The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-12

in order to make sure of a livelihood.
he divides his working day about even
ing manuscripts for a publishing house.
fancy that he win not keep himself
in submission to the latter task very
long; he is not constructed for work
of such a routine order and. more
over. his novels are of the kind that
are likely soon to yield him large re-
turns, and his power of producing new
ones is, fancy, almost unlimited.
Among the new ones, foresee some
Gay a story of Chicago, for il was there
that Mr. Norris was born and passed
the whole of his childhood and boy
hood. Perhaps he will yet give us some
thing to supplement or contrast with
Mr.. Fuller's novels.
Authors, I find, pretty generally COM
plain that the war, for the time, very
seriously impaired their royalties. 1t IS
what one would expect, of course. Cor
it was a perfectly clear case that, while
the war lasted and for several months
after its close. people read almost moth
ing but newspapers. The turn has come
decisively enough now, however. There
IS still, of course, a good deal writing
and publishing on the war, but there Is,
l think, only one feeling with editors
and publishers, aid that is that the war
is no longer fetching subject and that
they must put their dependence on
otEer themes. Meanwhile the energy
and hopefulness that the successful Is
sue of the war has impaired 10 business
in general appears also in the depart
ment of publishing, and the authors to
whom the war at first worked most
embarrassment now see opening 10
them considerably larger opportunity
than they enjoyed, before the war be-
gan. What the final fruition viii De,
no one can as yet safely say. Everv-
body allows that there must some. time
follow a reVulsion from the present
feeling Of confidence. but if it does not
come too soon, the profit acquired IN
the meanwhile may exceed the loss en-
tailed by its coming. At any rate, the
present mood of both authors and pub
fishers is, L should, one of particular
cheerfulness.
An English friend of Joseph Conrad's,
whom I met here the other day, told
me that Conrad was thinking serious
ly of returning to the sea. He was q
captain in the merchant service before
he became an author. it being from
experience and observation in this Of
fee that the material of his books Is
mainly drawn. @altterly he has been
depending solely on his writings for his
livelihood, and he has found it, my
understanding is. by no means suff1-
cient dependence. Yet of the approval
that is most gratifying to a mans
heart, the approval of men who are
acknowledged experts in his own mat
ter, he has had more than almost any
other of the recent corners. George
Meredith, Kipling, Barrie, Henley and
others of their kind express the highest
hopes of him. Moreover, his books have
all sold fairly we'll, 1 think. 1t is SIM
ply another instance in proof of the
toughness. even for gifted man, of the
first years of a literary career. But
then, other professions open little more
easily; ten years is no unusual term
for a new lawyer or new doctor to go
through in getting himself indepen-
IDENTIFY established.
Between Mr. HowelPs reports of
Their Wedding Journey" and Their
Silver Wedding Journey something
more than the due interval falls, though
the journeys themselves, no doubt, keep
their proper dates. 1t is almost thirty
years since the account of Their We'd
ding Journey" was given to the public
1t appeared in the Atlantic Monthly
at the time when Mr.. Howells was the
assistant editor, and it was his first
novel 1 remember how. out in Ohio,
they followed it with great interest.
discussing the succeeding chapters in
the course of afternoon calls and ever
ing companies, because it was his fir.
and because Mr.. Howells was an Ohio
man. Quite often some one appeared
in these encounters who had known
the young author personally while he
was yet resident at Dayton, Hamilton,
Columbus or some other of the half
dozen Ohio towns that can claim
share in his youth, and he was cordial
" given his moment of just distinction
for the fact 1t is not likely that any
of Just this kind of interest is pro-
voked by Their Silver Wedding Jour
ney'' as it appears month by month
in Harper's. When a writer has gone
to the point of the silver wedding in his
literary career he may still be attend
ed as eagerly and admiringly as ever.
but there cannot possibly be in this
anything like repetition
Of the mingled wonder and pleasure
when we discover that the young man
who lived for a time up in the next
block. without perhaps winning any
credit from us for more than the fact
that he was a nice. quiet sort of fell
ow. is an author-an acknowledged au- |
thor!
The next series in Harper's Magazine |
S to be by H. B. Marriott Watson. Mr.. |
is not a name that can be /
said to be we'll known with us, al /
.hough he has been publishing novels !
II England for full ten years. He is a /
native of Australia, having been born
1t Melbourne in 1863. At q or % he !
vent to England. and soon engaged in
His first book rat the /
First Corner, Marahuna," appeared in
SSS Half a dozen have followed it. the
attest being "The Adventures" pub
ished last year. He once collaborated
With Barrie in writing a play, and he
las had writing and editorial connec-
ions with various newspapers and pc
iodicals E. C. MARTIN.
-o-G1D-D-