The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-10-28
CALLS THEM SNOBS.
FAMOUS SOCIETY WOMAN
SAYS NEW YORK SOCIETY
PEOPLE ARE.

Tor w rlt1ng BooKe-W nat Some
of the Authors Have Re-
ii ceived-Fif,y Thous-
and for One Book.
Chicago, O,t. 19-Mrs. Stuve-
SAINT Fish, who is here with Mr..
Fish, asserts that naughty reporters
have misquoted her when they put
,ner down recently as ridiculing So
ciety.
81 said," explained Mrs. Fish,
"that society in America was not
sufficiently identified with the po-
lilical life of the country to lift it
above a frivolous plane. I said that
society in this country was narrow
because of this lack. 1t hasn't g.
nough of solid intsres's to make it
anything but frivolous-in the
sense I mean. Mind you, / am not
attacking it when I say this. I am
simply stating the actual condition
in which American ociety finds it.
self.
You think that society women
should devote themselves to poll.
tics2"
.Certainly," replied Mrs. Fish
promptly. mot in the sense of 60
ing to the polls or anything Of that
sort. but they should interest them
selves in political matters SO that
they might help their husbands.
Women abroad do this, and they
are consequently broader minded
and better"
"And now, Mrs. Fish, your asser-
tions in regard to the Four Hun
dred."
.Oh, the Four Hundred she ex-
claimed with another shrug.
ID ,esn't it sound ridiculous2 just
as if in this great country there
could be just four hundred persons
and no more, worthy to be called
the elect. Isn't it absurd? Amer
lea is too big and too new for that
sort of narrowness. It isn't typi.
1cal of American principles-it does
not do justice to the American
Idea"
"You think American society
aims to be too exclusive?" Il
81 certainly do. and it simply
makes this country the object OF
ridicule abroad. Just think for in
stance, how many worthy people,
artistic, writers, thinkers and the
like, are excluded from society or
the -Four Hundred as it is called
| in this country, whereas in foreign
society such congenial souls are
| Welcomed with open arms, That
is what I dislike about America.
"You believe then that talent and
intellect should open the portals OF
society?',
Most certainly. That is where
other countries show understand
ing and where America betrays a
deplorabls snobbishness."
New York, Oct 24.-The World
|says: According to the cable news
John Moreley received from the
publishers fee Of $4,000 for his
Life of Gladstone" just issued.
This is the largest sum ever paid
for a copyright biography in Eng
land. It is not large recompense
for three years of time and
Involving the reading of over 3oo,-
900 documents. For purposes of
comparison there is the American
instance Of John e. Nicolay and
John Hay, who are credited with
receiving the same sum, 100000,
from the publishers for their work
on .The Life of Abraham Lin
coln," published in 1890. From his
biograpy of Lincoln, issued soon af-
ter the war, DIR. Holland realized
about $25, 900. James G. Blaine's
"Twenty Years in Congress"
brought its author $4,000. Gen.
Grants family received something
like $500, ,ooo from his Memoirs.
It is told that of the late Joseph
Harper that he wrote to Blaine
while the book of the man from
Maine was in preparation that to
the historian the publisher came to
the door and took eff his hat. A
later writer has remarked that the
favor of obsequiousness is now
yielded by the publisher to the pop
ular novelist. Five fiction success
ses of the season 19oo-19o1 were re-
puted as bringing their authors $75,-
900, $4,000 $4,000, S34 900 and
10000 respectively. Probably some
of these figures have since been
beaten. Contrast the $1,8oo which,
as first return from "The