Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-21
tension is already talked of with good deal

tension is already talked of with good deal
of confidence.
Mr.. Emerson believes that the output of
the new region will soon be factor in the
copper markets of the world. "It would be
unwise," he said, for any copper combine,
or the copper producers of the country, to
overlook in their reckoning the product that
will come from the Grand Encampment dis
trict."
Talks About Fiction.
Asked about his literary achievements,
Mr. Emerson replied: "My Winning
Winds published seven years ago. and said
to be fair literary success, was not finan-
cial success. Perhaps it was because the
story was not good enough, but l am in
clined to think the reason was that 1t ap-
peared just at time when there was de-
mand for books that could be sold for low
price. 1t was brought out by the publishers
in a 81 150 form. Then came Gray Rocks
This book was both literary and financial
success. 1t ran into the nineteenth edition
and today there is hardly train in the
United States upon which you cannot buy
copy of Gray Rocks
'"These, however, were mere hasty efforte
Four years ago / began work on new mover,
which will be called The Barley Hullers.'
1t has been written and rewritten fVe times
already and / will rewrite 1t about two or
three times more before finally submitting
it to Harpers. Aside from being story
OF the great southwest hitherto unoccu-
pied field, The Barley HulIers will deal with
the great question of international mar
rages. 1t will be severely anti-angiomani-
acal in its deductions and will strongly con-
denim adyenturers from foreign lands who
come over here and use their titles as social
jimmies with which to pry into the sanctity
of the American home; no less, however
condemning this ambition on the part OF
the Americans, which / class as weakness,
If not a vice"
a story Must Have n Good Plot.
Mr. Emerson is opposed to the modern
tendency to decry plot in fiction. He be-
leves 1t Is due to the inability or large
number of writer's to devise really good and
entertaining plots. mo story can live" he
said (which does not contain an interesting
and well developed plot around which may
cluster a variety of entertaining incidents
and the whole go to make up living work
/ of fiction. AS instances of this there are
| Les Mi5erables' OF Hugo, The Musketeers'
OF Dumas, Wallace's Ben Hur,' or any OF
/ the works of that prince of story tellers,
| Dickens These successful works of fiction
! invariably have plots Of the most fascinating
! and powerful interest. The ideas i have
! evolved in regard to the requirements OF
/
| grouped as follows: Artistic perception
dramatic vision, rhetorical eloquence which
| implies the elimination OF all inelegancies
OF expression; grammatical accuracy, strong
! character sketches, in which players within
the lids of fiction stand out in bold relief,
not because of what the author says about
| them, but by reason OF what they say and
do; decoration No novel is complete with
out well-founded touches OF tenderness
! Few scenes occur between the characters
| and the author is seldom required TO moral
ize, without an opportunity being given for
little heart beats which may be heard II
the reader will only listen attentively
enough to hear them.
| There is another and last requirement in
the construction OF novel. The author.
after having worked his book over six or
seven times, should judge It from the stand
point Of completeness and harmony. Per-
haps a bunch of La France roses will have
to be removed and a spray OF delicate lily
of the valley substituted. or vice versa.
1T is not an idle pastime to write work
OF fiction that is both literary and fnan-
cial success and will live. Whether The
Barley HullerS will claim this exalted no.
sition for Itself no one can tell. However
it is my abiding ambition to produce a WORK
that will merit place In the permanent
literature Of the English speaking world. -