The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-26
LITERARY OUTLOOK.
BY HERRERT BREWSTER.

CHANGED to be reading over, the
other day, some "reminiscences of Kip
ling in India which were written by
E. Kay Robinson, at one time Kipling's
chief on the Lahore Civil and Military
Gazette. Mr.. Robinson relates many
instances OF the ways Kipling acquired
his local color with such fidelity, and
he casually mentions old Mahbub Ali,
the horse trader in Kim" 1t makes
one feel the reality Of Kim" to read
about old Mahbub Ali in an article pub
lished long before kim" was written.
1T seems that Mahbub Ali was a very
stately and very dirty Pathan, "inde-
scr1bably filthy, but with magnificent
mieu and features" says Mr. Robinson,
who looked on Kipling as a man dis
tinguished among all "sahibs."
After each Of his wanderings across
the uneXplOred fringes of Afghanistan,
where his restless spirit of adventure
led him." Mr.. Robinson relates, NAH
bub Ali used to turn up, travel-stained,
dirtier and more majestic than ever,
for his confidential colloquy with 'Kup-
peleen Sahib,' his friend" 1t is said
that Kipling owes not only much of the
local color Of his short stories, partieu-
larry Of THE Man Who Who Would Be
King, to this strange companion of his
Indian days, but also for many of the
important facts of detail in Kim, prob
ably the greatest OF all Of his books.
X \
Booth Harrington has a most unique
way Of writing his stories He does not
plot out a story, as is usual, but he
makes drawings Of the different scenes
and situations, even going SO far as to
put IN little details of costume, furnish
ings of the room or a complete picture
OF the landscape. At his home in In
dianapolis it is said that he has the
complete sets Of drawings for both
The Gentleman From Indiana" and
Monsieur Beaucaire," and that each
set would make a very large portfolio
OF pictures once he has made the
drawings, Mr.. Harrington begins to
write, and his work Of recording what
he has visualized is fairly rapid. though
he spends a great deal of time in yeri-
flying every item of description. The
fact that he visualizes his stories in
this manner shows at once that Mr..
Harrington is a dramatist. He sees the
thing IN his minds eye, first OF all 1t
is unfortunate that he has not trained
himself so that he could make finished
drawings, for, if he could we would
have the remarkable case of an author
Illustrating his own works of fiction.
Such a thing would be of great advan-
tage to the reader, for he could get at
once the exact idea Of the author as to
now his characters looked and acted.
Some of the most curious errors creep
into the illustrations of our novels now
a-days In Richard Harding Davis
last book, "In the Fog" the work Of
TWO different artists is shown, each evil
IDENTIFY taking one-half of the book for
his illustrating share. One artist pic
lures messenger as a short, thickset
black-haired individual who is carrying
suit case the second artist, picturing
a scene five minutes later in the course
OF the story, represents the messenger
as tall, thin, bald. and carrying small
eatchel. Mr.. Tarkington's method
would be of decided advantage. It IS
too bad that his modesty prevents him
from allowing his own conceptions of
the scenes to be included in his publish
ed volumes.
X \
The recent proposal of some southern
gentlemen to establish an exclusive
southern book publishing house has
stirred up considerable comment among
the northern papers, particularly The
plan so far as can be learned is to
found a five million dollar publishing
house in Atlanta, and the promoters of
the plan argue as its need that south
ern writer's do not get fair chance
under the present conditions. They
claim that there is a pftiable lack of
appreciation of men and women of con-
spicuous talent ability and genius in
the south, and that they seek in vain
for any considerable number included
in the list Of Americans in any line of
achievement. If this were true, the