The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-10
The Literary Outlook.

The Literary Outlook.
A Literary Outlook in Which the Literary
Hack is Held up to View-A Remarka-
Bile Set of Dickens-A Tale of American
MISUNDERSTANDING Books-Verse in
Prose Passages-Kipling's Last Story.
| (By Herbert Brewster.)
"a literary hack" is generally supposed
to be writer who devotes himself to
all sorts of writing on assignments from
publishers. No task at authorship is too
| great for him. he will compile an antho-
logy, translate foreign novel, write a
love ballad or review the last published
book, provided only the compensation in
dollars and cents for his labor is salts
| factorily arranged. Naturally enough
the hack though he may be ever so
| clever, is not loved by his fellows. Too
| many hacks" spoil the market The
| regular authors-those working for fame
and the glory of literature (save the
markD-regard these hard laboring pen
| men as little better than criminal. What
| is our intellectual life coming to when it
| is debased in this manner?" they will say
s
not even necessary evil, but he has
| taken advantage of his opportunities and
In consequence has grown to be quite an
institution.
At least one OF these literary hacks"
| has gone his competitors one better.
Where all formerly took their assign
| ments from publishers and were content
with eternal anonymity-provded always
the compensation be sufficient-this pro-
gressive hack will now lease his Pegasus
to any individual who is willing to pay
for the privilege of riding towards lit
erary fame, even though it be on bor-
| rowed horse. The condition is not en-
tirely new, for every college man has
had, in his sophomore days, alluring Of
fers from various literary firms who were
willing to write his themes, essays and
orations for consideration, and we have
known of the Dumas novel factory and of
other cases where one writer stole the
thunder and work of another, but the
amazing thing about the matter is that
recently there seems to have developed q
tendency among men and women, unknown
to the world of books, to secure literary
fame in this simple manner. society
woman, for example, is ambitious to be
known as the author of a book; she en-
ploys hack" who does the entire labor
of writing the volume. The writer has
in mind a well known Chicago woman
who employed a professional hack" to
write a novel for her. The temptation
came to her in a small way first She
had made European trip for the purpose
OF studying various art galleries abroad.
On her return, one of the women's clubs
asked her to read a paper on the art of
some great painter. She had never writ
ten anything of the kind in her life, but
she heard of a gentleman who would
write such n paper for her for certain
sum. The paper was thus prepared and
when it was read to the club, the sup
posed author was lavished with praise
and more papers were demanded. The
same gentleman wrote these for her and
it was not long before the ladys re-
markable literary ability was the sub
ject of common talk. The long novel
was her next venture, by unknown proxy
and this volume will shortly be pub
lished Doubtless her friends and ac-
quaintances will compliment the supposed
author on her style and execution, and
she will begin to be known outside of
her own city as writer of some ability
1t is difficult to understand how this
woman harmonizes this sort of thing
with an otherwise well-regulated and
proper life. If the hack had been en-
gagged as collaboration or assistant or edi-
tor of her work, then she could have
had the feeling that practically every
thing good in the book was hers, but
this fattering JUNCTION cannot be hers.
There is, in fact, too much unevenness
merits. great many magazine articles
which bear the names of well known peo-
pie are so revised and edited before pub
LEGATION that disinterested person would
have difficulty in recognizing the origi-
nails. And it is a curious fact that the
authors invariably accept the improved
matter as entirely their own.
Not long ago a magazine editor Sc
cured the promise of an article from an
admiral in the United States Navy A
stenographer was engaged to take down
the naval officers dictation and some
thousands of words of rambling CONVEX
sation were thus recorded. The matter
was written out and read aloud by the
editor.
did I write all of that rot?" asked the
naval other. "That will never do. I
guess we Hdu UeIIeT give IL up.
But that was not the editors DISPOSE
ton. He patiently talked over the whole
matter again and then in an informal and
unsupported way, he drew out of the Off
Ger more good stories bearing on the
article than could we'll be included. The
editor went back to his hotel and wrote.
Then he took the original draft Of the
first conversation, threw most of it away
and wove his own story to the rest.
When he read the completed manuscript
tc the naval officer the latter was de-
lighted.
That's fine! That's flne!" he exclaimed.
well, I'm not so bad as a writer after
all. l think that's pretty good piece
of work for me, don't your"
-"
Jack London, whose fame was made by
his stories Of the Northwest and the