The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-10
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
DIsAPPOINTMENTS OF EDITORS IN
SEARCH OF WAR MATERIAL.

An Authors Position After Writing
Fair Book - Prof. George Adam
smiths Forthcoming Life of Prof.
Drummond-An English TransIa-
ton of "Cyrano de BergOrne" for
Richard Mansfield - Notes on Au-
thOrs and Prospective Rocks.
New York, July 9-We have had many
contributions to the public in recent years
on the Disappointment of authOrs-stories
OF how this gifted man and that carried
divine compositions from journal TO jour
nal and publishing house 10 publishing
house, only to be compelled in the end 10
take them back home and put them away
in the hair-hide trunk, with nolother re
ward than, perhaps, fond assurance
from mis- wife that some day the world
would take a different view of them
There might especially at this time, quite
Is pogent stories be written on the disap-
pointment of editors. 1t is tough, of
course, writing yourself bald in the con-
struction of romance for the waste basket
But it is also tough 10 toss all night on
a couch of prickles, thinking up just the
right men to take photogra phs and write
descriptions from, say. Santiago de Cuba;
40 contract with those men, after you
have thought them up, to pay them liberal
sums for supplying you with pictures and
descriptions from the point named, and 10
make, perhaps a generous advance on tine
contract; and then, to find in the final
fruition of all this effort, that all you have
is precisely what the writer of rejected
1 rOu mo- b1c
waste basket.
Since the war began this experience has
befallen editors a good many times; and
at heart, l fancy, they are just now the
most earnest peace men we have In the
sdddenness Of the need there has had 10 be
much experimenting an the selection Of
war artists and correspondents. And the
remoteness of the field and the expensive
ness Of the employment have compelled
the advance of considerable sums Of
money. Yet much of the matter sent in
has been of no earthly use. The descrip-
ton ignored the events and mussed over
the incidents till even the most inventive
copy editor" could make nothing of it
and import nothing into it. and the pho
tographs were but far-away snapshots at
nonenuties on a black sky. Under the
distress of such returns from an extraor-
binary outlay, sac<cloth and ashes. the
rending of the hem of the garment the
kicking of oneself and all the historic
outlets for anguish of soul must prove en-
tirely insufficient. If the authors of re-
jected manuscripts have been secretly
praying that retribution might some day
descend on the high-held editorial heads
they are warranted in believing that at
last their prayers have been answered.
The popular illustrative artist is often
an object Of envy among the people Of
large. He gets anywhere from s. to $500
for picture; and to make it he seems
to do nothing but sit ia a quiet, pleasant
room and shove his pen or his pencil over
piece of cardboard for a few hours
But, after all, the Illustrative artists life
is not one unbroken round of happiness
For one thing, he has come to be under
much the same stress of speed as the
newspaper reporter. He is comma nded
not infreQuently, to do a considerable mas
terpiece between 6 O'Clock in the evening
and O'clock in the morning; and he is
compelled to exalt himself into a fine ere
alive frenzy over a text thar oftener than
not he finds deadly dull. True, he is some
times charged with taking sort of French
leave of this latter hardship by not read
ing his text and making his drawings re-
gardless of it. But even so, there is still
| the WEAKNESS of having to do over and
| over again the same Old things; for all
artists have their specialues, and one is
chosen to draw ships and another lovers.
| Now and then one rebels. A. B. Frost
| did, the other day. He was given a story
| to illustrate. He glanced into it, and then
| handed it back, saying II DONE want
! it,"
Don't want itr' exclaimed the publish
| er, who was giving it out, in much the
! tone of surprise with which he would have
received a tramp's declination of warm
| breakfast.
| NO" answered Mr.. Frost firmly II see
! it has three plumbers in it. I'm sick Of
drawing plumbers. Give it to somebody
! else"
Mr. H. J. w. Dam, who Is announced