Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-07-30
AUTHORS PENSIONS
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT GRANTS
ANNUAITlEs TO FAMILIES
OF POOR WRITERS.
Winston churchilPs "The Crossing" is
the Most Popular English NoveI-Dr.
Conan Doyle and Hall Game Authors
and Statesmen.

s'S WoSt ToPuldr CHSlISn INOveI-0T,
Conan Doyle and Hall caine Authors
and Statesmen.
At what low ebb financially many
English authors were at the time of
their death frequently becomes known
to the public only when the annual
list is published of the government
pensions which have been granted to
their families. Except in rare cases
that of Austin Dobson. for instance
state grants either to authors or their
descendants are made only when the
need for them is urgent, so it was a
surprise to good many who believed
w. E. Henley, the poet, to have been
fairly well off to find the name of his
widow in the list of last years bene-
ficiaries from the civil list" Mrs.
Henley's pension is not large, only
$625 a year. Phil May was known to
have left practically nothing, and nest
people were glad to see that his wife
is receiving a pension of 1915, but it
was surprising again to find Leonard
and Alfred Gissing, the late George
Gissing's children, down for 1910 on &C.
count Of 'straitened circumstances" No
living authors were granted pensions
by the prime minister during the past
year with the exception of Sir William
Laird Cloves, the writer on American
and naval matters, who for some time
has been in wretched health and al
most entirely unable to work.
Richard Whiteing is not one of the
English authors who spend most of
their time, and do most Of their work
on the continent, but his health hasn't
been any too good of late and he has
just gone to Contrexeville to drink the
waters at that fashionable French spa
A friend tells that one of the main
causes of Mr. Whiteings not be quite
up to the mark is the fact that he has
been working particularly hard on the
novel which he has under way.
The Athenaeum, the venerable and
dignifled English literary review, is al
most as much Of an institution in its
way as the Times, and there has been
a great deal of interest in the fact
that the weekly recently reached its
4000th number. It was founded in
1928 by a writer named Buckingham,
who finally became member of parlia-
ment for Sheffield, and who sold his
periodical to the grandfather of Sir
Charles Dixie, who is the present pro.
prietor, for $4,000. The Athenaeum is
by no means patronizing or overindulg-
ent in its review of new books. and
in the last numer its editor sets forth
some of his principles in the matter
Of literary criticism. He denies in
territorial severity, but says: "Immor-
tality is so frequently and rashly prom
Used to the writer of today that such
praise has almost become farce, and
1t is necessary to remind readers that
restraint in expression does not mean
disparagement, nor a high standard
a personal grudge." 1--WE are as ready
as any," he goes on, ITO welcome the
new man without regard to cliques or
coteries."
The success of the moment in this
country as far as romances are con-
cerned, is undoubtedly Winston
Churchill's "The Crossing" Fully
twice as many copies were subscribed
for IN advance as in the case Of 1.-THE
Crisis" and in the new novel is be-
ing largely ordered by the trade. OF
course, this is chiefly due to the repu-
tation which Mr.. Churchill has made
in this country. There is no doubt,
however, that the great demand for
1.-THE Crossing" over here is owing
partly to the fact that a good many
people in this country still believe that
its author is the English Winston.
1t Is hard, as DR.. Conan Doyle may
find out before long, to be both nov
elist and a statesman. Hall Game
has managed to combine the two roles
pretty comfortably hitherto, but of late
he has had to slight the second. Writ
ing "The Prodigal Son" took it out of
Mr.. Game so much that he had TO
go to the Riviera to recuperate, and re-
Gently the correcting of his proofs has
kept the author so busy that he hasn't
had time to appear in the Manx legis-
lature. His constituents have been pa
rather FESTIVE, for they say that Ram
sey, the district in Man which Mr..
Game represents, Is practically dis
franchised.
Some day there will be another i'm
portant work relating to Sir Henry M.
Stanley, but 1t is likely to be many
years before it is published. It seems
that the explorer left behind him not
only goodly amount Of interesting
material concerning himself, in the
form of diaries and letters, but also !
documents of no little historical I'm
portance. Most of the matter, how
ever, is of such character as to make
it impossible that it should appear in
print during the lives Of the persons
with whom it is concerned.
America got tired of English middle
class fiction some time ago. Apparent
ly Australia is wearying of 1t too, and
CDEAT CATE 0E