all helps his bust
ness, because he is agent for both life and fire
companies, and lots of people who are trying
TO get into society do their insuring through
him. Well, everybody thinks he has such a
lovely time, but hei isn't very happy after all.
He is nearly 40 now; and last tall he began to
get so fat that it was awful for him to have TO
dance; so he had to go without eating lots OF
would go up on the car together to my fiat and
eat picked lines and lady fingers; that's about
the only thing he can eat for supper.
There is Japanese servant who is in
love with his mistress, the Divorce, and
doesn't like the society leader whose name
is Charley Hart. To his mistress this
characteristic San Francisco domestic dis
courses as follows:
'You see, Golden Beak sweep your floor,
clean the mat when dog Charley wipes his
feet-and you laugh. You laugh, all OF you.
You say, 'oh, very clean; oh, very good boy
When Gharley-dog have dinner here, spit in
his soup. You think am a broom; you think
l am an iron to stir the fire with; but all the
while l q man, Golden Beak, and all the
while you are q woman. And love you, bad
woman!
OF course any San Franciscan will recog-
nize this character as being, to quote The
Bookman. "drawn to the life" and it
will cause US no surprise to learn that this
characteristic Japanese servant follows
the object of his admiration all over Eu-
rope, and finally strangles her, on the bank
of an English river, with her friends close
at hand.
Joaquin Miller When He Was Girl.
The current number of the Chapbook
gives, but incorrectly, good story about
Joaquin Miller. AS this incorrect version
of the occurrence has been published sew
eral times of late a veracious narrative of
the event may be of interest. The Poet of
the Sic rras has penChant for writing his
autobiography. There are said to be sew
eral OF these in circulation, each detailing
a pleasing variety of events and none
of them tracing any special relation to the
others. When Joaquin came down from
the north some score of years ago he
brought with him a little Indian halfbreed
girl, his daughter, whom he put in charge
of friend. Between the poet and this
daughter there has never been any love
lost. The child, who is now a woman
grown, inherited much of her fathers
shrewdness and not little wit. When
she was about II years old Miller issued
through Chicago house one of his peri
odic autobiographies. A copy of this he
sent to the Indian girl, who went by
the name of Carrie Shasta. The book was
profusely illustrated with pictures of the
poet. There was joaquin Miller at
Home" joaquin Miller as a Scout
joaquin Miller in London" Joaquin
Miller in Indian Costume" etc. The only
picture in the book that did not represent
Mr.. Miller was one of an Indian girl, with
flowing hair, tearing over the plains on a
pony, followed by two greyhounds. This
picture was labeled Carrie Shasta" and
was supposed to illustrate romantic ver-
sion of Joaquin's Indian marriage. The
child was not pleased, either with the
narrative or the picture, and erasing her
own name, which was printed beneath it,
she wrote, irreyerently, joaquin Miller,
When He Was Girl.
Carrie Shasta, who has since married,
was, as girl, quite character in her way.
AT one time there came to visit at the
house where she was StaVinp a ladV and