Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-07

ble-study, too, with It's room for read.
ing and It's second room for writing
where the authors hundred odd books
have been planned and written, has q
fascination that you can't get away
from. And Jules Verne invariably says
something that is significant and to be
heard with interest by any one who has
read his stories.
In the present case, the Wis.
TORS immediate business was TO
learn just what were the facts regard
ing the venerable writer's muoh-dis-
cuseed blindness And Jules Verne,
still portly and good humored, and
though his hair and beard have grown
nearly white, by no means showing his
10 years, lost no time In Contradicting
the reports that he had entirely lost
his sight.
1T Is cataract In my right eye" he
said, but the left one is still fairly
good, and I do not want to risk an op-
GRAFTON as long an can see enough to
do the little work, the little reading
that can do Since the report Of my
blindness got about. the sympathies of
the world have been awakened. have
received numerous letters from all
parts Many people have even sent me
prescriptions for cataract--marvelou
remedies | have been much touched,
but ! know, OF course, that an opera
ton Is the only cure"
However, Il seems that NJ. Verne has
no need to fret about his work, for he
Is, as he expressed H. years ahead of
the printing press" "Hy eighty-seYenth
book IL to be published shortly" he
continued, land | have 10 complete
manuscripts ready for the press. | am
now working on my one hundred and
FIRST book, which, however, will not be
wanted by the printers till about 1910
So IL does not 80 much matter that |
have TO work 20 slowly | get up as
usual al six in the morning, and ] am
at my writing table till II a. m. In
the afternoon. as ! always did, | go 10
the reading room Of the Societe Indus
trielle and read as much as my eyes
will permit
II. @. Wells has been called the new
Jules Verne 80 many times that a
good many folk have felt curious to
know what the original Jules Verne
thought of his English rival oddly
enough--for the Frenchman Is above
professional iealousy--his comments on
Wells work were not especially enthu-
siastic.
"His books were sent me-" he said,
and / read them But | do not see
the possibility of comparison between
his work and mine, We do not proceed
In the same manner. 1t occurs TO me
that his stories do not repose on very
scientific bases No, there is no rap-
port between his work and mine. |
make use OF physics. lie invents, |
20 to the moon in cannon-ball dis
charged from a cannon, Here there IL
no invention, lie goes to Mars IN ON
airship. which he constructs of q
metal which does away with the law OF
gravltation. That Is very pretty"
| cried Monsieur Verne In an animated
way, but show me this metal. Let
! him produce II"
And then NJ. Verne surprised his
caller again by disclaimng having an
tlcipated modern invention.
"People are kind enough to say so, v
said Jules Verne, 1T Is tiattering, but
as fact II Is not true
But your submarines" was insisted.
"Bahr cried the author THE ltal-
Ians had invented submarine boats 60
years before | created Memo ana MS
boat, There Ia no connection between
my boat and those now existing These
latter are worked by mechanical
means My hero, Memo, being a mis-
anthropst and wishing, to nave noun
ing 10 do with the land gets his mo-
| tive force, electricity, from the sea,
| There is scientific basis for that for
| the sea contains stores OF electric
| force. lust as the earth does. But how
| 10 get nj this force has never been dis
covered, and 30 | have Invented moth
ing"
Regarding this elevatng work, r.
| Fletcher Robinson, the intimate friend
! OF DR.. DOYLE, who advised him 10 XIII
! Sherlock Holmes by throwing him over
! a preclpice. and who also suggested the
plot of "rhe Hound Of the Basker-
| villes" has published scathing artl
| Gle in one Of the two newspapers al
ready mentioned In II he says THE
! strongmnded will light upon the book
| by accident and throw Il down IN as
gust. the prurlent will find satisfaction
after their kind, and young people VIII
pluck another of the dangerous apples
from the tree Of knowledge when Hour
lshes upon the baser passions OF man
kind"
Evidently that novel OF Iceland to
gather material for which Hall Game
recently ventured into northern clmes,
will not be ready for some time yet, for
the Manxman has been neglectlng lit
erary work altogether lately in favor OF
politics. Thereby furnishing an inter-
esting contrast TO John Morley, who
practically abandoned the forum while
writing his monumental Life Of Glad
stone" or course. the politics which
interest Mr., Calne are those OF the Isle
Of Man, 20 whose House OF Keys, or
Parliament he was elected some time
ago. The Isle though nominally self
governing. really IL under the author
ity Of the British crown, and the author
Of "The Christian" has Just elaborated
n scheme for doing away with the pres
ent state Of things, and obtaining real
"home rule" He outlined this plan In
vigorous speech TO his constituents
al Ramsey the other nigh. and intends
To- push II In the house Of Keys as soon
as the Manx legislature begins It's next
sitting.
Helen Keller's English publishers re-
Gently received n striking letter from
her. which they have made public, The
letter is aprupos Of a review I'm one Of
the London woekies In which doubt
was EXPRESSED rs 10 whether The
story OF My Life" really was written
by Miss Keller and In II she says 81
have met doubling Thomases before
An American periodical went 80 far as
TO call my sensations 'Vlcarous,' II IL
is true that ! have no sensations It is
Of course quite unreasonable TO suppose
that 7 write or think. The arrogance Of
those who sec rs very amusing Enor-
nous interest I'm Miss Keller Is really
felt IN this country and It hns Just been
recalled that her story made a deep I'M
preston upon Queen Victoria.
Several years ago, when the Volta
bureau az Washington Published vol
ume Of papers regarding the American
girl. copy reached the queen 10 whom
II appealed powerfully, So much so IN
fact that her majesty declared that she
must see Miss Keller n ever she came