The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-19

Of tho street, "tnake good ~ fof Ill that3
IL has to do is to- give public spirito,l
Erl.izejis d CHANCE 10 s.benr, thelr share III,
the government, upbV, dlhy aui Sertf y \,
III their cotnnuntsTlnnt1 afs iel,rlphd n has
never hacked for citizens Of tllls sort. II 8
y ss=.=s ,s,. FL
Authors Pay4and, Authors ii! 3 Il Rep.
Siitation. ~ 4 NJ
IT Is interesting to note tint the Sf iorIts
thousand dollar prize offered ny q weekly
periodical for tho .'best" short story, has has
been won ny d writer whose 1,nr,o -
duito unfamiliar 10 modern renders Inc Ah
conditions Of this competition were sll lts
as to ensure absolute anonymity. Rep > y,
tation carried no weight whatever, and
literary name went for a song. Or tic Z!
three prizes, only tic second was awarded
to write or established popularity, md n
the first went to aS1ad OF T. Sonty'ilvo \. ~
no literary reputation whatever
Stories Of no moro than s, 900 words were o e
ucceptable Iii thls contest, so the rate 'ncisi
OF payment offered was conceivaby eqt MY
ale1t TO one dollar per word This ~ "a
sequal 10 tho top price 80 far recorded tls
Tor fictlon--the recent purchase by q. y o 9
York paper Of nh unfinished manuscript,
by d second -rt,te English novelist. The
Underlying spirit In these two record
literary transactions, however, 5is about 90,
al differcnt as can well be imagined a.
Only the advertising value of his name
we may safely assume, secured for % 81
raeli's Ora gmcntary chapters tho 4 l, le;
.lonorarluma which 5vo have Indicated. IN n
The intrinsic value OF the work q y e
eraturc. was a matter Of sec ondary con-
.slderatloi,. IN the story contest ust dc-E
cided, which attracted, we are told, the u
efforts Of most oft the well known writer's
Of fictlon In America, the point at issue So q
was something totally different . Tl1e con- on
slderation which any manuscript obs
tanned was won solely. by It's own VI Il FORGE;
originality and literary value. the a !, x
thor's name being absolutely unkno HnSSto
tho Judges. y. N i:
tit Is of, course, we'll understood thatan
authors remuneration IN general varies Ct. t'
directly as his reputation. Tho business.
value OF widely known name Is II no Sc
cret to the enterprising publishers, Some
Of tho latest Sherlock Holmes adventures
have not Impressed all Of us as being
particularly good stories, yet j Is SAID 10 q
that the popularity OF their author re-
cevcd financial tribute at the rat raj 9 4 4 OF
something like $4,000 per story Richard is, arc
Harding Davis obtains forty cents q word lH1
for stories, and Boo tn Harrington draws r VS.
twenty-five. Tennysons little poem, THE
.Throstle,', which would scared take
rank as tile work OF. obvious genius, was
purchased BY an An,erl can magazine H@s Inc
years ago. for me; consideration of 81 ooo
"a rate Of raaher more than $40 per per
word 1liplng recently; drew $1,000 for
his verses on the Russo-J apallese WAR
and a \ short poem BY james Nh1tcomb
Riley has occasionally commanded the
sam. figure. Is Fall these cases, and IN
many Others (which might DE ;s.cite'd. the he
authors reputation and popular ity alone lone
fixed shis .srate -of,.- ono lument, 1.-The real
merit OF Ills work, other. than by infer
once. practically not being taken into
account. u
n Men do not publish ma gaines Tor PHI
lanthropy, for the educational uplifti Of
The masses, or for their health Their
purpose is to sell their magazine andtt
scensure. them for conducting their busl--
ness iii the way which experience has
shown to BIO most profitable, would sFFbe
both gratuitous and superficial. None tho
less it Is interesting to note that young
Mr.. Rowland Thomas's story, pure l,asalole.
in the ordinary course Of business fora
cent or>two a word, was. after coming
into direct competition with t he work Of
the best writer's in America, deprived Of
the gamor. Of their names, esteemed
worthy of rate increased fifty or al
hundred fold. Worthy stories which failed
TO win prizes the publishers had received
the right to buy at not less than five
cents n word. The result Is, 1 to say the
least, trfle anomalous. A Thomas gets
the dollar and an Edith WhartonI say
gets the nickel.5It Is, Of course. II news
to any of us to learn that lots Of Conan
Dd'le would sell very cheap if3wlitten
by Smith, and that Illpung's war poems
would BIO worth rather less than $1,000
each If the work OF you or ,ls. Our au-ii
5thors idoubtedly understand this, too;
some Of them even trade on It. but
they must find such a complete reversal;
Of ordinary procedure both alarming and
mortifying. If the 1lplmg's, are not
able to stand in open and fair COM
petition with the Thoinases, may not the
public make q few inferehcesiog Ats own?'
May not 1t come to insist on Smith, to
the pccuniary detrlment Of Doyle and
Davis?
a New Sort Of Trust. #
A unique trust has been formed III the
State of Maine " tsas a
1t has bccn Gust omnry for the I,eglS-