The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-02

great good service, for, during the past
five years no other book has appeared
with the same charming qualities for
making pleasant a couple of hours of a
readers time. His little story, Cherry"
is to be brought out in book form this
iall, but no long novel may be expected
from his pen before next spring.
Few men would dare attempt to pre-
pare guide to books of felton, Mr..
Ernest A. Baker is an exception. He
has not only attempted but he has
also accomplished a difficult task. In
of information about over 4,500 works
of fiction printed in the English Ian
guage. 1t is the first book of its kind
and should be of much value to Ii
brarians and writer's. If for nothing
else it would be worth while if it pre-
vented the duplication Of titles which
is common thing nowadays.
Less than two years ago there ap-
peared a story Of newspaper life called,
THE Great God Success" which was
so much better than the general run of
novels of the kind that readers began
to wonder who the author might be. 1t
did not develop until some months later
that he was David Graham Phillips,
and then came the unusual news that
Mr.. Phillips had left an editorial posi-
ton on one of the New York papers
which paid him $40 900 a year for the
k'y17-
books. Since he began the experiment,
Mr. Phillips has made great strides;
his last novel Golden Fleece" seems
likely to place him in the front rank OF
the younger generation Of American
novelists
Mr.. Philips identity in connection
with the authorship of The Great GOO
Success" was suspected first because the
author had been a little too faithful 20
fact in one of the incidents of his story
His hero made a great hit with his emf
Dloyers and secured a beat over the
rival papers in exactly the same man
ner as the author himself did severai
years ago.
Besides writing novels, Mr. Phillips
devOtes much of his time to writing spe-
cial articles for the magazines. He has
for some years made mllllonalres
special study. and his Confessions or n
Croesus." on which he is now working IS
a story which he has based very con-
siderably on facts. In the current num-
Der of Success Mr.. Phillips gives
study of American editors which is OF
more than usual interest to book read
ers, since, in large measure, the men
who make cur magazines are the same
men who publish our books.
Instead of looking into a popular
paper. book OF magazine" writes Mr..
/ Phillips ito see what vulgaritieS made
/ it so popular, the writers and critics
who appeal from their own to remote
/ future generation might learn something
Q 4
or magazine to see If there isn't some
thing there. some bold sweep of the great
chord Of universal human nature which
has caused popularity in spite Of the
vulgarity-
Americas revolt. expressed in cheap
and popular newspapers and magazines.
grew cut of the very necessities of hel
condition A great democracy must be
educated. and great democracy Graves
education. It cannot read what it can
rot understand, it cannot understand
what is deliberately addressed to the
few and interests a few only, interesting
them often because they fancy that in
terest in what is above the heads of the
masses IS a mark of superiority. Out Of
the need of education. out Of the demand
for education. grow the high school O..
! cheap newspapers and the college and
university of cheap popular magazines
American newspapers and magazines
not even in the old days when the new
ness or shallOwness of culture caused
many avowed minor writer's to employ
the affectations of involved style and q
muddy or cloudy thought, were never
characterized by the platitudinous
yaWnsCn1e ponderCUsness which Ieadens
the great frst-class magazines and re-
views of Great Britain and the conti~
nent We never did deeply admire
classes and reverence. We were always
disposed to suspect that the stuff THAI
clings to our own bones is of the same
consistency as the stuff of which stars
and all things really or reputedly high
are made. We never did buy mann
newspapers or magazines or books to