New-York tribune., 1902-10-23
LITERARY INTERVIEWS.
AK EMINENT AUTHOR OK THEIR USE
LESsNESs AND ABsURDlTH

Andrew Lanc. u The London Morning Posi-.
The beginning Of interviews and interview
ing iu this country seems 10 my memory ~
,,ir,,g. ,.#tb p, own commencement as a
writer for the press. The World 3rsali ~ ~ :
am not mistaken, and confess t'aL l I.,t,.. I.,
liEed if Ths wonder rather is that The pgbhc
mas liked il SD I0re if like It the pubic H'es'
for that long suffering community IS nllth SUI
piled with articles which 10 ls believed 10 or,
IInaD5 ,-ben IN IS ra5lv Indifferent. Like most
men and women ana some children ] h"Is s.eiI
honored occasionally WIN Ii"l"s.,.,s -
should he iuterl icvel. hut ] have hitherto sue
ceedcd teave uucel lu eNaolng the opeialiymll, m
If one has amy message to ones age one ',ill o.,
liver the message personally t hol, NllA'
there iu the usual interview lt'i'NS 4" -
llsrdr.ss and courtesy of the British inter-
viewer. one Interview rs exactly IKE 'no'-e., ',n.
The host. hostess tirtH, hostal. IS s,IN"SS
model of the social H.rtues, and oHc.S ire Same
cigarettes or the Identical tea. His house lS
ever judiciousIy ualatial; his kuickNnacks, iui
niture. decorations are as the M. inelnall, lal.S
sa-. similar and similarly situated. she l~ ,'
charm De is al Goniaity; both are modest, lh'
opinions 81 both ara rich in ihe hialneless com
monpace Both 81 lh'iarF, are s'Sh7u -. -,
their methods; neither has anything OF Naiue
originality 20 say un tnls important hla''v'-
some smoke while 90 work otheFs q" nor S'-l ,
keep notebooks as elaborate as Nj Sala $. oit'''
trust 10 memory, some employ RltNl'''''
others like NJ Han Cainr. a fountain pen
as We read I'm the advertisements of that arul!r.
] don't mind coufcSsiug that have ulea L'u"5
tain pens, whereby may rti'ueni was lhuI1,,S h
ftssional This kind ol truly intimate ana N"'U-
able information. already t3m.Har 10 b''
tho highWatcr mark az what IN lnlrt viewer go.
obtain or chooses 10 dINulse. Il Is here one.
without extra charge some victims Keep 80, -
Others keep dogs-d"es the public it'lE ,"iF ~
know ID So thiucse greatly doubt il The de-
mand tar such lore justides the abundant sup
ply. ,s 81. ,r-
curious about authors. II goes TO St- a pay. },
rcmryu beers Nh. actors lUt seldom indeed can ''
tell y0u Who wrote the play. As for song. ltl'
composers Name ls o'e2sl"nal'l h'"l ID ,'l,
poet's-IaEeI You are told that such ana Si, u
a lyric is hy th.s or that compose. taaL ~ Is .N
Shakespeare. tanpoL, SUCKING. Nal ~.
Careyv or 81 modern nobody knows. and n'h.'H
cares except other writing people. ana 'H's
,ro equaUv indifferent as 70 The composer
Even ii the pubic has been amused ty " N"F'
ID very frequently cannot give you la' h''..'
tne maker of thc letterpress This is na'''-t
and primitive frame OF mind. About me i8'S
autrv Of some European countries. where '.
peasautry arc sim their own poets. we are iolA
that they wiz NOT sing ballad u they know S
individual author. They regard AieIilu- -"
something mpcrsoual, which solneho" grows ~
like flower This tendency. then. sury ives .l
cl.r own public. There is the n'Ne-. the lIA9' "e
e~nr eoo5 or bad: il is dislike5 or enjoyed,
nobody. largely speaking. cares who Wrote IT,
'Tbus tn modern popular books about history
,sfare,1r-s 10 authorities are deemed nauseoaS!l
Iodantic As The schoiast ON The Loving Bal
lad of Lord Bajemau' writes:
Vow -syin long yeri i, Is I.,ga 5@g 4@a ,5 ns: S'
The ,ae is COM " g ca. 9!'f-a Tri- N' IS NE dignity
81 history very strongly eNcmun1ed''
The historian knows it,; how he knows IT,
how he can prove log authorities ihal L.s hll,
800 ID ,s,-r.,r does NOT matter TO the public.
Nof does ii matter who the historian himself Is
IIis D..,,,s 81 1ofira5 is lost among things re-
,,,.,,,l,,r.5 nor What exists is the book.
story of times past like "a dun hut perhaps m
,,ro,fpe novel. What the source OF the lnIeIllla-
zion NAV be- whether IL is Wen vouched ior OF
,' 80 aS.,.,,s ,,i.-,sNrorts Notes are irritating
- ,s3s,rie
NT,sr .r.-hors blinded by natural aud par
s--sI,ls ,.-rff,- ar. no, fuIlv aware ot the eN-
tent Of the public ud'terence. bNelhhE IN % III
80 l,rIa ,,-+a-s1llsl sets they think that their
,1oinrs are matters of general concern, thai
Tbair names are known. The existence oI III
r-.,- f,-rr,-5av.s faEors this happy superstition.
ssTl,s ,,,lJie does want 10 know about me.
.t-;rlle ,ba ,-oslpc writer whom a friendly eotor
a Zinc =, ..,,oorn'' The editor means well, the
sntsr,-ieyCer is blandly and Copiously eloquent
INT me world is unimpressed Il would qulIe
person who never existed. and justly, Tor on
interview is exactly like "n"lheI- ] ne name "I
the subject the head of the description h''tlN'9
no difference Authors. they venture "i
struggle into .soclct>' find this out The host
ess introduces The man Of genius as MI f'NIS
Nr AlUred kH-"s. lfF mo emphasis on bi'
Christian mann" me ltoN mus presenter -
Bags knows that Bags rs sonf''lS Hlot , :
that Alureo has done s"m'lhiHE. KNOWS lL'I 81 ~
really ought 10 know s"ihtthHE atou' lltIL
But even Tho KIND ana HaittTlhE dupH'IiH "I ne
sex. So tender tn our NanlueS, cannot coh'eaI
her pUzz' aneut Ignorance and vain enort or
memory Veil her beautiful eyes; Alured knows
that she would dearly love 10 put Z" hihl me
question addressed hy Theodore Hook 10 me
casual stranger 'N the street. ii.aS' slt- ,,le
you "a person az great Importance II su'NH
and corceited. BaEcs mentally bans the irllo-
lOuS monde, II 1o has sense ot humor he Is ne-
lighted. ana lalfl'S me Nt''''lt tIi"I = "i lIe
falr 10 discover VINO l.r M N'S ~ ~ ,a1t
case ne mas ihe 'll''il NllllH "l lsal lilIlS L'
how much. ln spite OF lalaSfaNhs ana lii-
ferlieus The world knows OF cares about
authors, a.