The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-13
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
WHY SOME ENGLISH AUTHORS
WE'RE KNIGHTED.


WE'RE KNIGHTED.
An Interesting story of Gorky--sup-
posed Biography of a Convict.
Figuring Book EditiOns-Carnesie
as Monte CristO-stewart Ed
ward Whites Fish story.
By Herbert Brewster.
That DR.. Conan Doyle would be one
of the coronation knights as a reward
for his Great Boer War" history and
his pamphlet in answer to the critics
on British army methods, etc. was to
be confidently expected. No one be-
grudges DR.. Doyle the honor. He de-
served the recognition which has thus
came to him. 1t seems a bit strange,
however, that so few of Englands
great authors and nzwn of letters came
in for share of honors. Gilbert Par
ker, doubtless, was knighted because
of his fame as a novelist, and Leslie
Stephens as a literary critic and edi-
tor, but at once other names came to
mind - Kipling, Meredith, Hardy,
Healey, Anthony Hope and many 9TH
ers 1t is said that Meredith refused
knighthood and that Flipling would
have been given title had he not OBJ
jected. Anthony Hope probably spoil
ed his chances by producing a caus-
tic play. "Pilkertons Peerage," in
which titles are created and conferred
in an easy-going manner, which an
gered the King. At best, the list of
honors for the men of letters seems
incomplete and not at all representa-
tive of what England's authors have
accomplished.
In view of the fact that a life of
Maxim Gorky by E. ]. Dillon will be
published in England and America
early this fall, the following story of
the Russian tramp Is of interest. The
story is told by a railroad official for
whom Gorky once worked:
He performed his duties with great
exactitude. Finding that he was well
educated, at the end of two months
we proposed him for the weighing de-
partment at rs rubles month. But
he spent his money strangely, or, as
we used to say, stupidity, distributing
1t among employees burdened with
large families and among the poor. He
also spent a great deal of money in
postage stamps, for he kept up a vast
correspondence. Every day he received
letters, no one knew from where. and
every one was curious about them"
'In his leisure hours he was always
surrounded by a crowd of worknlen,
whom he talked to in an instructive
manner, often reading pamphlets to
them on morality, geography, history,
or astronomy-thus initiating his list
eners into the things of the world and
it's phenomena. He scorned to please
them, and they sought him frequently,
delighting in his quick, ready speech.
Sometimes we, his chiefs, had chance
to get closer acquaintance with Cor
ky. Reading a novel once, l stumbled
upon a page in which there was pas
sage about the Free Masons. Ignorant
of their doctrine, 1 asked for explana-
lions from the station chief as the best
educated man in the 'bourgade' dds
trict). He could not satisfy my Curl
osity-he had formerly read things
about Free Masons-but without thor
oughly understanding their doctrine.
BY q hazard Gorky assisted the candi-
date for the weighing department. Ad-
dressing the chief, he said: ALLOW me,
Ivan Ivanoviteh, to explain something.
But do you know anything about the
| Masons?' / have read something about
| them, and what | remember l viii tell
! YOU and he gave us a veritable lee
| ture on the Masons with such details
| that l still wonder where he learned
| it all. AS / said he spoke fascinat-
| ingly, and he interested us so that we
risked forgetting the station chief and
I the passage of the Enthusiastically
there were none at that moment. Two
hours passed thus. When Gorky left
us the chief said:
DO you know Stepan Stepano-
witch? I think that this Gorky is a
student in exile or something of the
kind, for he is too intelligent for q
baker or cook, and has read a great
deal. 1t is to be hoped no misfortune
will befall us through him.
1.-THE station chief afterwards in
vited .Gorky to his house like good
friend, and he spent his time with
us smoking his cigarette and aston
fishing us with his book knowledge I'M
til we were sure Gorky was an ex-
cluded student. His service at our sta
ton only lasted a few months. One
fine day he presented himself at my
office, and, asking for his wages, said
he would no longer continue with us.
IT paid him and offered him third
class ticket to whatever station he de-
sired, but he refused the ticket, says
ing he would walk. Pulling his hat
over his head, he started forth after
bidding all the employees and workmen
an amiable goodbye The latter
FASTENED from every side to say fare
we'll to the man who had entertained
and instructed them for many months.
"a little while ago Maxine Gorky's
books fell into my hands, and some
thing familiar about them struck me.
Then l read a portrait he had drawn
of himself and recognized my old
comrade."
The fame of Gorky is growing rap
idly-he has already passed out of the
fad stage.
Stanley Waterloo is at work editing
the MSS. of a convict who recently
died in a Western prison. At least
that is the announcement of the firm
who propose to bring the work out
in book form. 1t is also said that the
autobiography of this criminal will sur
pass anything which Hornung has
done-not that Mr. Hornung is d Grim
inal, but his Raffie's stories have stood
for the best in fiction Of criminal life.
Doubtless too, these publishers claim
for the new work a superior quality
to anything done by such realistic
writer's as Walter A. Wycoff and Jo-
siah Flynt. The reading public has
been hoaxed so often with supposed
confessions" so-called authentic
'1ove letters" etc., that very likely
the autobiography OF this particular