The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-15
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
EFFECT OF THE WAR on WATERS
AND PUBLISHERS.

Wen-Known Writers Who Have
Gone 10 the Front as War Cores
pOndents-A New Writer of War
Poems-WiIIiam Allen whites
PopuIarity-A Canadian KfpIing.
Various Notes on Books and Au-
thOrs.
New York, May 14.-Naturally the most
active branch of literary production now
is war correspondence. and there is good
deal Of controversy as to how far 1t is
realistic" and how far romantic" L
doubt if any former war enlisted the pens
of so many really capable writer's as this
one has. A number of men of such as
spred position as authors that they might
have remained at home In their studies,
comfortably writing books, have put aside
the novels, histories, or whatever they
were engaged upon. and hurried to the
front. in the service OF the newspapers
and magazines. 1 have already noted in
this correspondence how Richard Harding
Davis and Stephen Crane abruptly con-
cluded pleasant sojourns in London at the
nrsf assurance of hostfities, and got away
10 the seat of war as rapidly as possible.
Davis represents the London Times;
Crane, as I mentioned in former letter,
the London Chronicle and the New York
World. Representing the New York Sun
is John r. Spears, who has lately COM
pleted history of the American navy from
its origin to the present day. He is likely
to be able to write a continuation Of the
work from his own observations. Fred
erick Remington, who is both author and
artist, is out for Harper's Weekly; and
with him are associated the artists, r. F.
zogbaum, C. T. Chapman and w. A. Rog-
ers; and 0. K. Davis, a well-known news
paper man; Casper w. Whitney, author of
ION SnoWshoes to the Barren Grounds"
and the great authority on sports and
athletics; and Harold Martin, young man
whose name has not yet appeared, be-
lieve, on a book, but who has published a
few short stories of no ordinary kind, and
who, at the opening of hostilities, was
writing very interesting letters to Harp
er's Weekly from Cuba, describing espe-
cially, the distribution of the relief stores
among the reooncentrados. Among others
who are out representing important jour-
nails are Stephen Bonsal, whose recent
book, Real Condition of Cuba To-day"
gave just the Information the people of
the United States were wishing they could
get James Creelman, Morrill, Goddard Ed
ward Marshall Che three last named rep
| resenting the New York JournaD; Milbur
J. Chamberlain, Harold NJ. Anderson. and
Walstein Root (all three representing the
New York SUM land representing the New
York Tribune), Charles M. Pepper Henry
NJ. Stegman, and Robert G.. Din Along
with Stephen Crane for the New York
World are Alex Kenealy, William Shaw
Bowen, Sylvester Scovel Ga man of old ex-
perience in Cuba), and Ralph D. Paine
Mr.. Spears, in addition to the Sun, will rep
resent also Harpers Weekly; Mr.. Reming-
ton, in addition to Harper's Weekly. will
represent also the New York Journal: and
Mr.. Q. Il. Davis, in addition to Harper's
Weekly, viii represent the New York Sun.
and McClures Magazine. For the sun
also are Frank B. Richards, BENJAMIN C.
Head, Jr., and Jose de Armas For the
Tribune also are A. II. Mecxlin, David B.
Harris, w. T. Kirby, w. e. Cfeague. J.
A. Halloran ]. p. C'1arkson, and Marion
Lucas. Others that 1 know of as out for
the Journal are George II. Dickinson. To-
seph N. Quart, Alfred Henry Lewis and
Karl Decker. Others that know of as
out for the World are Seppings Wright
Henry N. Cary, Edward D. Harden Hill
airy A. Herbert, MIR. Corbet and Mr.. Ttlohy.
It would be only boring the reader per-
haps, to extend thls enumeration; and II
lists were added for other New York pa
pers and for papers in other cities they
would only emphasize what 1 think al
ready clearly enough appears-that enter
prising editors are not going to miss any
news for lack of good men at the centers
OF action. and that men of the best ability
and the largest acquaintance with the
peoples and localities involved have gone
into the service
1t was almost amusing, the promptness
with which the war made its presence
manifest in the publishers book lists. on
the very first day after it became a GER
tainty one firm was able to advertise a
ful newspaper column of titles of books
more or less relating to war Some Strain
ing was required to achieve the feat the
war element in several of the books named
being much In the proportion of fruit to
pastry in the first strawberry shortcake
but still it was pretty good show. and
must have stirred some envy in publishers
whose stock, pick it over as they would,
yielded nothing that implied or sympa-
thized with breach of peace The out
break is thus lesson that perhaps. pub
fishers like the government will heed and
hereafter beware of keeping too exclusively
TO peace basis. They will see to 1t that
they have somewhere on their shelves a
few good. solid war books, to be busted Off
and brought out, and relied on, in any
suddenly arisen crisis.
1t is problem that is giving publishers
of books and of periodicals not little anx-
iety, what effect the war is likely to have
on their business. On books of the less
necessary kind-books that require a par
ticularly good humor on the part of the
public I'm order to get sold-the first effect
can scarcely help but be disastrous. And
the same is true of the more luxurious
journals. But books and journals accord
ant with the war sentiment and interest
are likely to enjoy, for the moment at least
a distinct boom" Journals which depend
for their profits almost solely on the ad-
vertising patronage they enjoy are the ones
that least know where they are at; for
who can forecast what advertisers will do