Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1903-08-04
ANIMAL FICTION

Knowing persons like to know some
thing about animals. There is the
president who has an Unsuitable appe-
tite for knowledge on all subjects from
Roman history UP to boxing. He
knows quite a lot about animals, can
| already write magazine articles about
them when not too busy. and can dis
pute learnedly as to their names, ex-
pioits and characteristics. And, coil
stantly, when he can find time, he adds
to his knowledge hunting big game or
small, or merely getting far out in the
distant woods with erudite woodsmen,
and seeing what is to be seen there.
1t will be recalled that in his west
ern tour last spring he diverged into
the Yellowstone country, not on hunt
ing, but a seeing, expedition, and that
Dom John Burroughs went with him.
I would have liked to hear Mr. Bur-
roughs and the president talk, for Of
course it was good beastly talk. and
you may be sure that among other
things they discussed Mr. Burroughs
onslaught upon Mr. Thompson-Seton.
the Rev NJ. Long and the other writers
who, in Mr. BURROUGHS. opinion, are
prone to put their imaginations too
much into their animal literature. Mr.
Burroughs feels very strongly on this
subject. He has been a naturalist al
most Qf not Quite by profession, these
many years, and naturally feels pro-
prietary interest in the business. When
comparatively new hands come along
and make animal stories that are ex-
ceedingly readable and sell in books in
enormous numbers, Mr. Burroughs
takes notice. And when he reads the
books and finds the birds and beas.s
credited with sentiments and behavior
the like OF which accords not with his
observation Of them, he doesn't like it,
and feels that natures truth is being
trided with. He has no use, apparent
ly, for fiction in which the characters
ara animals, unless it Is based on and
accords strictly with sound and ac-
curate knowledge. What he thinks OF
Mr. Kipling's Jungle Book don't know,
though President Roosevelt doubtless
does, but it Dom John knows too much
to like it, that is another proof that
much learning is a WEAKNESS to the
flesh.
Mr. Burroughs has not assailed MI
Kipling, that know Of, as romancer
who has trided with the animal world.
but some months ago he did pitch into
some of the other animal fiction men
in an article In the Atlantic Review, to
which Mr. Long made strenuous reply
in the North American Review, declar-
Ing with vehemence that his stories
were based either on personal observa-
ton or highly credible and reliable
hearsay, and that some things hap
pened in some woods that Mr. Bur-
roughs had not had chance to Oh,
serve. and didn't know about mat
seems possible, though Mr. Burroughs
doubtless knows a great deal.
1t is fact though, obvious to readers
of newspapers and magazines, that AMI
NAL fiction is in fashion. and that
good many Industrious writer's are at
work at it, and turning out fashions OF
copy" Now when a writer of op-
binary fiction gets at the end of his ex-
perience of the behavior of human
beings, he goes on and guesses, draw
on hising on his imagination to piece
out his facts If some of the writer's
Of animal fiction don't do the like, then
veracity is commoner thing in the
world than Is supposed, and the duty
of telling the truth and nothing else
about beasts, birds and fishes takes a
much stronger hold Of story tellers
than the duty of telling the truth and
nothing else about MAYNARD San
ford in The Illustrated Sporting News.