Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-30

Success invariably insures imitation, in
every line of human effort. This is notori-
ously true in the book world. Let au-
thor find the popular strain and develop it
to the extent of a best seller and forth
with appear imitators, perhaps to speak
more politely, followers, who make haste to
produce copy along the same lines. \ sin
gle successful romantic novel is certain to
be the precursor of many dozen such. And
it is not always the leader who reaps the
largest reward. The followers-that is a
better word than imitators, after all-often
improve the original method, and by
taking advantage of the criticisms sparing-
~ directed at the idols of the readers con-
tvive after a few months to produce su-
periOr works, which are recognized such
without reference TO the fact that they are
of belated conception. The latest instance
of following occurs in the case of a new
ly issued book under the title The Garden
of Commuters Wife 1t essays palpabiy
to reproduce the home life of the nature
loving wife of a western man of wrath
who is chiefly absent from his family. Per-
hGps there are other ways and means of
producing this combination than by utiliz-
Ing the rather commonplace train-chasing
denizen of the suburbs of great city. The
word ''cOmmuter' is broad in its Sug-
gestiveness. 1t embraces truly all sorts
and conditions of men. Their wives may
or may not be interesting. Their thoughts
Elizabeths. There is just touch of satire
in the choice of a title which may eventu
ally disclose this book to be of the
earliest literary jokes of the century.
Despite the warfare waged by the late
Sir Walter BeSant against the author S
agent as an institution in the world of book
making that parsonage continues to flourish
the literary middleman in England, and
he is even coming into vogue in this coun-
try. Naturally the Innovation these
frDD no nj hh- 81 do 10 min
neers being representatives of London
agents, through whose hands the works of
writers designed for publication by British
houses must pass. This arrangement is
iTksome to most of the publishers and to the
majority of authors. yet it seems TO have
established itself firmly. 1t is favored by
some of the more successful English novel
lists as their easiest means of marketing
their wares. To them the agent is a bust
ness manager, who secures the highest
prices for their books and arranges all
terms, collects royalties and thus facilitates
the transmutation of copy into gold at a
minimum of worry and labor on the part of
the writer He can well afford this service
If already prosperous, but the Intervention
of a fee-cOlecting agent comes hard on the
less fortunate author who is not of his
market, while the publisher is often put to
extra expense which he can ill afford |
for il is he who eventually pays the fee in
case of publication if the agent is sharp in |
his arrangement of royalties. OF course |
the establishment of direct relations be-
tween publisher and author is growing more
difficult. in view of the great multiplicity of
books and authors, but the system seems
to have worked fairly we'll thus far in this
country, where the editions of popular
works have far outrun those emanating
from English presses in point of size and
number.
The advertising of books and their makers
has gone into lines hitherto unknown. The |
latest effort to focus public attention upon
a popular writer is the publication of a |
statement to the effect that certain IA
nous painist once looked into the hand of
certain novelist, who had just scored !
moderate success, and told her that her !
Mount of Mercury" denoting power of ex-
preston. proclaimed for her a wonderful
success in literature in years to come. He |
even declared that she would write a ro-
nance so great that the most mercless
vlvsectOr eoud find no flaws in it nor
In the hero. The novel has come it is
proving unusually successful, and it has
passed most of the tests of criticism Now
the question comes, who is the more to be
congratulated. the author, for being thus
forewarned of her success or the paImist
who could foresee it? The Mount of Mer-
curry Will become a favorite resort for
aspiring writer's hencefOrth.
II. G. Wells, for some time considered
merely as man gifted with bizarre |
IMAGINATION, is developing a humorist
ard philosopher He recently declared in
the course of an article in an English
periodical, that it is imperative for an
author to ruin his digestion if he would
succeed in writing with any power or
freshness MIR. Wells went on to remark
that Stephenson fled to Samoa in order 10
avoid telling what he ate, and he init
mates that Kipling has found a strange
jungle food that gives him his peculiar
process of thought. Thereupon this &c
centric person proceeds to suggest a few
combinations of food for certain STYLES
If his advice were taken in good faith
and followed it is to be feared that the
future colleges of literature would re-
semble sanitaria, with an output from the
chemists of tabules of prepared food for
specified literary purposes. There is q
chance for the enterprising investigator in
this line.
Pen names often come by accident. The
latest Illustration of this truth Is the case
o. Charles w. Gordon, who is known to
his readers as Ralph COnnor" He wrote
his BLACK Rock in response to a request
for information as to the life of the re-
gion round about Manitoba. Being a cler-
gyman he desired to avoid notorietv and
chose as his nom de plume, Can Nor" the
syllabies indicating Canada and Northwest
In recognition of his service for the Brit
lsh Canadian Northwest Missionary S.
Cley lie writes hand which appeals
rather to the Imagination than the eve
ana the editor translated the scrawl as
Sonhor; Desiring fuller signature he
cheertuDy supplied Ralph at random
And thus the name was built by chance
II was accepted by the clergyman writer
without demur and is now fixed
Andrew Lang has revived a word in
augurated by Sir Walter Besant to indicate
the oid-fashioned process of critical flaw
Ing, 'blackguard stating" Mr. Lang h.
neFes that the word may have been de-
rived from Stat. which is the English
equivalent of ''slap-stick," the sounding
but harmless weapon of very low come
dams of the variety stage 1t makes the
audience howl with delight, but il does
not hurt the victim. Stating NAV he
come new bit of literary slang, although
the scheoi OF criticism which IT denotes
mas passed out of vogue.
me Right of Way is already on the
poards abroad. copyright performance
having been given in London the other day
Tor the purpose of perfecting the authors
TlghtS- The cast in this instance was large
MADE up from the STATS of two MN
IIshhg houses. and the performance was
uopnSess perfunetory affair The Eng
Hsh law requires this formality altboueh
u ooes not supulate that the PLAYS shall be
performed by amateurs '''i "e
IL Is announced that an alliance has met
peen formed between the FREDERICK
stokes company and the Frank Leslie phi