The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-19
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD

]. NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD
Capacity Of NoveIIsts Now Measured by
Word Capacity Per DIem-AccordIng to
This Standard, Colonel Prentlss Ingra-
ham Was One of the Greatest Novel;
lists OF All TIme-NeW Novel by w. e.
Norrls-Book for Students Of History
by Professor Frank NJ. Anderson Of the
University.
When we get to measuring the word
capacity of our fiction writer's we are
getting rather conclusive evidence Of com
merclal1sm In fiction writing. According
to dispatch received today, this word
capacity is now being measured with
great accuracy, like the horsepower of
steam thresher the output of a big
mourning mill The dispatch relates to that
prolific writer, Colonel Prentiss Ingraham,
whose death was recorded in this column
Wednesday, and who had an enormous
word capacity, measured by that standard,
easily being one of the greatest novelists
of all time. According to the message
| the following is an accurate record of
his output:
SIX hundred novels, averaging 10000 words
! each: AZ, 900, 900 words -Four hundred noyelettes
averaging 0,0oO words each; 100000. Annual
output 1,353,944; daily output, 3TOS; hourly
output l5407; capacity per minute. every hour
OF the day for twenty -four hours 2.24.
The foregoing does not include verses,
magazine articles, newspaper sketches
and miscellaneous matter that might cas-
| lily have brought up Colonel Ingraham's
daily average to 1000 words
For years he wrote novel every two
or three weeks. He averaged $4,000 a
/ year, and much of the money was lost
| in speculation.
There are some striking similarities be-
tween man and the germ, tho they never
struck us until we read Natures Come
! dian, by w. E. Norris. Just why they
struck us then we won't take the trouble
] to say; perhaps we couldn't. But the
fact remains, and you will see 1t If you
go away by yourself and think the mat
ter over. One similarity is in this: Some
germs are said to be harmless-indeed,
beneficial-to the constitution in which
| they take Judgment; others are deadly;
others are perhaps neutral, good under
| some conditions and bad under different
conditions. So with men; some serve the
! body polite, some war upon it, and some
may do either, according to circum-
stances. Not very scientific that, but 1t
will serve.
i 1t is of these neutral men, for the most
part. that Mr. Norris book treats. AT
least. Harold Dunville, the natures
comedian is neutral He is the de-
/ scendant of an aristocratic English fam
! lily, and in want of means takes to the
stage, where he makes ''hit.'' Just al
i the height Of his early success he is
seized with desire to marry; or, at
least, he seems unable to resist the temp
tatlon to propose when he comes into the
l society OF manageable young or middle
aged women, for, in turn, he PROPOSES
matrimony to three women. By one OF
the three his susceptible heart has really
oeen touched But that organ is of g
resAlent type and puncture- proof So il
quickly resumes It's normal shape afte,
the girl rejects him. Another he seeks
because her papa has a plethoric purse
But she, too, has found him out anf
refuses. The third he seems to take t.
get the matter off his mind, for he know.
beforehand that she will have him sht
is his leading lady"
In the course of a reading of the hool
one gets glimpse Of English countr,
life, sees political campaign from .
distance, takes a limited look at I,ondo,
heatrlcal life. and watches the unfoIdint
OF character that does little good an;
no serious harm. but in spite Of tina
makes "a brilliant exit There Is moth
ing to edify and not vast deal +o o.,
terta1n IN this latest of Mr.. Norris books
A KICK
t@5l like to see little dogge ta
= & Pate him on the hedde:
, Butte when he singeth in We nyte
would thatte he were dedde.
And exc We tunefulle Thomas Cate
Which sleepeth allie day long
Fulle oft I've shocked We pallid moon
& cursed his fervent song
Ye playfulle flea, SO sprightlie and
So fulle Of boyish glee,
f, WY must mus he play atte nyte time whenne
r No human eve can. see?
Ye ragtime on ye foore above
Grows louder; & know
Ye clans are celebrating where
Ie Deere doth ebb & flow.
love ye sound Of music yette
. / rave and want to fyte;
The day was made for song; oh theme
Why keep it up allie nyte?
t MEME curse We pestie house ny oft
With curses loud & Deep
Yette he alone of allie We pests,
Whenne hys poor, jaded victim rests,
7 Goes decentlie to sleep.
: Lowell o. Reese in Ainslee's for September.
4 Professor Frank Maloy Anderson, as
Ell sistant in the department Of history q
> the University of Minnesota has pre-
i pared a valuable aid to the study Q
: French history in his Constitutions an
e Other Select Documents illustrative of tn
History of France, 1899 1901. The volume
as the publishers prospectus says, 81
K designed primarily to meet the needs {
o college and university classes engaged 1
r the study of recent French history
y There Is, according to the same pros
il pectus, no other similar volume in Eng
lish. Tt consists In the main Of constI
n tutions, treaties, laws, manifestoes an
8 similar documents, 2S1 in all. 1t has bee
the aim Of the editor to furnish in a
0 English translation, of. convenient for1
# and low price, materials for carrying o
It source study by one or all of the thre
8 generally approved methods. The text
:. Of the constitutions will afford an oppol
;, tunity for the study Of single topic thru
n out the entire period; the groups of docu
II ments bearing upon important episode
" will make possible the intensive study {
a a. few selected topics; the remaining doc
uments will serve to vitalize the study {
d the whole field.''
a In brief introductions to the division
8 the author has pointed out a few of til
= ways In which the documents quoted al
! Of interest. and he has given reference
! a limited number of well-known works
English and to four or five In Frenc]
C These introductions have the merit
g being brief. lucid and Illuminating. ST,
dent and teacher of French history aliI
cannot fail to appreciate the good wor
:, Professor Anderson has so tlloroly don
i j. :. i- rTI,1