New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-08

long after he is dead. But he has fought a
good fight. He has the precious consciousness
Of honest endeayoT to crown him at the end.
Even if he has not attained the highest point
he may yet have contributed something to the
sum Of human happiness or human learning.
He may yet have made something of a mark.
Even a poor book adds to the harmless gayety
Of nations for it amuses the critics If no one
else.
AS to the detail Of writing, 10 how it
should be done every one is and must be law
unto himself. He must do it the way expe-
rience shows that he can do it best, not neces-
sarily the easiest way, either. One uses a pen
Gil another a pen. third a typewriter one
dictates 10 secretary, another to phono-
graph. The environment of one man is one
thing that Of another another thing Hooker
composed most Of his Ecclesiastical Polity'
in the vicinity of the pigsty. l have heard,
in order to get away from his family One
modern poet must have roses and champagne
at his elbow when he writes, accompaniment
[ cannot recommend to most young authors
One waits for an inspiration to seize him.
dashes off what is coming to his mind at a
white heat. Another plods and plods, slowly.
little by little. One corrects and revises and
improves with every revision Another leaves
his work untouched as II came. fearful lest
revision should diminish and not add TO the
force Of what he has written am not
advocating either. or any. method for the
would-be author. whoever ne may be- That IS
a thing that he must settle for himself with
the assistance of the critic and the public.
have my own way; other authors viii find their
own way also.
Now. there is another feature Of an author s
work to be considered the commercial. Au-
,horship-shouId 1 saw writing with me is a
pleasure. I love it, yet it is business and as
a business I stick at it day in and day out
with model regularity Of hours Of work. except
for periods OF needful recreation. 1 follow II
as steadily as a man in pursuit OF any other
calling And / advise the beginning author 10
do the same. Acquire a habit OF sticking 10
Il and keeping at il. People think that some
authors write great many books. After all,
what is the number OF words that l. or any
vther author. produce compared TO the num-
Der OF words that any active clergyman. who
has an average OF three or four services a
week with sermons and addresses upon the
one basic theme at each OF them, produces III
the course of a year? Which leads me 10 think
that preaching is good foundation for writ
ing I have found it Yet would not have
YOU take orders merely as a preliminary to
authorship.
one element of successful authorship. from
! a business point of view, and it is idle to dis
regard that point OF view, Is IN knowing what
will appeal 10 the readers for whom you are
trying 10 write. Another is in selecting or dis
covering original subjects for consideration; or,
az least. If that be impossible OF devising or
iginal means OF presentation. which shall yet
be legitimate and proper. In writing for maya
| zines Il is incumbent that the character OF the
rr,r-~z-rs, Of .cs e6.to-. its clientele should be
studied; and II. without doing violence to per
sonsl convictions. writing can be done with
these things In view. so much the better.
yc. II il wen % bear in mind that pot boil