The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-13

physically impossible for any publisher
to print much more than one per cent.
of the manuscripts which are submitted
to him. 1 know of several New York
houses which receive between i've and
ten thousand manuscripts every year,
and every one is given some attention.
1t is most discouraging task which tho
writer's themselves set for the publish
ers, but the reward of discovery is so
great to the publisher that he patiently
goes through hundreds in order that he
may seize on one. 1t requires q vast
machinery to care for all of these things.
and a considerable expense, but every
enterprising publisher has found such a
system absolutely necessary. With
such houses every new writer stands an
equal chance with any other unknown
writer. 1t would be foolish to say that
the well known author. The we'll known
author has proved his ability to write:
the unknown writer has much to do be-
fore he can claim a like position.
A recent critic has called attention to
the fact that the reading public of to-
Gay has changed about completely in
one regard. Formerly it was an in
vincibIe rule that 9 story, as is still the
rule with play, should end happily. A
novel which did not end, fguratively at
least, in they all lived happily ever
after" in which the villain was not pun
ished and the hero and heroine satisfac-
torily brought out of their difficulties,
stood little show of publication. Now
a-Gays, however, all this has changed.
In Audrey" the best selling book in
the United States just at present, the
heroine dies in the last chapter. ''The
House With the Green Shutters"
which brought a new author into a fame
at Il bound, las not ray of the light
of love in it's pages. There is no hero
or heroine; it is gloomy throughout, in
spite of occasional flashes of grim hu-
NOR and it's undeniable power. The
Right of Way is another example of
the old time dad" ending which was
tabooed, and Mrs. Wharton's last book,
just published, ''The Valley of Decis-
ion is story of failure. All of these
books and many others issued during
the past year are tragic in the extreme.
There is no possible way of placing them
on the old standard. And yet, few of
us will be willing to admit that the pub
lie taste has not advanced.
Miss Ellen Stone, of Bulgarian alb
duction fame. is now on her way to this
country and atv the same time working
on the story of her capture and i'm
prisonment. Several thousand dollars
were paid her for the manuscript, and
the book will probably appear late this
spring. Mr.. Ray Stannard Baker, who
brought Miss Stone from Salonica to
London, writes that the story is a mar
velous tale and will probably attract
more attention than anyone anticipates.
Mr. Frederick Harrison has retired to
private life. At seVentY-One q man
should be accorded this privilege with
out comment, save eulosy, but Mr.. Har-
rison has been such a useful lecturer
and writer, preaching the gospel of hu-
manity, that the world should be re-
luctant to give him up.
1t was as Sidney Luska" that Mr..
Henry Harland first became known, and
so we'll known did he become under this
pen name as a writer of short stories of
Jewish life that few who read him be-
lieved he was a New England Puritan
instead of a Hebrew himself Edmund
Clarence Steadman, the poet, is his god
father. Mr.. Harland is bringing out a
new novel this spring under the title of
THE Lady Paramount" His first long
story, "The Cardinals Snuff Box" pub
lished two years ago, made a very fair
success in the book world.
Thomas Dixon, Jr., is preacher turned
novelist. Not so many years ago Mr.
Dixon, as pastor of a large New York
city church, was attracting great
crowds to his sermons Lately he has
appeared in public only on the lecture
platform. Ever since he was boy Mr..
Dixon has wanted to write. His first
book, 1.-THE Leopards Spots" published
this spring, is now in its 25th thousand
and selling rapidly. AS an author. Mr..
Dixon bids fair to WELD almost as large
an Influence as he did as preacher. The
Leopard's Spots as may be understood
from the title, is a study of the negro
problem and the race question from the
COnf Toint of view