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

tiers over here were in bad way. His
friend told him that what an American
publisher has to do is to push the sale
Of q book up to the 10000 mark at all
costs, and after that the department
stores will do the rest. 1t Is undOubt
edly true that the immense book bust
ness done by department stores has
worked a great change in the trade.
Mr.. Archer argued from the above
statement that in this country there Is
nothing between the great success and
the most miserable failure. He further
said: 81 don't doubt that you will one
day produce book kings to rival your
silver kings and oil kings. But what
will become of the Republic of Let
ters?" The question is timely. but, we
think. based on a false premise, as Ii
is not likely there viii ever be any
book kings.
AS small authors and small publish
ers have a struggle everywhere-aS in
deed has everything smaiEthe sugges-
ton has been made that endowed pub
fishers would be able to give a writer
of merit. but small opportunity, a
chance to be heard. Books of great
value to literary and scientific folk,
which by reason Of their limited sphere
could not be financially success, could
in this manner be brought out without
any hardship to writer or publisher.
The immense sums given yearly to IN
situations OF learning, already heavily
endowed, might be as well or better
employed in endowing a publishing
house and enabling many valuable
works to be put into print which would
be of great assistance to the scholar
and investigator.
Harper's Weekly Readable.
The change of Harper's Weekly into a
weekly magazine seems to be advanta-
geous; at all events it is more read
able than even before. The illustra-
tons are excellent and almost half of
the paper is given UP to them, while the
remainder is taken up largely with good
editorial matter touching upon current
affairs Of the time. In the last number
is Impressions of America by Sir
Gilbert Parker, NJ. P, and newly
knighted literateur. 1t seems somewhat
strange to read these remarks of Par
ker about America, written a good
deal as if he had visited this country
for the first time, and containing some
rather top-lofty communication of what
he saw during his recent stay over
here last winter. Considering that he is
a Canadian, and well known in New
York, where he married his wife, Miss
Wartime, the daughter of the man who
keeps the famous Vantine shop. his ac-
count of his Sojourn here may strike
some persons as rather amusing. Sir
Gilbert is bringing out new book in
the autumn. in which ii is said that he
has left his well known field of Cana
dian northwest which gave him fame.
and placed his scenes in pastures new.
A writer on current literary topics
comments on the increasing number of
what is called correspondence courses
in authorship. These are offered by in
situations which make some remarkable
1t
course in poetry is perhaps the most
powerful. All you have to do is to send
a stamp or two (even should you not
be able to rhyme IL all, it is important
to send the stamps) and in return you
win receive instructions as to the con-
struction of verse which, if followed
closely, may result in making you a
poet. That poets are born, not made,
is an old adage long out of fashion,
as this is the age when everything can
be made and everything purchased-if
you have good supply of stamps. Not
only will you be taught by rule how to
write verse, but after the lapse of time
and another supply of stamps-the
student of poetry is given a certificate
which witnesses to his proficiency in
this noble profession The certificate in
question doubtless reads somewhat in
this wise:
This is to certify that A. B. has
studied hard and is now competent to
write poetry of a high order; all he
asks is plenty of time. He is especially
recommended to newspapers that get
out large Sunday supplements, and also
to discoveries of hair inyigorators and
microbe destroyers'
For, be it known, that poetry once a
languishing art, is now a lucrative
business, and the old jibes about the
-out-at-elbow poets are a thing of the
past.
Proposes School OF Poetry.
In his comments on this modern de-
velopment the editor says there should
be a school Of poetry connected with
every college This is the picture as
he conJures it up:
Already we picture a classroom
full of golf-hosed undergraduates, all
working away for dear life, each with a
rhyming dictionary and book of syno-
nyms at his elbow, or standing a rigid
exam with such questions as the fol-
lowing:
Construct four-line stanza. lam
bic entameter, alternate rhymes, con-
tanning clear account of the Boer
war.
Find perfect rhymes for orange. pen
Gil, bulge, pint, baby, Brooklyn, and
embedy same in twelve-line stanza.
trochaic tetrameter
Draw parallel, in an elagiac dis
itch, between a rejected lover and a re-
Jected manuscript.
Construst an ode on the Refurnish-
ing OF the White-House, after the man
ner of Alfred Austin"
The Book Lover.