The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-02
CAREER OF WAR STORY
MET MANY REFLECTIONS, BUT
FINALLY ACCEPTED.
Hamilton Gariand's Return From the
Klondike, and His New Book
Editor of st. Nicholas Gone For
Winter In Europe-various Lit
erary Notes of Interest.
Especial Correspondence

be the object of What one may call a
revival" 1t is, perhaps, less apparent
in this country than in England; but
in both countries he is getting an atten-
ton and consideration in the reviews
that through a period of some years
was distinctly denied him. Through
the decade when Mr.. Howells was the
editor of the Atlantic Monthly, and
that magazine brought out most of the
short stories that are comprised in the
collection named "A Passionate Pill
grim" and the novels Frederick Hud-
son., THE American THE Euro
peans" and ''The Portrait of a Lady"
the James and Howells set" was, at
least in the United States. the one
theme of literary talk and literary crit
icisTn. Then Mr.. James fell into subtle
ties, through which even many of his
admirers We're reluctant TO follow him,
and he went to live in England; and
there came a period during which the
rough outward signs betokened him a
much less literary quantity and infiU-
ence than he had seemed previously to
be. It is this period that seems now to
be coming to an end, and giving Mr..
James back to the consideration that
is undoubtedly his due.
The list OF Mr.. James writings is now
so long that one is apt to think of him
as an old writer. lie is only 55-three
years under the age OF Defoe when he
wrote Robinson Crusoe," and of Ger
vanteS when he wrote the first part of
Don QuiXcte-" 1t is only about twenty
years since he published his first novel.
His name is constantly linked with MIR.
Howells', and there is only six years
between them in point of %ge, but Mr..
HoWells is a good ten years the older
in authorship.
Mr.. James has always preserved a
- q nd
in his way of life. / don't remember
ever, anywhere, to have encountered
from him one of those interviews in
which authors are wont to yield us in
teresting glimpses of their manners and
methods. He lives pretty constantly in
or near London, and common report
credits him with being in speech, man
ner and style of living little more
English than the English themselves.
To his readers he is apt to seem a cold
and remote man, but, in point of fact,
he is exactly the opposite of this, and
in his private friendships he has extra
ordinary ferVor and unSelfiShnesS.
Mr. Hamlin Garland reached New
York a few days ago, on his first visit
since his journey into the Klondike. He
is here mainly to arrange some pub
fishing affairs and to see his friends;
but he viii stay some weeks, and per-
do his daily stint with the pen just the
same as if he were in the whizZ of
Chicago or the repose of Wisconsin
either of which opposed localities he
accounts home, although the time he
actually spends in either or even in
both is but a. moderate fraction.
It was a great journey, that which
Mr.. Garland took into the gold fields
something like eighty continuous days
in the saddle and a thousand miles OF
travel over a thickly wooded, noun
famous trail-andst to hear him tell of it
is as good entertainment as one could
desire. Strictly speaking, he did not go
to the Klondike; the point at which he
drew rein and drove his stakes was
Glenora, in the valley of the Stikine.
Among the literary fruits of the jour
ney is a series of poems, written while
Mr.. Garland was actually travelling the
trail and dealing with its aspects, Incl
dents and suggestions. This series is
TO be published quite soon. Inaddition
to this, Mr.. Garland's direct literary
harvest was a number of prose stories
and sketches, some of which, think,
have already appeared.
Mr. Garland's particular literary en-
ployment just now is new novel. 1t
is to be what one might call q reverse
picture to his last novel, THE Rose of
butchers Cooley" In that was Dor-
trayed a young girl whose longing and
aspirations were all for the life of the
east, with its age, reiInements. seclu-
sions and conventions. In this. the cen
trail character is q young man whose
whole soul burns in desire for The wild.
free, adventurous life of the west. In
suggestion of the nature of this hero.
the story viii be called 1.-The Eagles
Heart" and it will embody in It's incl
dents and action that knowledge of the
plains and the Rocky Mountains which
Mr.. Garland has gathered so laborlous-
~ by his own travels and observation.
The book is now, rs ! understand it.
about half or two-thi-ds done.
The authors of returning manuscripts
often solicit encouragement not to be
discouraged, desiring to have it brought
consoiingly home to them that declina-
t!nT-= do not necessarily mean any
thing, and that the thing 20 do is TO
keep your declined manuscripts going
and going. An instance came lately TO
my knowledge that offers this Kind of
encourag cement Early IL the recent
war an author of my acquaintance
wrote a stDry on theme suggested by
the war, and counted on the war inter
est, which was then at its highest, to
secure a quick sale Of the story
Though a comparatively neE aGthor,
he is by nc means an unknown olie. He
has published contributions in nearly
has published books. and his work has
been received by reviewers with the
highest favor. Moreover. this particu-
lar story was, in-many respects, one of
his Strongest. it dealt with Just the
things and kind of life in which lie IS
most at home and it had certain
power and sweep in It that no man
commands except when he is writing
with conviction and ferVor. Yet for
some reason, when the author came to
offer it, the story would not sell He
fried it on one editor, and then on an
other: all returned ii with words Of
praise, yet with an irrevocable nay.
Meanwhile the war went on. and then
reached its end. and a month or TWO
later the war interest" reached It's
end, too. The author concluded that If
there was no place for his luckless war
story before. there certainly was none
now, and that it might as we'll be
chucked into the fire. or. at least
tucked away in the farthest corner or
a drawer. He decided. however. before
putting it finally and. perhaps. forever
by, to give just one more trial. so ne
sent it off, and in about as short a
time as word could come. he had an
acceptance.
Some twenty years ago American
readers received what they very SEN
errally accounted a most gracious gift
in a book called Library Notes II
and connected up for them. in u relish
things that had heen spoken or writ
ten In succeeding years. other books
of the same kinda Club of One
I'm a Club Corner" and so on--caf,a