New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-24
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ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
SUNDAY, JULY "a. 1904.

law paragrapher finds himself in the dull sea
son hopelessly out Of material for copy, or SIN
cercly hopes to have some influence upon the
making of the books projected for the autumn
he likes to talk about certain debatable points
in book manufacture There IS, Tor example,
tho ouesti0n of large paper editions. One COM
mentator cheerfully notes that they are nov
in small esteem and sell at very moderate
prices" That, we may observe, is Sood thhS'
The collector with small purse, especially the
collector with a passion for well printed plates,
is in luck when he can buy for few dollars
the handsomely made book which he couid not
afford to purchase and cut up, when 1t was
originally published. A writer in 1.-The AGA
DENY" asks that publishers pay more attention
to the headlines of the books they issue. I'm
the first volume of Brownng's poems,' he says,
Gin the Worlds Classic series, the word Rob
ert Rrownings Poems at the top Of every page
seem to shout the death of Queen Anne at the
reader" Why should these things be thus! we
give it I'D. But the complaint with which we
most sympathiZe is that which has once more
been directed by weary reviewer against the
issuance of books with pages uncut Let us
grant that in a book of certain sort the uncut
page is not only permissible, but desirable But
to put forth a novel, for example in this state
is to commit a kind of crime Some publishers
are So fiendishly malignant to leave their
novels uncut at the bottom Of the page For
them the rack and strappado would De too kind
Instead they should be set to read their own
books without anything even remotely resem-
bling q paper cutter within reach.
Mr. George Meredith's talk with journalist
about questions of the day, which was recently
summarized by our London correspondent, was
in nothing more interesting than In the lesson
it tacitly addressed to the younger writer's of
our time. 1t showed them that the imaginative
author has direct concern with public affairs
We hear a good deal nowadays about the deal
ings Of the literary man with such affairs
Every time popular novelist enters politics we
are told that his profession has wider outlook
than it had before. Has it? IL current
literature is TO be trusted, few of those who
make it look outside their study windows
BoOkishneSs, which can be so fruitful of good,
can also be productive of immeasurabe stupid
ity. 1t gets many man into the habit of
never seeing beyond his nose. The way in
which to learn how to write, he argues. is to
read-and write. Nevertheless, he would learn
much that would be useful to him if he would
take leaf out Of Mr.. Meredith's book.
Since the death of Clement Scott, which oc-
CURED just after the benefit given for him by
notable group Of popular actors, much has
been said about the character of the work
1T uIu lol 50 years us tlie Drain
critic Of ''The Daily Telegraph" lie has not
been praised very much as critic Of the Drama
but there is, on the whole, little contradiction
of the fact that he was Max Beerbohm
puts it, unrivalled a critic of the art of acting
Abiding to the mystery of SCOTS departure
from the staff Of THE Daily Telegraph" one
critic protests that it not a mystery at ALL
The separation was inevitable, he says. "Clem-
ent Scott was skilful practitioner of
TclcSraphese,' as that word was understood
by Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold did much
to kill the style, but other influences were at
work to reinforce it, and The Daily Telegraph
of Sala, Beatty Kingston, Edwin Arnold and
Clement Scott gradually reccded into the in
finite azure Of the past. When the public
taste altered. when elOquence became at n dis
count, he was helpless, and therein he shared
the lot-the bitter lOt-of more able men" This
has plausible and even comforting sound
but it might fairly be urged by some devoted
partisan Of Clement Scott and his fellow rheto
ricans that II their style has been killed other
styles not one whit better have come to tease
the soul Of the fastidious reader. The writer's
who can AFFORD to throw stones at SCOTS ''Tele
graphese" are not half SO numerous as thew
ought to be