The times., 1901-03-21
s IiternrN Endemic.

Literary Epidemic.
IT is time to warn the public against
literary eruption which is liable to break
out before long. and which has already
appeared in isolated cases. Il may be
that no quarantine or vaccination will be
of any use against it. but there can be no
harm in a gentle hint as TO its nature and
influence. The success Of David Harum'
and .Ebcn Holden means that We are to
he made sick unto death Of the rural
novel by reason of the numerous imtta-
tions Of these worthless who are to be
forced upon our attention.
A big success Ly an unknown, or little
known. author is almost as demoralizing
~ the winning Of a five thousand dollar
prize i'm Il lottery. and We ali know what
that did 10 The family of McTeague. The
result is that every publisher in the land
who has not gotten hold of novel Of the
same type is on the keen lookout for one
-particuarly this is so of the smaller
publishing houses; and every author who
has not Vet made big success but wants
TO make one starts about writing, in
hurry. a more or less atrocious imitation
of the book which has made its success
particularly this is so of authors without
much brains. The result is an amount of
bad literature which IS simply overpower-
ing And that is what is going to happen
within the next year or two.
When du AIaurler wrote "Trilby" every
second-rate bohemian who had or thought
he had some knowledge of the purIieus
of the Latin Quarter set about retail
ing his decadeut wisdom to whatever
publisher would accept It. When Thomas
Nelson Page had written "Marse Chan
and Joel Chandler Harris had brought out
The first Uncle Remus" books. every
needy Southerner with any literary lean
ings whatever resuscitated his or her de-
funct knowledge Of the days before the
war and paraded the poor ghost in the
magazines. Riley's Hooser lyrics brought
in their train a quantity Of doggerel
which was bad dialect and worse senti-
ment. The success OF When Knight
hood Was in Flower and To Have and
to Hold made it possible for numerous
hack writer's to get their medieval tales
and Colonial fiction accepted by some
hopeful publisher or other. And so it has
gone As the original novel passes from
the hands of the exclusive bookseller to
| those of the clerk in the department.
store, thence TO the bargain counter Of
! that same store, and thence 70 the fate Of
| being given away with a pound Of soap,
so the fashion which it set passes from
/ the skilIful hand Of the master to the
! typewriter Of The hack writer, and thence
! downward tin it Is represented by a
book which ought to DE given away with
! a pound of soap. because the soap might
do il some good. This is likely to be- the
| case with the monstrosities which are
| supposed 90 be limitations OF David
/ Harum." Two or three Of them have al
ready come out. and after reading them
one feels like taking a Turkish bath. They
are saturated with bad tobacco, the smell
Of bad whisky. ana the aroma Of the
great uuwashed. 10 put it mildly. The
atmosphere is that of the cross roads
store II mail time. and the local color is
dirt color Whatever gentIity is sup
posed 10 be- in the work is redolent Of hair
oil and parchoul, and the people sup
posed 10 be refined talk after The fash
Jon Of works on polite conversation.
There ought 10 be- "a codIcu put to the
rarious manuals on the requisite knowI-
! edge Tor young authors which have been
J written al ONE time or another. ana ;hat
is. never TO write without having some
thing To- say. And possibly. by th- time
the o3.aemie of imitation David Iiar
ups is fairly under way, we may feel
ike adding this codicI to tho Iitany.
"frnm All novels not written Don ore
/ f...oE English, good Lord. deliver us.'