Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-19


There are not hundred great writer's OF
fiction resident in England at the present
day. I would hesitate to file an affidavit to
the effect that there is one To achieve
greatness the collaboration Of posterity Is
essential. Posterity only collaborates with
the truly great Often posterity does more
than its share OF the work and reads into
the masterpiece" a vast amount that was
never written therein. VIII posterity COL
laborate in Tess of the DUrbevilles" or
THE Egotist?' The point is more than
moot. Cervantes did not write 'Quixote"
till he was sixty. And there are several Of
our novelists who have many years to live
and write before they reach that age. 1t is
possible that kipling, Barrie. or Mrs.
Humphrey Ward. or II. G. Wells, or A. E.
w. Mason. or Robert Hebens may produce
truly great book. To this list, In all sin
certify, l add the name of Hall Caine, for 1t
must be remembered that before he at
tempted to make a corner In Christianity
and became the Aunt Sally OF the critics
he wrote with no slight skill
Sixteen hundred molehlls are In labour,
so there Is some prospect of great work.
Let pray for the best.
Still, think of 1t, Sixteen hundred per-
sons. men, women and children. all edu-
Gated, many brilliant, are devoting their
time-in some cases, their money-to the
of talent? 1t seems so. Could they not
be better employed? Probably. Among
our novelists are several who would make
quite admirable historians. One has all
the qualificatio for stepping into the
shoes of the late Phineas T. Barnum. An
other would make a name for himself as
a society detective. Once he is In house,
that house has no secrets from his publc.
A third, by reason of his thorough knowl-
edge of social sewage. is an ideal sanitary
inspector wasted. The Beck scandal could
not have occurred had very eminent now
elist been employed by Scotland Yard. An
other writer has very pretty talent for
the invention of hair-restorers. And SO
forth and so on. Indeed 1t appears that
society is paying a great price for It's fic-
ton.
Rescued by Legislation.
Men eminently fitted to serve us as scien-
lists. as diplomatists. soldiers. as barris-
tiers. as politicians. have staked their lives
in the Great Work lottery. a lottery in
, which there may, after all, be no capital
prize
Legislation must step in. All this waste
of talent must be stopped: 1t must be
pressed into the service Of the state. A
short act-the novelists' abolition act-is all
that is required Any publisher publishing
a new novel should be liable to fine or
Imprisonment. I. myself, would gladly draft
the bili-were l not, at present, engaged
on historical novel of modern life.
And the result? The greatest brains in
the country would be usefully employed in
the country's service. The greatest works
of the great dead would be taken down
from the library shelves and actually-read.
The publishers would publish new editions
of these works. No one wocld suffer ex-
cept the critic. And, surely. 1t Is high time
that he should experience thast sensation.
But about the great book Supposing
some one were to write great book?
provid for the contingency IN this way.
An inspector of great works should be APP
pointed. 1t should be his duty to inspect
all alleged great works. submitted to him
accompanied by reading fee OF e5
published by the state Should he con-
denim it. the author should be Imprisoned