New-York tribune., 1900-07-07
ALFRED AUSTIN ON COPYRIGHT.
THE ENGLISH POET LAUREATE FRANKLY FIX
PLAINS HIS VIEWS
From The Pail Mall Magazine.


An English poet who charmed a generation
and whose works will continue to charm man.
kind as long as the charm of poetry is felt was
taken from us some seven wears ago He iaf+ o
son and grandchildren; but already several of
his works belong not to that son nor to those
grandchildren, but TO any and every one
who wishes TO make money by publishing that
for which they have paid nothing; and this in
consequence Of the English law which is moro
or less in agreement with the Literary Copy
rlght law or every other country, whereby au-
thors are deprived of all money profit from their
works after the lapse of forty-two years from
the date of publication or seven wears after
their death, whichever may happen TO be the
longer period. 1t is matter of common notorietv
that the sale Of the works Of Shelley, and like
wise or those Of Keats, insignificant till
long after either of those periods; one of the re-
suits being, / we'll remember that some of
US had to apply 10 Lord Beaconstield, when he
was First Lord of the Treasury for a small
annual grant to save a collateral, and not a
distant collateral, relative Of Keats from star
Vation In the of Shelley he same need
did not arise only because though his descend
ants and relatives were equally defrauded he
happened to belong to a family not weaIthv in
deed but possessed of a competence
For precisely the same reason the Civil List
Pension Fund had to be invoked on behalf of
the widow of one of the most popular and like
wise on behalf Of the immediate descendants of
absolutely the most popular. of English novelists
of the last half century; the law, having per
mltted, indeed having encouraged, their impov-
erishment. by thousands perhaps indeed by tens
Of thousands Of pounds, thus returning them
by way of compensation a few hundreds, The
bill at present before Parliament proposes 10
extend, but only to extend, the term during
which this cruel treatment Of authors is forbid
den.
1t needs therefore, no laborious argument TO
prove. for the fact is selfevident, that 1t would
be much fairer to enact that all property. save
literary property and artistic property generally,
should to be property forty y-two years after
its production, or seven years after the death of
the producer of il, and that literary and artistic
property should belong 10 the producer his heirs
and assigns, for all time, than to subject the
latter to a special and exceptional disa bility.
tI,.,,. hat,
part, because there ia an immediate demand for
it, il at becomes profitable; whereas as
rule literature, at least literature of the higher
sort becomes prOntable, II at all, only after the
lapse of many years. Save for some adventi-
tious reason-as IN Byrons Gaze for instance
because he was a peer. and thought to be
exceptionally immoral, two qualities very at
tractive 10 the vulgar-pOetry Of the higher or
der Is not recognized as such save by pene-
tratng few, and not always by them. till Time,
the Just Judge. secures for it adequate recogni-
ton Even in the case Of TennysOn, who had
the advantage of having the active advocates
of his genius, in his early manhood, the most in
fluential members Of a powerful university who
had been fellow students with him at Cam
bridge, considerable period had to elapSe be-
fore they succeeded in converting either the
public the critics; and whereas he himself
had to wait patiently for several years for his
writings to yiald him even a modest income
now only seven years after his interment in
Westminster Abbey, many Of his poems. the sale
Of which. 1 presume is still very profitable
add nothing to the income Of his descendants,
but enrich only printers. publishers. and book
sellers, who have paid nothing for them.
Now the writer of these pages Is not one OF
those who wish to poetry any form Of
art, exorbitantly profitable to its producer. The
autumn before last he stood bareheaded in
Dove Cottage a dwelling that in dimensions
and aspect resembles the home OF a rustic la
borer in receipt of weekly wages Yet il was
under it's humble shelter that many OF Words
worth's loveliest lyrics were written; and
felt smitten with an awe and reverence akin to
what one feels in some sublime cathedral. and
which one scarcely experiences in the well
ST libraries spacious lawns o
lent writer's. l say this only lest II should be
supposed that l want to see artists and men OF
letters fat and greasy citizens" There Is
nothing l should regret much. But since
happily men Of letters longer have any
patrons. not even the public. whom nearly all
the rest OF the world have taken 10 fiattering;
since on the contrary. they too. without any
title save their own, have come TO be recognized
as noble and princey: in word. since both
them Is II not about time that public law should
cease to rob them?