The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-21
rHE LIrERARY oUrLooK.
Miss Tarbeu Points Oct a Field for
the Greatest American Novel

MISS Iaroel Points Oct q Field for
the Greatest American Novel
The "reminiscences Of newspaper men
who. through their labors in many
lands. have come i'm touch with many
ut the world s. nOtabies. always make in
teres-ng reading. No doubt those who
are reading series of sketches by NJ
DE ElQwi1z appearing serialy In one
periodical or q collection of reminiscent
al tiNles by George ~. Smaley in am
utler- ulN testify to tha truth of this
statement IL is to be hoped that both
OF THESE admirable sets of articles win
be brought out in b0okform during the
gear Gufiously enough. one of the best
stories which Mr. Smaley tells IS about
aintnef correspondent, perhaps the
greatest of them all. Archibald Forbes.
The one feat which. in Mr. Smalley's
cplulen- placed Forbes at the head of
his profession came in the Russo-Turlz-
ish war OF 1877 Although seven of the
s>hipka Pass. Forbes did it. and after
glVlug tne car his Information and be-
ing comp rnented on his skill and dar-
ing. Forbes rode without stopping for
rest leo miles 70 bucharest. He arrir-
ed al O'Clock in the evening He had
been three days and nights either tn
the saddle or ira the Shipka trenches.
uucer rre- Without sleep. ofEFn without
food. I was dead tired said Forbes.
from whose lips I had this story. Not a
word of my dispatch was written and
I had news for which I knew the world
was waiting KS GA W hich the fate
of an empire and the fortunes Of half
E--- rope depended And tt was as much
as Z could do to keep my eyes open or
sit I'D I'm the chair into which I drop
ped What did YOU d02 i told the
waiter, answered Forbes to bring me
a pint OF dry champagne unopened T
took the cork out, put the meek of the
bottle into my mouth. drank il with all
lne fl1I sat up. and wrote the four col
umns. YOU read next morning in the
Daily News As a piece of literature.
the four columns were of high order.
AS a piece Of news they were one Of
the greatest beats ever known"
Miss Ida NJ Tarbeu. whose History
of the Standard oil Company" is prob
ably attracting more attention at pres
emit than any other serial publication.
confessed the other day to have begun
some years ago q novel centsred about
the oil regions. and to have given it up
because she never had the courage to
finish IT,
Speaking of her present series OF ar
ticies Miss TarbeU says.
Fe tried to lean neither To one side
nor the other. but merely to teH the
truth. eorroborated by court docu-
mehts and pamphlets issued at differ-
cnE -nss- This has required thou
sands 90 miles Of travelling and the I'M
earliAns or SUCH pamphlets and docu-
--- t-H 7tie-lfE- ItAA law HLAAE11-
For mauy years I have wanted to
write the story of the Standard oil Co.
ana Tor what may seem to some. a
very strange reason I wanted to set
NY own mind ana conscience right
about this great business which in my
EiElhood DAYS seemed ike q great evil
which had falian upon the oil country
d ON see. was born and brought un
to Hook upon the system HE rebates
nracricea by the railroads ia favor Of
the trust as q great crime and to think
of those who worked for the Standard
Oil company or who surrendered to
them as having given up fighting on
the right side. Later on in my life
came TO see another side to the matter.