The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-21
Uncle Remus on Word Books.

OHCi0 menus on VOrQ BOOKS
mo, do not want your dictionary a
any price, nor even as a gift; il is tn,
one book for which / have no place il
my library. I don't need it In my bust
| ness
This was the reply of Joel Chandler Har-
| ris 10 book agent who visited him ir
his ONCE one day not long ago.
| The agent was somewhat surprised and
| doubtful
You delightful English" he remark.
ed, has been the subject of much COM
| rnent Al literary circles, and 1 took 1t for
! granted that you were what is called a
| dictionary student
Then you have made a big mistake, .
was the prompt answer. Il have two or
| three dictionaries at home. but they ara
| 1or the use OF the youngsters. / never per-
NIT one to stay in the room where 1 write.
and l have never had one on my editorial
desk"
Where did you get your pure English 80
Il don't know" was the indifferent re-
spouse. MY limited vocabulary was pick
ed up, presume, from various books and
newspapers; in the street among the people
and among the country folks when 1 was
|
the matter
Inc visitor was not satisfied. He had
heard of Mr.. Harris as humorist, and the
idea struck him that the talk about die
tonaries might be jocular vein.
This Is surprising talk he said, from
a writer whose diction and style are so de-
servedly admired. 1t is the general belief
that it requires long years OF hard study
10 reach such q high standard Of literary
excellence
Young man." replied the author of
Uncle Remus," with a slight frown, you
are not talking to a professional literary
man. L am hard-working toiler on a daily
newspaper and my stories and sketches
are written in odd moments, without any
preparation, and without any aids In the
shape of reference books When l feel
like telling a story or drawing a pen pic
ture of life 1 sit down and dash it off.
and that's the end of it. Sometimes the
work is fairly good, and sometimes it liz
very crude. Whatever 1t happens to be,
IL has 10 take its chances, for | have nc
time to daHdle over 1t. retouching and pol
ishing it,
at is very remarkable" was the com.
ment Of the other.
Not at ALL" said Mr. Harris when
was a boy 1 read over and over again
the Bible, Shakespeare, Bunyan, Sir Thorn
as Browne, Dean Swift, Addison. Gold
smith and Defoe. In my busy manhood
l read few books Of a later date, and
cruel fate has compelled me 10 read the
newspapers. If man can't pick up some
kind Of vocabulary and style from all
these sources he can't get it anywhere
Don't you know that the translators Of the
nd
yam, Defoe, Swift and many other great
masters of English had to get along with
out either a dictionary or a grammar OF
their language?"
Il suppose So" answered the book agent |
Certainly they did," continued the story |
writer, and that was the making Of them |
II they had spent their precious time por. |
ing over dusty dictionaries and grammars |
they would have written stuff as dull dry |
and laundering as the work OF their sue |
cessors, who take so much pains with thei, |
failures. When a close student of grammar |
and dictionaries writes anything good IL |
IS in spite Of his training, and not because |
Of II. A man can stick to his dictionary |
until it brushes all the life out Of his SEN
fences and wipes out all the light and |
color
Mr.. Harris, do you talk that way to /
young writers?''-
We'll, that depends" was the thought.
'ul reply. Sometimes / speak in this
fashion TO bright young fellows who have
plenty of sense. but when fools come to me
'or advice, l tell them to study their die
ionaries. You see, it can't hurt them, and
nay keep them too busy TO write anything
md thus indirectly promote the public COM
ort"
How do you explain your success as
writer Mr.. Harris?'
BLESS your soul. I don't explain H. All
hat l know about 1t is that 1 have tried
o keep in touch with human nature, and
ct my stories tell themselves Possibly
his gives them a naturalness which is at
ractice TO some readers. / feel that if |
should make an ambitious effort, and
ry TO do some fine writing, It would be
fiat failure"
The dlctionarys arvance agent followed
ne out of the sanctum and winked one eve
s he rang for the elevator.
Hes a deep one he whispered.
What do you mean?"
Il mean that Uncle Remus IS as cute as
IS own Bre'r Rabbit. II takes a wide
wake man 70 size him up
And with knowing smile he took his de-
arturo.
ny ut