The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-14
- - L. - l. 49, j.. ..-&
| neWs and
| Views Of
| tbe Book
| Wcrld.
BY HERBERT BREWSTER.

number OF writers who are
olassed generally as humorists- Curl
ously enough. the average humorist is
very serious animal. and he rarely
takes himself humorously. II is good
enough TO wear the clowns cap and
to jingle the bells until public atten-
ton is attracted; then, somehow, the
clown wants to be known as some 9TH
er sort of being. Charles Battell Loo
mis- has long been known for the de-
licious quality OF his humOr, but he is
most serious faced Mr.. SObersides
in appearance. John Hendricks Bangs
has much the same cOuntenance, but,
of the two mentioned, Mr.. Bangs as
ptreS more 10 be really serious Nine
tenths of his work. he says, is serious
work, from which il would appear that
this author is striving hard to estab-
lish a reputation as something else
than a humOrist. If you ask the pub
/ fishers or the editors OF the magazines
and Sunday newspapers, however, you
win discover that there is a greater
need Of writer's of humor than for the
writer's of any other kind of matter.
We are, as a people. too serious.
To get back 10 the methods of the
humOrists and the sort of inspirations
which they have, Mr.. Hancock quotes
Mr.. Bangs TO the effect that he never
has inspirations. The genial author of
the idiot sketches plods six mornings
| a week at writing and makes it rule
not to try TO write anything in the
afternoons or evenings. Just how MI
Bangs contriVes to turn out all the
matter which appears over his name
during morning hours is difficult to
understand, unless he has, indeed,
| several enchanted typewritsrs after
the fashion of one of his stories. The
writer recalls an ocean voyage during
which Mr.. Bangs locked himself in his
state room, not because he was at all
! i'll, for he came regularly TO his meals,
| but, at the end of the trip. some $4,000
words of manuscript bore evidence TO
the labor which he had done within
the compass of eight days time.
| George AIDE, according TO the ac-
| count referred TO above, does not like
TO discuss his methods or inspirations.
Nearly all the stuff l have turned
] out" he writes, has been written I'M
der great pressure. l had not time to
stop to take mental photographs of my
own moods: and. as for waiting for
an inspiration, if l had waited there
/ wouldn't have been any copy to turn
! in l have tried several times TO dis
cover my own methods for I find that
every genuine literary person has a
/ method. Inasmuch as / have failed TO
\ discover any method in my work.
| sometimes suspect that / am not a
! literary person This suspicion has
| been cOrrObOrated by about 1000 book
reviewers in various parts Of the coun-
| try. cannot wear a coat when l am
writing, even though the temperature
of the room be freezing cold. / use
| yellow paper and a leaky fountain pen.
] The typewriting machine alarms me
and drives every thought out of my
! head. The larger part of my work is
done in the Forenoon. but my best
work is done late at night when | am
in a high-strung condition. This has
only happened once or twice. but l am
| hopeful; if I could become a victim OF
insomnia | might write something
good enough for the magazines"
Carolyn Wells, who has just pub
lished another nonsense book under the
title of Folly inc the Forest" can
work only in the quiet of her study
I and on a mahogany desk. She finds
it necessary to consume large quanti-
ties Of candy. Essays, of course,
she says, "call for carmels; a play
chocolates; jingles, peppermint sticks
and nonsense rhymes, marshmellows.'
Charles Battell LOOMS. whose Ions
serious face can break into most
charming smiles. must have enjoyed
writing the following:
Like all great writers, l have GER
tain methods of work. l never ris'
later than breakfast time. This con
sists of whatever the maid brings OF
the table, as l consider that good fol
the brain. After breakfast / Away!
go for a short walk to the postofice
This consumes nearly three minutes
after which 1 read my mall, if TIT
writing is legible. and the daily pa
per. After reading the paper, l go int
my thinking room and think for three
s sometimes even four. minutes. Thel
l proceed to spread out my thought
. on my typewriter until lunch time. l
my typewriter breaks, / find il hart
to spread out my thoughts with
pen, thus giving the lie to the MAJ
who said no one could ever get use'
TO the typewriter. The afternoons
give over TO elegant leisure, and {
J thinking what l will do with the mon
, ey, if l sell what l have written i
the morning. Once week go out
or rather in, for l live out, to battl
with stern editors, and return at nigh
: weak from the conflict, and laden wit
, the spOils of war. If they are to
spoilt l destroy them; otherwise,
send them out again. Those editor
run the best maya zines who print mos
!, OF my stuff; but in that opinion 1 d
= not differ from other writers. exceI
: that l am more frank The reason
began writing was because I wante
to, and I will continue as long as ed
: tors want me to-
Dorothy Dix. known best perhaI
through her fables for the elite, say
that cooking Is the source of her il
spiratiOn. Those who have wondere
I how W. J. hampton turns out the cur
G Gus things which he has labele
2 'Yawps" learn here that he sits dow
> at the typewriter, says in a firm ton'
. Gee Whiz:" end then, ''See." an
; then fills UP whatever white space ma
g happen to lie between the termini
: his efforts. Kate MastersOn takes h
work very seriously, and IabOrs ny
hours a day at it. Edwin Sabin. II
Iowa humorist, gets his inspiTatic
o from a cat. He has been trying Il
: years to write something which vi
make the cat smile. So far he has N
succeeded. but he is hopeful. Minr
S Irving writes that she is saddest WHIT
a she is gladdest. Ambrose Bierce sa!
: he does most of his work with his lei
, iHiertwisted: while exuding globes
F" perspiratlon and achieving copiOus pr
trusions of tongue. Tom p. Morga
insists that the average humOrl
4 doesn't rave any inspiration. GeOTI
a Hobart, better known as Dinkelspi'
says that he spends an hour evel
" morning thinking and getting up cou
IS age TO go after the English language.
'Bedween 10 and II / kick Ofer n
desk" he writes, land NIT der le
- hant ] crap der English langvich ]
der throttle und begin TO shake id