The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-14
The Literary Outlook.
BY HERBERT BREWSTER.

tabliShed that the author of Confessions
of Wife" is Mrs Elizabeth Stuart Philips
Ward-not because Mrs Ward has con-
fessed to the authorship or the publishers
have made public the secret, but because
by careful comparison with some of Mrs.
Wards acknowledged writings, the con-
fessions at times approach the degree OF
similarity known as plagiarism. Not 50
long ago Mrs. Ward had a serial in one
of the magazines and this story had
about the same quality of hysteria that
marks the Confessions "-furthermore
the beginning course and conclusion of
the former work bears striking resemb-
lance to the latter Most critics have
agreed that no one but Elizabeth Stuart
Phelps could have written the MARY
Adams book Meantime, the publishers
admit that while the secret of author
ship has made the book much talked
about, the same fact has encouraged Sc
much newspaper printing of extracts that
many chances for big sale have been
lost.
After all, it is difficult to conceal
through a m-de-plume, an author who
is fairly we'll known. for the stamp OIL
individuality exists in ones manner OF
writing almost as much as in the hand
writing itself. Even among authors not
so well known, the secret of anonymity
is not safe among the writer's friends.
For a long time no one suspected that
George II. Lorimer was the author of
1.-THE Letters of a Self-Made Merchant,
until one day Mr.. Lorimer happened to
write to friend:
FL don't want to edit your stuff with d
meat-axe. but 1 had to cut it down." etc.
About the same time, the friend
CHANGED to read almost the same express
sion in the letters then appearing serial
ly. WEereupon he apprized Mr.. Lorimer
of his discovery and was asked by re-
turn mail to keep the secret until time
for book publication.
In most cases, the hue and cry about
the secret of authorship is an attempt to
boom book sales, and fortunately, so
many attempts are made that the public
pays little heed nowadays. If the pub
fishers continually cry Wolf, Wolf,
they cannot expect a hearing, though
good book does much to attract atten-
tion to itself and save it from the general
fate.
No one who reads RED Saunders" and
learns that the author, Henry Wallace
Phillips, spent ten years in the West as
a cowboy, prospector, and several other
things, would suspect that he cared for
anything else but spinning his tales of
Western humor. Very few know him as
scientist, but scientist he is in the
best sense of the word. for all of his
spare time from such writing as he feels
obliged to do for a living, is put IN by
him in various experiments in electricity
and chemistry.
When only a small boy he nearly
wrecked his home by an explosion, and
he was constantly trying to find out why
certain reactions took place. The other
day MIR. Phillips was experimenting on
a battery when he inhaled a quantity of
chloride gas. He became sick at once.
LET me see," thought Philips, It'll just
take something to unite with that
chlorine and make salt"
His mind worked rapidly-interested
apparently more in the chemistry of the
matter than in his recovery. With the
next step in experiment, he felt better,
but he was still sick.
"Too much SALT" he groaned. water
will fix that"
Il did not know how thirsty / was un-
til took one swallow" he explained af-
forwards. ''Then 1 think 1 drank two
quarts, but it cured me-
Mr. Rollin Iynde HART has written an
article on the making of Contributors
for the current number of The Reader,
al Nf All
of newspaper writer's who may read it.
Mr.. HART believes that the writer's for
the best magazines. the writer's of the
most successful books, are recruited from
the ranks of the contributors to news
papers, more especially from those who
write for the magazine supplements of
newspapers. Here is kind of writing
very different from the preparation of
news copy--a writing which combines the
fact of timeliness with style. what Mr..
HART calls 1.-The literary treatment of
news subject
That there is reason in his argument no
one can deny. The supplement editor of
a newspaper does much to mold the clay
of common scribblers into beautiful YES
sells which glow and palpitate and change
hues with the mood of the Present Day
they are trying to reflect.
1.-THE new man." writes Mr.. HART, is
presenting himself perpetually and null
Unanimously. Also. heterogenously: re-
porters, painters, stowaways, preachers,
collegians, jail-birds. Turks, Jews, rib
bon clerks, engineers, naturalsts-
POUNDS, what motley array ! And
these, to whom the Angel says Write!
must, for such is the editorial demand
for timeliness that out of the as-yct-Un-
tried must be wrested success"
That Boston still clings to her former
greatness as the literary center of this
country is shown by at least two books
recently published, Literary Boston of
Today" by Helen w. Winslow, Presi-
dent of the Authors Club of that city,
and "FictionaI Rambles in and About
Boston," by Frances Weston Carruth,
and that Boston had and still has much
of which to boast these books bear evil
dence in plenty. Those who are bookish