The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-27
Commercinlism in Literature.

Among the tendencies to be observed
in the present age is a general readiness
to strike what may be called the uote OF
personality. 4 straw which shows The
| direction of this wind is scrap of a re-
cent advertisement sent out by a publish
ing house. in which prominent general
| of the Regular Army is quoted as aging
that he knows the head OF this firm and
can testify to his being "one of the most
enterprising and pushing publishers in
our country
To the bookish person there is in this
| food for some whimsical reflection. In The
| first place. of what value is the, opinion
of a soldier likely TO be upon matter of
purely literary and commercial interest?
| OF course. the soldier may also be re-
markable scholar. but the presumption
naturally is that he is not. Moreover, is
the pushing publisher-the man who de-
scribes himself by that title-likely TO be
a good authority on literature and fit
arbiter OF the literary destiny of the
country?
OF course, there must be business
ability in a publisher. if he is TO sue
coed at all. But are enterprise and push.
the prime qualities needed the qualities
which have built up. in the past, the
great houses which have done such valua-
bic service in the introduction OF new
books and the preservation of old ones?
Let us reason together.
The commercial idea is to find out what
the people want and give it to them,
whether il be good or bad. well made or
shoddy. beautiful or ugly. The goods
which sells best is best, in this code OF
economics. The consequence of its appli-
cation TO the manufacture of food, cloth
ing, furniture, and building materials is
in the main good. for housewife can very
quickly decide whether the barrel of flour
she buys for four dollars and a half is
worth as much as the one she used to
buy for five dollars, and if she be
wise woman she will not continue TO
buy the lower priced article unless ii is
really cheaper. The same principle gov
erns her in her purchase of flannel, shoes,
or cooking utensils. The effect of COM
petition is, therefore. to cheaper and also
Improve Inc Soiu-
But in matters of art this principle does
not always hold. Ia the book publishing
business it does not. A popular book may
or may not be good book, artistically or
morally. II is sold by the thousand be-
cause it suits the taste of the people TO
certain extent; it has some qualities
which they appreciate. But they might
appreciate just as thoroughly a book of
much higher quality if it were given them
for the same price. The crying need of
this country in the matter of literature is
cheap books which are also good. The
publisher can supply this demand, which
is hardly a conscious one on the part of the
people, If he has the knowledge of litera-
ture necessary 10 select good material.
He is, however, too of en- in the position
OF a man who sells customers chicory in
stead of coffee at the price of coffee. SIM
ply because he does not know the differ
ence between the two. Good literature is
not necessarily expensive There are young
writers who can do clever ,od work
and there are others who can do clever
bad work. The thing that the public ap-
preciates is the cleverness, as rule, and
1t will depend on the publisher whether
they get II in a good or a bad form. He
should, in short, be advertising literature
instead of himself, and his claim to be
considered a good publisher should de-
pend, not on his push but his knowl
edge of good books and ability to furnish
them at reasonable prices