The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1896-06-26
WRITING AS A TRADE.
It's Not Such a Bonanza AS Some
4 Are Led to Believe.
eommon-ssnss Comments BY DR.. Edward
EgglestOn-O< All the Learned Profess
slons Literature Certainly IL tho
Most Poorly Paid.

The phenomenal sales of many recent
books, notably such as General Wallaee's
'Ben Hur" and Mr.. Bellamy's Looking
Backward, have led the general public
to believe that the business OF author
ship must be profitable one. This inn
preston has been intensified by reports
of the great prices paid certain writers
for their productions. Examples.in point
are the handsome incomes attributed to
Mark Twain, w. ID. Howells, Mrs. Bur.
nett and others of far less note. Conse,
quently the recent statement ascribed
to DR.. Edward Eggleston, himself sue
cessful writer, in disproof of this opinion
has been received with surprise. DR..
Eggleston, according to literary jour
nal, holds that there is not o single
American author who really makes an
income out of his books. Grubb street
has become tradition, but the rewards
of the book-maker continue painfully
small. DR.. Eggleston writes to a Globe
Democrat correspondent in Reputation
of the bald statement thus attributed to
him, but in reiteration Of the poor fnan-
cial returns of authorship: "Of course
l did not say any thing so preposter-
Gus as the words attributed to me
in the newspaper in point. This is
only one of many illustrations of tho
crying defect of American journalism
at this time. More brains. more pre-
cision, more mental training are want
ed in the reporters work. OF enter
prising reporters there are enough, men
who will find out the secrets of the
North Pole, steal an interview with the
Pope or the Gar, or penetrate in search
of news to lady's bedch@n'tor. But
a decent report Of public assembly, or
of an address for which the orator did
not himself supply the manuscript copy,
have not seen in a long time l wish
to file general caveat that I am ac-
conntable for no speeches put into my
mouth in this way. What did say be-
fore Congressional committee was that
did not know any author who had ac-
quired competence by literary work
properly so-called. proceeded to ex-
clude school-books. Mr.. Longfellow
was professor and made good invest
ments. Mr.. Emerson was poor during
| the greater part of his life, ] believe,
though he endured the drudgery of
| lyceum lecturing, and it is said he only
gained competence in old age by good
to drudge for book-maker like Good
rich and to seek public offices. Mr..
| Lowell has had other sources of income;
Mr.. Howells has had, let us hope, a
liberal editorial salary; Colonel Higgin-
son published q successful school-book.
My very point is that authors are
driven from the production Of liter
ature, properly so-called, to drudgery
or sensationalism by the desire to
earn that sufiiciency which literature
does not give. The newspaper in point
may or may not In It's critical moments
class the profitable Juveniles of Miss AL
colt, Mr. Trowbridge and Oliver Optic
with literature properly so-called. 1t is
matter of opinion. Mr.. Aldrich's ad-
mirable Story Of Bed Boy which l
should call literature without question
mark, did not reach the tenth part OF
the circulation attained by Boston
juveniles of films ier texture.
"Let me remark, / am combating the
notion very prevalent among Congress
men that an author of reputation has
opened a bonanza. OF all the learned
professions, literature is the most poor
ly paid. The leading authors must be
compared with leading lawyers, doctors
and ministers. If you compare sue
cessful author with country lawyer or
the pastor Of village church, you might
make fair showing. But what author
ever hopes to attain theincoma enjoyed,
say, BY the late DR.. Willard Parker CT
by Mr.. Eyarts? The body of working
litterateurs who make pot-boilers for
the booksellers all their lives and are
never known to the newspapers in such
a discussion as this, certainly have nc
nope of more than the livelihood of o
very humble professional man.
"For many years | have been acous'
4omed to warn young men of from be-
ginning literary career, because &c
few of the literary workers ever attain
competency"