The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-29
@
lRIFWS AND VIEWS |
lAH OF THE
H BOOK WORLD |
~ HERRERT RREWsTER.

BY HERBERT BREWSTER
IL is not often that a man may be-
come famous in two widely separated
fields. Brand Whitlock is one Of the
few who are coming TO that distinction
Ia his home city, Toledo. o., he is
known as one Of the best criminal law
yers in the state; the book world knows
him only as the author Of THE Thin
teenth District" and as a writer OF
short stories. It is IN this latter field
that Mr. WhitlOck engages attention.
He Is the kind Of a writer who writes
only because he has a story to tell
rather than because he thinks he must
tell a story. His profession brings him
into touch with life as few professions
can The other day he was engaged on
a case involving over $500, 000 when a
woman came % him with the request
that he try TO rescue her hayward
daughter Mr.. Whitlock dropped his
important case at once and a reunited
tamily's happiness was his reward. Tt
is just this sort Of thing which makes
all Of his friends love him. and it Is
such experiences that give him his
hold on life when he comes TO express
the thing In a story.
Not long ago Mr.. Clarence S. Oar
row, one OF the leading lawyers Of Chi
cagO. made Mr. WhitlOck a most tempt
Ing offer to Join him in his Chicago
firm.
81 couldn't take IT," said Mr.. Whit
lock, afterward. because I'm doing
some real good here and I'm able to
write here when / feel i must write"
Some time during the summer Mr..
Whitiock will complete his second
novel, a story Of life in a small Ohio
town. which viii be brought out this
fal
Z. w. Townsend in his last book.
Lees and Leaven." knows. Of course,
what he is writing about when IT comes
to telling of journalism as it is prac-
ticed, so the following description OF
yellow journal methods may be taken
as a fair picture:
Young Paxton, who had made a rep
utation as a poet and humorist on the
White River Advocate. comes TO New
York with his sister Grace. tempted by
an offer from the yellow Chronicle.
"H0ward's first visit 10 the Chronicle
was an experience. He found chaos in
the reporters ROOM
II don't think j could do very much
work out there" he said 10 Carson, the
managing editor, and that WOrthy's re-
ply was, with an assurance that the
special writer should have a room Ia
himself somewhere.
"Oh, that's the boiler shopi The kind
Of work we do out there would come TO
a standstill if we kept things quiet. The
theory IS that nothing here must be
allowed 20 fan into a rut, and II men
are allowed TO work under normal cone
diuOns their work becomes normal We
want abnormal work. we want men
who are putting the news the local
matter. the features, the suburban stO-
ries into shape to be under a pressure Of
excitement, to be a bit ratified, a little
insane. in truth. for then they are ike
ly TO be seized with UNDERSTANDING
fancies as TO the manner and form
their work should take"
Carson went on. Some men can't
stand IL; they break down in health or
go wholly insane. A little insanity isn't
a bad thiug. We've had lots of stun
ming features suggested by men we
We're nursing along to keep 'em from
going wholly mad. But we don't sub
1ect our special and editorial writer's 70
that strain" Concerning the editorials
Carson explained that the deadly COM
monplace was wanted. THAT style"
he said. carries an air OF profound wis
dom 10 our class Of readers" Howard
got more light on the Chronicles meth
DDS from Turnbill, one Of the star re-
pOrters.
Have you made a long enga cement
with the Chronicle?' asked Turnbnl
az the dinner table.
mo length Of engagement has been
mentioned" Howard answered.
"A contract without a time limit7"
"A contract"
u don't want to appear inquisitive;
but have you no contract"
Mo. Our correspondence was tel
egraphic," and he repeated the sense Of
the message. he had received from Car
son.
"Turnbin inygTted the glass from
which he had been drinking and spilled
its remaining drop Of wine on the floor.
mot worth that" he said.
And this is the training school OF
some Of our modern nOvelists.
A few days ago the newspapers
ChrOniCIed the death of Andrew O.
w AANN-sLF DNLLEl AlLDNA d1 -N1Au ALltl-
kle." and up TO that time his Identity
with a. p MOWbrav' was never known
save TO his publishers. The statement
came like a startling revelation. Mr.
Wheeler had earned a just fame as
"Nym Crinkle" and had retired from
active newspaper work 90 a country
home In ROckland county, New York
Then one Of his friends, the editor OF a
New York paper, asked him 20 write
some papers on Nature" Thus began
the Journey TO Nature" signed 81 p.
NJ" The essays were brought out I'm
book form and 80 many inquiries came
90 the publishers that Mr.. Wheeler told
them 10 say that j. p. NJ. was ]. p.
Mowbray, a retired Wall street broker.
Then he wrote Tangled Up IN Beulah
Land" and other publishing firms be-
gan 10 write to Mr.. Mowbray for arti-
cles. Mr.. Wheeler however. kept the
secret Of authorship and, shortly be-
fore his death, completed another J. p.
NJ book. "The COn0ueFing Of Kate"