New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-06-14
SUNDAY, JUNE IA, 1903.

claring that IAN old novelist was as rare as an |
old worker in white lead" The pronouncement
sounds well, and perhaps some one with plenty
Of time on his hands and leaning toward sta |
tistics in his mind might draw up list con-
firming, or. rather, seeming to confirm Sir
Conan DOyle's remark. But we confess that
we have small taste for these cocksure and
specfous congratulations. They are always
being made, but somehow they always fail to
carry conviction Here is Mr.. StOpfOrd Brooke
throwing off in the course Of an essay on Iur-
nor some observations on the continuity or
mower in men Of great genius. 1.-The sword OF
the genius Of the second rank wears out us
scabbard, he says. 1.-The sword OF The inperlal
genius yitalizes the scabbard to the END Inc
trouble with this pretty contribution TO the SUD-
iect as with Sir Conan Doyle'S notion ABOUT
old novelists being rare, is that III these mat
tiers we necessarily grope, and must ever grope'
in the dark. Genius is imponderable. ana we
cannot lay down laws about it Scientists ike
IOmbroso have done no good IN seeking 70
weigh genius in their scales. On the contrary,
they have done harm, inaSnuch as they nave
persuaded a number of people to snatch irreV-
orently at the veil that hides the great secret
from US forgetting that spirituality which is at
once the source and the crown of true genius
IF is hateful to the sincere lover of literature TO
have to witness attempts at profaning the cen
trail mystery of the thing he loves
English booksellers have long been supposed
to form a rather imposing body, but II appears
that they are not half SO numerous and not
half SO competent great many DOCK buyers
in England would like them to be- mat. at I'LL
ovants is what might be inferred from the re
mark in 4 London journal that 1T seems eA-
traordinary that at this time Of day SO few
iSf ont of IOQlOQ
or three large provincial towns" A new COM
many has been started to remedy the trouble,
and throurh its enterprise "a few pioneer shops
are TO be opened under the management OF
men who really do know something ABOUT
books" Mr. Il. G. Wells is prompt ID e3-
pressing his approval, writing thus 10 the man
aging director: My warmest good WlsheS LOT
YOUR admirably planned scheme The troubles
of book buying are one OF the cElel woes III
NV essentially queruous life. At the present
moment | am just giving up the nope OF pells
able to buy a pleasant edition OF an EnSIsh
version of the 'Utopia-and there are no uoupl
at least three publishers in London trying 10
sell me what 1 want TO buy! L can't find out
about them Americans may sometimes suher
in the same way, yet we venture to say that IN
the main we are better off in this country than
Mr. Wells appears to be- Our booksellers may
not ALWAYS have everything want, but they
show as n rule, intelligence and promputlde In
securing the publication desired.
Mr. Andrew Lang is wrathful over the sell
ishness of the people who write to him ana 10
other authors begging fer copies OF their books,
with autograph inscriptions. 81 hate writing
autograph inscriptions" he complains Il
would rather write another book. Again, l
never keep my own works in stock-few men
do-and to buy them costs me just as much Il
conceiye) as it costs the public" 1t is useless
for him to argue. People will so on begging
authors for their books and autographs until
tbe end of time, and there is no use In trying
70 sion them But perhaps by dint Of unceas-
inc effort something may some day be done TO
suDpress certain other parasitical individuals at
whom Mr. Lang filings his scorn, 'the bores
who daily ask a man to let them publish Sc
lcctions from his books for their own private
benefit IN volumes of their pasteand- scissors
work" They are exasperating indeed. why
cannot thcy write their own books" We do
not know. unless it is because they have moth
irer of their own to say. and, if they had, would
not know how to say it. There are occasions
on which an anthology of prose or of verse is
LEGITIMATE occasions on which even the most
barasSed of authors feels that it is perfectly
proper for him to grant the privilege requested
of him by compiler. But in recent years the
Altogether superfuous and mercenary antholo-
gists have enormously increased in number.