Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-07
REASONS PURELY BUSINESS.
One More Example Of the Force and
Influence Of Religious BlgotV--
Publishers Fear Patrons.

manuscript WAS plhCeu WIN u"h N
Wagnalls of New York, publishers of
the STANDARD Dictionary the Liter
airy Digest" and the "HomlletIo Re-
view" a religious magazine. Some time
ago the professor received the follow
ing letter from Mr.. Cummings, which
will perhaps be Of interest TO the read
ers Of the Deseret News. The letter Is
dated Feb, 2;
To-day | had a long Interview with
Mr.. Miller, principal reader and literary
adviser OF Funk a. Wagnalls. He told
me he had read about half OF the manu.
script, and he pronounced It work OF
marked ability. The logic, he said. was
very strong, II the premises be granted,
and the language was pure and elo'
quent.
In response to my question he said
A decision had not yet been reached AS
to whether or not the house would pub
lish the book There was reason TO fear
that II the house should publish work
80 pronouncedly pro-Mormon, the re-
lIgious prejudice OF its patrons might
be so Offended as to cause the house nm.
anclal injury. IL was therefore largely
Il business question. He insisted that
the firm neither favored nor opposed
any protestant religious propaganda,
yul wa. sou'iu yu1,,arsI 49, 49,, 49,
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the nI"i, anu .hat II "as ny H'S p'o'-
'"Ve W ueG,ue business luest.ons' oAo.
mr' Mnlei was se,s i,anN an nat
W, a'u u,sp,ays' ,iu.m ',sv .,. ,,,ei .
e &C., ~ YOU, VII, s sa'. 49, ,' proa, :
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VIC MS SYLVIA. ~ anu ,n.e,'eN'N"'
"' "xr IL" "''o.n 49, .Vn,e.'S ~ 1850.
"ile ne eNp,ensvu p,a'.e ~, Sou'
WIZ ~ .oIu ".t ttemng no nv u.
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, oau $500, ."a, s"e ' N.Y. "'s
'n''u ~ Iaun'e 'Iu' "V.n "ou'u " w
u,lse."e ms iai.h u, a., sSs'eu,s vi nv, nv
vIVs" nv Mou,u, We saiu, ,.Sson nNe
s h'o ~ snUe Wosnnn,s, ", ~
aosuIu sSstenl az Nol N.o,is,n vou. .n
" l'"ue, Nna. so.',''e.ou eVu'u ~ .a,e
.na. .ne appaien, sa,ens," " o'nel
sys.eI,Is VI .neo'osi vas ~. uue " we
ele.eI,sess VIII" ""'ch 'heS were pre-
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inns sort ol reasoning may cause
yUu 10 question my esllnla'e OF Mr.
MilIeI ; aoliIiy out l reclte thls por'
uon oil our interview 10 give you an
,uea as 10 no" your WORK " lkeIy 10
pe viewed oy learned ana lnlellec'ual
men, VINO nave not lhe gllt 10 see the
truth
Ihere Is no DOUBT mat funk d Wag-
halls are squarely up against knotty
proposition They must decline to pub
llsh book which they CONFESS possess
es great merit, on the ground OF injury
10 thelr bulness through anu'Mormon
prejudice, or else they must defy that
prejudice, For the purpose OF breaking
II down, i believe they are the hest
publishing house IN America, What
Will be their final decision, ! can only
guess.
Professor Nelson was not left very
long IN suspense on this question. In a
second letter dated Feb, II, Mr. Cum
mngs writes as follows
Yesterday | received a note from
Mr. Miller Of Funk & Wagnalls In
which he says, II Is as | feared,
Prof Nelson's book Ia too propagandIst
for our house to undertake It's publica.
ton.
Il Immediately called. when Mr.. MI.
Ter returned the manuscript TO me. lie
expressed great admiration for your
work from his personal standpoint but
said that the religious element. which
comprises much Of the patronage Of his
firm, would take offense were they to
publish With their imprint book so
pronouncedly pro. Mormon and that
injury to the firms business would re-.
suit.
"Mr. Miller said that among the lead.
Ing publishing houses OF New York his
firm could least afford 20 publish n
pro Mormon book; he was certain, how.
ever that any one Of several others
which he named to me, would gladly
accept your manuscript Mr., Miller
was certain that either Of these would
accept your manuscript, and | shall nd.
wise you as TO the one that promises
best,
THE outcome Ia quite different from
that first presaged by Mr.. Miller. ana |
regret II, But like him. / believe some
other good house will publish your
book; and while the delay In placing IL
is prbably annoying to YOU. | believe
the outcome will be for the best"
Whether "Mormonsm' win be given
fair hearing IN IN cease Of Professor
Nelson's book remains 10 be seen. lei.
der H. H. Roberts had ng Wo uudpr