The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-09-30

0IQ1lCE OIL IQ0 Times: l
Whoever converses much among old |
books will be hard TO please among new
Temple.
When Planeus was the consul. in the
golden age. the human family was almost
free from certain disease with an en-
barrasstns name which, like (as) Bonny
Leslie, has lately come across the border,
and which, already nearly pervasive,
threatens like (as) that same viva cious
young lady, to spread its conquests far
Their.
Even when the world went welI-placidis
IN saeculis-there were some cases of the
cacoethes scribendi and they were attend
ed by much the same symptoms and re-
suits that modern science has observed in
this disease. There was the popularity
marking the difference between this Ill ard
all others-that it affected the patient
pleasantly. Except for slight swelling
of the head. and occasionally trivial
sshrinkage of the purse. not only was the
sufferer unconscious OF distress. but he
passed hstine in sort OF !diotc exalsa-
ton, which is commonly observed In VIC
tins of this disease at present Then, as
now. 1t was the neighbors Of the patient
who sconcii alterius mails, vicarious and
unwilling sacrifice, sufered-sometimes
with patience, but oftener with expletive-
for the unsound condition OF their friend
/ r
disorder has become prevalent in our
time, and to indicate the means by which
It's ravages might be checked. I feel that 1
should lay mankind under lasting obliga-
ton But I am deferred from this course
by the reflection that the battle of the
books has already been fercely fought,
and by the further and more important
consideration that [ do not desire to be
the object Of any more lasting gratitude,
having already placed my feilownan IN
der a variety OF such obligations Financial
among the resO which promise to be ever
lasting and seem, It present, In no fair
way Of liquidation.
But, while 1 cannot consent to make
labor:ous and searching inquiry into the
subject, do not object TO suggesting one
or two of the palmer facts in the diagno-
sis In the days Of the fathers the ap-
planes for book-making were so few
that it was a task requiring some care
and thought and preparation and labor on
an authors part to place his work before
the world Hence, ne was very likely to
observe. for himself or through the warn
ings Of his friends, If there were not in his
work matter that was really worthy Oh
preservation So it was probable, as a
general thing, that only those men VINO
were fitted, by nature and oY toi' LOT
literary tasks would persevere and, strik-
leave the world a priceless legacy OF Wen
nigh perfect literary work.
On the other hand. the present lines TO
authorship are countless. There are dc
tionaries which contain every word\a writer
needs to use and more besides; encyeio-
pedias OF greater or less Commonly of
less veracity, covering every subject,
known and unknown and past finding out;
translations; abridgements: collections;
n
books: dialect books; books Of pathetic
and humorous incidents; quotations books;
kia panta ia loipa, by the judtcious use
of which a vast deal OF learning of a GER
tain sort may readily be quaffed, and the
waters In the Persian spring be none the
lowsr.
If the smile were not SO hackneyed,
should like 10 refer TO our present breed
OF literary folk, easily eievating them
selves on the Iabors Of their predecessors,
as the dwarf upon the giants shoulder
But I have no sort of inclination TO drive
an overworked smile into premature
grave, not to say taught that might shock
the most fastid.ous," as the play bill puts
it.
do wish however to note the m.ans
BY which some OF our literature, starting
at zero and continually growing in mega
tive direction, assumes at last, In dehaHce
bulk A gentleman-a previous sinner IN
the game directon-evoives a story. "a
Woman or a Tomcat." With much the
same appreciation Of a point that moved
Mr. Sawyer to consider that the joke
involved IN a certain trip OF his lay in the
fact that hs had no invitation, this gen
tleman considers II a point 10 omit Ham
LET from the play, and TO end his story
without the denouement- The public, that
would hardly care to tnhabit houses, thu
roofs Of which had been left off, nor TO
subsist on bread to which the cook had
failed to apply the finishing ordeal OF fire,
was wonderfully taken by the performance
of this gentleman. and he stepped INTO
notoriety. So great was the demand lot
something further from his pen, and SO
little had he but his pen with which 10
meet the demand, that his next perform
ancs was story of How I Came to
Write "A Woman or a Tomcat" In due
course his second corruscaton had to be
explained, and further contribution 10
literature appeared. How 1 Came to Write
How l Came to Write a Woman or q
Tomcat.'
This gentleman has about discovered per
petual motion in his subjects He IS IN
much the same condition was certain
bay mule once shipped. with a destina-
ton tag round his neck, on one OF the
Southern roads. In a moment of mental
abstraction the animal lunched on this
| tag and, at the next stop, the darkey
| brakeman, observing the condition OF at
fairs, flew in CONSERVATION to the conduc-
| tor and said: "Marse George. dat ar bay
| mule ain gwine neber git off here, sub!
| He dun ct up whar he gwine. and he des
nacherly got ter keep on trablin.' our
| author has just about ''et up whar he
| SWine," and I am unable TO see any limit
| to. his future e1cursuses. except, indeed,
that imposed by the inability OF the quo
/ tation mark to do any adequate justice to
| his future titles.
/ | should like also to call attention to the
! quality of some Of the recent additions to
| american light literature. I am not by
! any means prepared TO say alb uno disco
| omnes, nor even to declare that the very
| books in which one can find most slar-
| ing faults have not also strong virtue or
/ two. 1 am only making the point that the
| preparation for the task of authorship,
] the care and art OF finish that were part
| and parcel of the older artist. appear to
| have no place in the tool-bag OF many OF
I the modern artizans.
! pink Pebble' is a recent work The
+! fact that easy writing is most hard read