The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-30

trum are Usually Failures-Well-
Known Writers Reported to Have
Many Books for the Autumn.
Should poet read in public from his
own works is the burden Of an edi-
torfal Offering in a recent literary mag
aZine. Decidedly poet should not If
there is any way TO prevent him, but
unfortunately the reading Of his own
works to an audience has become quite
a fad among writers in late years,
though we have not had as many poets
on the platform as prose writer's 1t is
said that picture of the most perfect
happiness is that OF a poet reading his
own effusions, SO that preventing him
from doing so or discouraging his eff
forts in this direction is sure to work
a hardship upon the aspiring rhymer
in question Some years ago E. W.
Townsend and John Kendrick Bangs
had a dream of opulence and fortune to
be derived from touring the country
reading aloud to a helpless world por-
lions of -Chimmie Fadden' and 1.-The
House Boat on the Styx" and other Of
Bangs side-splitting witticisms- 1t Is
distinctly remembered that they
reached St Paul in their itinerary and
read at the Peoples church to a small
but select audience. Those present
made up their minds before the even
ing was over that because a man could
write fairly well, 1t did not follow as
natural sequence that he could read
aloud satisfactorily. Some of the bright
and shining lights in the way of club
women gave the two young men a re-
ception at the Aberdeen and they
proved to be very agreeable socially if
they We're not remarkable as readers.
In the course OF a short time it dawned
upon the two in question that their
readings from their own works merely
added to the gayety of nations, and
they gave 1t up.
Then we had Anthony Hope, Kate
Douglas Wiggin, Ian MacLaren, or DR..
Watson, and several others, but there
Is something about man reading his
stories aloud which seems to amuSe
rather than to edify and as a business
1t has almost gone out of existence.
Now If 1t is to be revived by poets it is
feared that the audiences will even be
more FESTIVE than they were before,
particularly as 1T is doubtful whether
the few poets we have OF the first or
der would undertake an egotisticaI CALI
ing such as it seems to be.
Bad Season for Beginners.
It is reported that so many of the
weIl-known writer's of fiction have new
stories ready to be published this au-
tuInn that the season may be a bad one
for beginners. Among those who will
be heard from during the following two
months are Henry James. W. D. How
els, Anthony Hope, Marie Corelli,
Jerome, Merriman, Sir Gilbert Parker
(woe betide you, unlucky printer, IL you
leave out the "Sir'O, Max Pemberton.
Mrs. Craigfe. Miss Cholmondely, Miss
Fowler and Robert Chambers In this
list are almost every one of the we'll
LIZ lieF,
OF modern fiction, and from this some
literary editor has argued that there
VIII be but little show for the first
book" of the young aspirant to literary
honors. But all these famous ones had
beginning and If discovery" is
made now of some hitherto unknown
genius he will probably stand as good
chance as did those others when they
wrote their first books. For these too,
had a time of probation and the rise of
some OF them was as painfully slow and
as full Of trials as any OF the budding
genius of today. There are few in
FAINT prodigies now (for which we
should be duly thankfully, but in the
September Harpers' Mr. Richard LIE
Gallienne tells of one he has discovered
in the valleys of Connecticut in the
person Of little Julia Cooley, child of
seven. Mr.. LIE GaIIienne processes to
have found in the youthful Julia an
unconscious poet of much originality
and he quotes some verses she has
written. in support of his contention.
II must be left to the reader to Judge
Of the verses. Here is one, a farewell
10 the hills Of Connecticut, as the in
1ant poet was going home to Chicago:
Farewell dear hiIlsi
Farewell fore err
It really makes me cry
Forever and ever.
It's very SOrr0v-fuI
Forever, just think of it, fore'er
Farewell; dear hills.
shows a wonderful love of nature in a
child of seven. 1t is good of Mr.. LIE
Gallienne to explain. Here is another
gem:
The sun is like a golden crown.
The sky Is like a blue and white knit
ted ball,
The grass is like pieces of silk thread.
And the apple blossoms are like
jewels.
If this child can write such wonder
full things at the tender age of seven,
what may not be expected of her when
she attains her growth?
The "Bookworm' in a current publ
writing paragraphs to fill space in the
dull season, classes Lowell with Austin
Dobson- Mr.. DobSon will probably sur
vive, and Lowell is already dead, so no
harm is done. But where is Mr.. Shorter
TO be classed?
Rich Edition of Hamlet"
The Roycrofters who do business at
East Aurora, New York, and whose
prophet is one Ebert Hubbard of
deathless fame, have brought out an
edition of Hamlet" which is said to
be-on the outside joy to all lovers
OF fine books There is no doubt about
1t that there is nothing better in print
or workmanship than q book from the
Roycroft press, but in this instance
there are those who question the schol-
arship of this particular Shakespeare
play as published at East Aurora One
editor mentions 1t with admiration, but
says: What editor is followed? Or if
no one Of the great editors is accepted
as whole, to whom has been intrusted
the task of selecting and rejecting? De-
ponent Sayeth not. What of the vary
ing quartos and folfos7 When did
Shakespeare probably write the play
and was it rewritten or revised? What
were the materials out Of which Shake
Speare fashioned it, and how much is
he Indebted to them2 Still deponent
sayeth not. And yet without such data
no reader can form an intelligent opin-
ion about Hamlet or about many an
C@aACA u HoHdASSpcdreS pays! II must
have been under the guidance and ed
ftorship of Ebert Hubbard that this
play was gotten out, and surely no one
can doubt his ability to say what's
what In fact it was supposed that
there was very little Of scholarship that
was not known to the Sage OF Aurora;
at all events this is the impression re-
cefyed after reading his organ, THE
Pnlhstine-" If he is not able to edit the
Bard or Avon. who iTdnod 4S7
Laid to Department Stores.