New-York tribune., 1905-11-12
ag1e Nep;Nork gribma1es
SUNDAY. NOVEMBER r. 1902

0f
we az 80: of letters written by menii'eio ~ -
g. w.1ter Scott's family to an oiu so' 80,
.ro,+ of these letters, it is stateu' ~ ;. =;
-,,a+ nav he called trivial thlnsS' pu' ~ ,.,
WA. VIA, in - tboneh this had anything to oo win
tbo matter that sthey show strohs .ah,n! ~
SItv and affection" Suppose they w ro+ho-
.:,,,o ius+ the same that this scraplns 'ose"C-
ulie' Just JUG. ~ ,oo+or;a, associated with this OF
VI VI ea-,o,,s name should stop? 1t is at peSt q
- lronnv imnertinence. The world OIL Ieau
III ,,robsbIy never lose interest IN "ailei
Coo++ hut the members OF DIS ldh'
never been, and will never De- lnp ' ,
that world All that it Is deslrapie - ~ 80"
..y be found in LockhartS Lille. Ahe 0e
familv loyalty and affection may De 1ah.n s..n:.o,
Granted without an excursion .ii'o
th;nas" Moreover, one grave disadvantage
ahont . publication of this sort is that II es-
th1ishos a precedent on which all manner VI
,,n;rnortant revelations" are sooner OF ia'e1
based The executors OF any popular au'no1
whose literary remains can De Haoe W pay g
ho,17d +o soueeze everything into print that tney
can manage anyway, but IL they can pun. ~
What has been done in the case OF oT " ai.e
+bav are certain to go even further ID tneif
indiscretionS.
Tn tho current number Of 'The North Amerl-
can Review Mr.. Brander Matthew's mas solne
interesting and wise things to say ABOUT Ane
Modern Novel and the Modern flay- ne 10
moi nreiudiced in favor of either the one VI tie
other but speaking with 1uh SENSE VI o
,7alue of each form, he is constrained 10
,roDhesy that while "the vogue OF the novel Is
not likely to wane speedily 1ts su-
,,rornacv NAV be challenged by the drama more
swiftly than now seems likely. he IS per
hans too sweeping in his assertion that the
novel is too easy to be wholly satisfactory u
an artist in literature" It depends upon tne
fhov n
This modern world of ours, observing the man
ror in which fiction has been taken up by scores
Of me1iocrities as means Of livelihood, COM
binino the possibilities Of fortune with the
Glamour appertaining to 1.-The literary me- we
can readily imagine man Of real aolhty turl-
ing to playwriting as to somethihs oe'tei
worthy of his powers. 1.-The art OF the urthid-
fist" saws MI Matthews, 'is not yet at It's
richest; but it bristles with difficulties such as
q strong man joys in overcoming" and such a
man might easily, mere matter OF PRIDE,
endeavor to practise it as means OF diHeren-
tiating himself from the mob. We like espe-
cially Mr. Matthews's exposition OF the 1act
that the dramatist for all the restrictions
placed upon him. may nevertheless pack as
much meaning into play as some people hlnk
cas be fully stated only in long novel
Mr.. Harold Begbie, whose clever work as a
ia,rnaIist has won him some repute, contributes
a suggestive article on BIS profession 10 lne
Author" Much that he has to say is as old as
Journalism itself yet it can never be too often
repeated, for example, that the thing for the
beginner to do is not to seek a personal intro
duction to an editor on the score of mere social
courtesy but to labor $50 to observe the world,
and to express your observations. that there
shall not be one editor unWnllnS TO re-
ceiye you into his BOSOM" II there is one
thing more than another that is perfectly con-
elusive in this matter it Is that never docs
the wine of good copy need the bush of in
fiuence." Editors and publishers may seem
hard-hearted to the writers who try to sell them
poor stuff but we have yet to hear of the man
foolish enough to let good article or a good
book escape him, except for reasons beyond his
control. Let the young author read Mr. Henry
IIolts article on 1.-THE CommerciaZation of
Literature in 'AIhe Atlantic Monthly and es-
pecially ponder that part of it which relates to
the assiduty of some publishers in moving
heaven and earth to get hold of author who
viii sell That alone goes to show that the
presses are simply yawning for whatever can
get itself written with any degree of interest
and vitality.