The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-08
Of Books
and Writers

The editor of The Bookman thinks
that TOO much praise for writer's and
particularly American writer's IS a
very bad thing and should be discour-
aged In the February number he
coments sarcastically upon two
speeches that We're recently made at
lnGetlng of authors, when, metaphor
caliy speaking, they threw bouquets at
each other in the most loving STYLE.
one speaker referred to the youth Of
th!s country, and of it's literature and
sald, all things considered, that we
nave done exceedingly well, and that
al authors should have the right hand
OF fellowship extended to them, even
tnough they wrote anything but we'll;
they were promise, there is no tell
ing how well they may turn out. The
eullor OF Inc Bookman remarks that it
was one OF those speeches which fill
the breast with an almost idfotic hapG
pihesS. He goes on: "They are no
ole 1elloWS-We are all noble fellows
(and give US a hand O. thine)-
and there Is no reason for conceaIing
the sentiment douglas, Douglas, ten
der and true), but it is not safe for
any class of men, and least of all for
authors, to carry the thing very far.
There Is literary standardization that
sets in during middle age which is
Worse-for man than necrosis, and
an author who has turned forty with
certain degree of success is in very
grave Danger OF it" He even goSs so
TAR as to say that the best thing to do
10 young writer's Is to throw stones at
them, and keep them moving BE
even less than truthful; it is safer to
run them down." This is rather Sc
we're and quite unlike Prof Peck's US
ual urhane methods. 1t may be he had
misplaced his sherlock Holmes" or is
DOn6QTinO
problem OF what the great detective
gave DR.. Watson for a wedding pres
ent. 1t may be somewhat heretical to
disagree with so experienced an editor
/ as the one in question, but it doesn't
seem to the unprecedented observer that
young authors are in any danger Of
becoming spoiled. Certainly not BY
the editors Of The Bookman, who have
declared that they cannot even bother
| 10 return rejected manuscripts when
stamps are fnclosed. A little whole
some praise, by the way, an occasion
al word of appreciation, is sometimes
| the only thing lacking to the making
OF career, and when spoken in time
| puts heart into discouraged genius.
FuIsome laudation of mediocrity is, Of
course, out OF place at any time but
a Jud1cious word of appreciation to
the struggling can never be so called.
PERSONS are altogether too prone to
AAOOP o1AC1ll III one IIoCl1Qo ana DOur
euloglum upon the dead body of one
to whom a few spoken words of cheer
might have been a saving grace. Post
mortem appreciation is altogether too
common.
The King of Books Again.
1t may be remembered that last week
we spoke here of rich American who
mas recently been touring Italy in
search Of first editions Of Italian
and
OF Books. 1t is really too, too much
that this man variously described,
should turn out to be-so asserted. at
ieast-James Carleton Young, of Min
neapolis. It is characteristic of our
sister city that when things look dark
and down, and she is slipping out of
sight, 10, something occurs which again
gives her the proud position of center
OF the stage! And so it is. An ItaI-
ian paper of authority states that Mr..
Young Is 1ndulging his hobby of COL
rector OF autograph copies of books at
the present moment in Italy and by his
wealth and ability to discriminate has
peen termed the King of Books. Mr.
4oung Is the man who was the host of
Richard lie Gallienne-surely fame
enough-a year or two ago when he
was in Minneapolis, but he has OBJ
tanned wider fame as the owner of
the most unique collection of books in
the World. EVERY one, of which the
writer still lives or has lived. within
the last twenty-five years, bears on
its title pages the autograph of it's au-
thor. Mr.. Young has devoted his life
and his large fortune to his hobby, and
IS We'll known wherever bookmen con-
gregate. One scheme of his mentioned
by the Italian paper in question is to
erect before his death in Loring Park,
Minneapolis, "a temple in the Greek
style destined to hold and preserve for
all time this wonderful collection of
books. He also collects manuscripts of
living writer's and these, with his books.
1t is reported, he intends to beOueath
to the city of his home. A food Of
thoughts is suggested by this report,
some touching, some slightly ironical
put 1t can be said without a ray of
Jealousy from a source that jealousy is
supposed to reside that no set of peo-
pie will more heartily rejoice to see
our twin become literary center than
we of st. Paul. 1t will be not only
pleasant change, but may serve to turn
the current Of Twin City thought to
higher planes than at present engross
the inhabitants. Well, Well, Mr..
Young!
Misleading Titles of Books.
Mr.. w. l.. Alden. who is nothing if
not clear, concise and easily under
standable, complains, not without rea-
son, Of the misleading titles of books,
and as example cites his own recent
experience in asking for a book which
he supposed to be work on archaeoI-
ogy, and discovering that it was a vol
ume of Sunday school tales. He said
1t reminded him of the sheep raiser
who sent for copy of Rusl<ins
| 'SheepfOldS" because he thought it
pertained to his business Mr.. Aldens
point is we'll taken. The habit of nam
ing books in vague, faddish manner
is growing every day, and the connec-
ton between a book and it's title is
often so far fetched as to be shadowy
| in the extreme. Then some long haired
poet arises and pretends to read a
beautiful meaning into these NONSENSE
cal names Red Pottage" is a case
in point. 1t meant nothing in connec-
ton with the story, but how 1t was
lauded, and what wonderful occult
meaning was read into 1t by the know
Ing ones. Mr.. Alden thinks reform in
this direction should be insisted upon.
but 1t Is doubtful whether much can
be done. There has obtained a craze
for naming fiction from stray lines
of poems, and later still a fad for TAX
ing chance expressions from the Old
Testament as titles.
England Is to have a cat magazine.
Dogs seem to have had the day which
Is proVerbially theirs, and now the
humble cat is to have it's innings II
is to be called the Cat World and is
to be devoted to what a writer calls
the extreme high cat party" as we'll
as to lesser lights in the shape of the
ordinary barn cat of commerce. A
prominent "cat person." by name Louis
Vain, will be made the art editor of
the magazine, and as he is already
famous as the maker of cat pictures.
NOD Il r.