The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-15
1oKING back over the year 19Og,

il can be clearly seen that Ameri-
can literature has maintained a
marked advance in all its depart
ments. More notable novels have come
from the presses of the various pub
fishers. by more or less we'll known
authors, than in any year for at least
five or six past. The total number of
novels published may not come up to
that of 1901, which year was a record
breaker, but the merit of each book
has been far superior. During the
fall there was quite an avalanche Of
new novels, and the fact worthy of
note concerning them Is that the great
majority were by authors who have
been silent for a number of years 1t
is the opinion of the writer that many
of these fall books which have been
showed under temporarily, are destined
eventually to have a large share in
the public favor. Some of the books
which have hardly received any mem
ton at all are veritable sleeping giants,
waiting only for the morning to dawn
to spring forward to an activity unpre-
| cedented. Certainly it is true that the
literary merit of many that lie neg
lected Is far superior to that of num-
Der having large sales. In later ar
ticle some of these neglected books
will be taken up and their merits point
| ed out.
The sOuth's Record I'm 1902.
Next week We hope to present a
| comprehensive review of the success
full novels for the year 1902, showing
| clearly the standing of the South
through her writers in the shape OF
| popular favor. We think the result
of this showing will be exceedingly
| gratifying. Another advance in the
| literature of America has been made
| through one publication which has
been needed for many long years. Pro-
fessor Woodrow Wilson, an old resi-
| dent of Atlanta, and now president OF
Princeton University, has published a
history of the American people in about
a dozen volumes which is the greatest
masterpiece on the American people
ever attempted. The praises Of the
work are being sounded from all over
| the country and the accuracy and
| justice of its presentations admitted
| by all. In his history of the Ameri-
can people, which is unquestionably de-
stined to supplant every previous eff
fort the Southern people are placed in
a light which reflects the greatest hon
| or upon them and their section. Prof
Wilson is a Southern Sborn man and
his treatment of the South in this
great work entities him to the deepest
gratitude ION the part of his mother
| section.
Still another step forward has oc-
CURED in the publication of new edi-
| tons of standard works. A greater
number of these new editions have
been published than ever before and
their sale has been fully twice as large
as in 1901. This is an exceedingly graf
| flying report, showing the growing
| taste for better literature on the part
of the reading public. AS to the other
lines of literary effort the same spirit
| of elevation and advancement has
seemed to prevail; and at the begin
ming of a new years work there is
much calculated to produce spirit of
thankfulness and hope.
Current Topics.
Quite an amusing controversy has
been going on for the past few weeks
over the spelling of the word negro,
as to whether a capital letter should
be used or not. The last writer on
the subject contends that unless the
word red, when applied with refer
ence to an Indian be capitalized, that
the word negro, when applied to the
colored race, should not be capitalized
1t is quite evident that our Northern
friends desire the negro to go by the
dignified appellation of "colored gem
tleman," but it is probable that the
title negro is the one best suited
to his general status.
A good story of the way Frank T.
Bullen, the author of excellent sea
tales, got into literature appears in
current issue of the New York Times
Saturday Review. 1t seems that he
reached the point of dire necessity,
and as he was earning only about $40
a week, he felt compelled to, do some
thing to add to this sum. He began
work on his first book, called 1.-THE
Cruise of the Cachelot," and in a re-
markedly short time had it completed.
Taking 1t to a publisher they gave him
check for $500 in exchange for the
manuscript. This was the equivalent
of years salary in the work which
had engaged mis- attention for a num-
Der of years, and it is needless to say
that he has been a literary man ever
since.
The controversy in regard to the
plagiarism of Poe has been reopened
by the publication in the January Gen.
fury of an exhaustive article on the
subject. A condensed review of the
article will appear on this page in the
near future.
Miss Mary johnson, whose book
Audrey" fell so fiat because so far
inferior in every way to her former
efforts, is to begin a new romantic
novel in Harper's Magazine in the early
spring. 1t is certainly to be hoped she
will improve upon the style in "Au-