The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-01

Gus Authors and Forthcoming
Books.
New York. April 3O-There appeared be-
fore the assistant editor of well-known
magazine one day about four years ago. a
young man rather short and sturdlly built,
Of smooth, dark, rather grim visage, with
the look of an uncompromislng fatalist in
his black-brown eyes, and asked TO sub
NIT short story. His aspect was not just
| that of man who would be writing sto-
ries, and the assistant EDITORS half-formed,
| neeting sense was of another of those poor
| chaps, who, hopeless OF getting an engine
to tend or a gang of men to boss, have
| desperately resorted to the pen; for it was
pathetically manifested that the young
man was not In the capitalist class Little
was said on either side. The assistant edi-
tor showed only such cordiahty as an as
sistant editor can when he is sitting up to
his ears i'm a bath of unread manuscripts;
and the young man was not urgent. They
parted without ardent expectations, prob
ably on either side In due course the
story was read, and found to be melo-
dramatic, impossible, unavailable tale of
the sea- and was put away in the files to
be held until such time as the distressed
author should call for it. This he did before
long, and on receiving the story back, ask
ed to be told specifically what were its
faults. The assistant editor could answer
only evasively; he indicated vaguely one
or two disqualificatons; but he could not,
in mercy say what ne belleved-that the
storys crowning fauu was that it had
nothing good in it and that it even held no
promise of better ones to follow.
The young man, no doubt, was discour-
aged; but he was not defeated. Before
long he presented himself again, submit
ting a second story. The result was the
same as in the case of the first; and none
different followed when third and per-
haps also fourth story was presented.
The assistant editor encountered nothing
in any of them to raise so much as a sus-
picion Of having in their author a com
ing man. Then, after considerably long
er interval than had fallen between the
previous submissions, there came yet an
other-received in much the same br!ef
way as the earlier ones, and taken UP.
subsequently for examination with no more
enthusiasm than the others But il
proved a revelation. Instead of a made
story, improbable in incident and uncon>
Vinclng in character, it proved to be real
and vital in every line The whole editorial
force read it and liked il. 1t was &C.
cepted and soon published And there
followed 1t other stories, by the same nand
no less strong and genuine. And now
these and others have been gathered into
volume, which the reviewers are, many
OF Them saying it is one of the most re-
Inarkable that they have ever seen OF ms
kind. THE author is Morgan w. Robert
son.
Now, I hope no literary aspirant will
infer. from this story that the obvious
moral is never to cease from firing your
STUFF into the declining editor until YOU
nave brought him to terms That is like
many another war policy-excellent only
so far as it succeeds-and there are stj1l
some facts to add IN regard to Mr. Robert
son that will provoke, or at least, should
provoke. quite other differences Robert
son, when he turned to writing. was in
truth in just as hard luck as he looked
to be. He had had an experience in life
the full bitterness of which cannot be sig
nifed in written words. Born with half
dozen distinct aptitudes, and compelled
to make his own way, he had tried first
one thing and then another, only to fall
down with a more or less cracked head
IN every bout. He tried being first a sail
or, then an engineer, then a-Well. l don't
know what he did not try Often he was
at the point Of starving; always he was
finding life very tough and curious bus
mess, and he was getting an acquaintance
with it beside which that of the ordinary
story-teller is the merest ehildishness.
His stories owe their success to the fact
that they embody this extraordinary ex-
perience. Until he learned how to make
them do this they were worthless, but
now they are as extraordinary as the ex-
perience itself. They are strong testimo-
ny, moreover as far as they go Chey are,
of course, rather too few as vet to be
conclusive) that Mr.. Robertson has chosen
at last the right one of his several apti-
tudes to permanently insist upon. l may
add that he shows his prosperity; he is a
much pleasanter man 10 look in the face
now than he was four years ago. A
friend of his remarked the change the
other day, and playfully asked the cause.
Robertson's reply was characteristic. II
now get enough to eat" said he.
Charles Dana Gibson the artist, has
concluded his winters sojourn and travel
in Egypt, and gone for a time TO Vienna.
He has almost finished his series of Egypt
ian pictures, and he writes that. he has
had the greatest pleasure in doing them
and that he believes they are his besr
work. They win receive their first publi-
cation in one of the leading magazines.
1 hope that Mr.. George W. Gable. who
10 SpOA " btSlh q COURSE OIL readings IN
England, and is to have published there.
under an introduction by ]. M. Barrie. his
novel, ''The Grandissimes" will succeed in
effecting some reprisas in behalf of our
native authors. England, as a rule. has
proved pretty poor picking for American
writer's whereas America. for the English
writer latterly has proved little less than
an Eel Dorado The English writer appre
ciates the fact, 100. There is usually i'm
puted to him, when he gets back homo
from the lecturing or reading invasion
which he is apt not to fail to effect-on orr
territory sooner or later, some remark in
disparagement of us. And as usually he
rises up and denies having made this re-
mark. But whether he deni1N It or not.
and whether he actually makes it or not.
he sooner or later lets the fact aDpear
that commercially. at least, he knows we
have on us nothing that should be impa-
tiently brushed off. As a market, in other
wards, he finds us infallibly what Mark
Twain's naughty llrte boy found the stolen
jam-"bully."
anthony Hope is an interesting case in
point. Now whether Anthony Hope ala
not speak slightingly of our manners. as
he himself saws lie the