New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-08-27
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SUNDAY, AUGUST q, 1905.

Inc long ana SUCCESSFUL career OF MIS- MARY
Mapes Dodge whose death is regretted every
where, was fine e1emplifcation of the virtue
of doing exceedingly well what hundreds of
writers content to do only half we'll enough
An immense amount Of modern juvenilia is the
product of hackwork, done without serious am
bition and utterly without art Mrs. Dodge
wrote for young readers all her life long, she
never scamped her work, and she had her re-
ward, leaving two monuments-"Hans Brin-
kerr" a story, and "St Nicholas" the best of all
periodicals ever published for children-which
will keep her name and fame alive. What was
it that made "Hans Brinker" classic, causing
it to be translated into one foreign language
after another, and sending it here In America
through edition after edition7 1t was not sim
ply the authors gift for the sort of thing that
would beguile the special audience she had in
view; it was not simply her faculty for the
invention Of an absorbing story. 1t was her bit
erary conscience, which made her take as much
pains with the book as though it had been a
novel for the delectation of her coevals. 1t was
the same with the editing of 'St Nicholas" the
pages of which, in her opinion, were only prop
erly served when they were supplied with the
best writing she could obtain, and her instinct
for the best was unfailing. She 1t was who set
Mr. kpling to the composition of "The Jungle
Books" and II all the similarly fruitful sug-
gestions she made could be put on record they
would make an imposing list No one who has
anything to do with the production of juyenilia,
and is sincerely interested in the subject, can
forget the influence of Mary Mapes Dodge.
Among the new books promised for the autumn
there are to be many illustrated In color. In
n little while, indeed if we may Judge from the
recent phenomenal increase in the number Of
{ r1aI, rnb icofi fba hoo hoy hc
come almost familiar the book filed with
haIftonea We shall not be sorry. Much
charming color work is already done and
doubtless new processes will be developed, fur
nishing forth new and delightful effects. But
in the meantime, what of the illustrator? Is
lie learning to handle his color in just the right
way, as the pen-draughtsmen and black-and-
white men generally have learned to adjust
their work to our reproductive processes? Some
times we doubt it Too often it is assumed that
The mere use Of color will carry the day
though the original sketches are without form
and void. Especially is this apt to happen with
architectural subjects. 1t is believed in some
quarters that any sketch of building is better
than photograph. This is nonsense. good
photograph in good halftone will give not
tuy the facts of building but its atmosphere
where many an artist" would fail to give
either with any degree of fidelity. Some of the
tieverest draughtsmen We have make an Ital-
i'm palaZzo, a French town hall and an English
cathedral all look alike and some of the new
color men" fall into the same error This mis-
representation will diminish in proportion to the
care with which the artist subordinateS his fond
less for painting exhibition pictures" to his
duty to make sketches for reproductive DUP
poses.