Arizona republican., 1906-04-29
ARTICLE NO. '.

Broadly considered literature is a class of writing, including poetry. fic-
 ton, and belles-letters of the highest grade. But here in our definition we
 confront a difficulty. What constitutes
 the highest grade? What one editor Or one critic may consider real iitera-
 ture, another equally distinguished ex- pert may refuse to so label. Even the photographers dislike to definitely de-
 fine literature. and certainly they do not do so with harmonious accord
 Generally speaking, however, and com
 mercially speaking. at least. literature
 may consist of about every class of writing save newspaper news and ad-
 vertising matter.
 The writer then, of any book,
 whether it be poetry, prose, fiction his tory or science, may consider himself a litterateur, although the terms, "lit-
 erary man." literary woman" or Tit terateur" are generally applied only to the authors of books and magazine ar tieles and to the writers of general
 fiction, or matter that is not technical or scientific.
 Other writers or authors usually come under a special classification; for army of people who either write for literary man, is known as a journalist or editor; the writer of scientific works is classified as a scientist; the writer of essays is known as an essayist; and | the poets enjoy a somewhat exclusive grouping. But all of these, practically i considered. are litterati, and mem bers of the great literary clan, that ary of people who either write for a living or write because they love to write, for money or for fame, or both.
 The lines of society are zig-zag, elas- ] rod wifi h | the self-made boundaries of literary
 workers. Here caste is cast in the deep | est dye Many a writer is placid eith- CT by himself or his friends, or both by himself and his friends, upon a pima
 cle of his own; yet his position may be i secure for he may have as many dis ! senters 2s advocates.
 ! There are however. a few great au- ! thors. most of whom are dead, who by l common consent are grouped in the l Hall of Literary Fame. Their posi- tion is fixed both in and out of the literary world; but outside of these
 standards" there are comparatively
 few living authors who are universally : recognized as being at the apex of their ] profession. One reason for this is that { there is not and never can be. scale
 which will correctly weigh literary values. nor is there ever likely to De an accurate separator which will pro- perly label and classify literary quality There are as many grades of literary 1 successes as there are apparent classes of literary work. The writer of htera-
 ture of the higher grade may not re- i ceive more than small proportion oL
 +he credit due him during his life at least. It may be years before he IS . "discovered." and sometimes the ind - ing does not occur until half-centuries
 or. centuries have elapsed. It has been
 said that if the immortal Shakespeare
 were born upon earth now, he would have to be a hundred years dead before a new set of Shakespearian dramas would be universally recognized.
 The literary market is overstocked,
 always was, and probably always Will be The road to literary fame Is double paved with the dry bones or
 failures. More people who cannot
 write think they can write than thlnh tbev can do anything else that they cannot do. To many people there Is
 no aDparent necessity for training Toy
 literary life Equipped with pen and 2 pad of paper, the would-oe-Wrlter
 etar+s in and writes and continues to write. whether he really says anything or not. A half-fool, with half an eau cation. and with an anticipated dictloh- ary. can patchwork words ana JussIe Ii sentences.
 ProbabIv not one story writer in q thousand meets with any real success and couparatively few authors of nc tiOD earn a comfortable livelihood.
 Historians and scientists, and all others who enter the field Of speclai writing are usually well-trained TOT their work, the general author without special education and knowledge nav ine, sense enough to realize that ne ,,,Is+ mt attempt to compete with snacialists. therefore this literary or
 yvould-be literary everybody confines itself to fiction, to articles of moral pr alleged moral import and to more or less Dromulgation of every class of re- form.
 In America alone there are upwards . of half a million men and women, who
 seriously believe that they have hter-
 arv talent They mistake inclination TOT real abiIitv. and with the help of flat tering friends, enter. or attempt to eH- fer the literary field. Most of them will work for nothing. and some Of them are willing to pay to have their contributions published. Nearly all are prolific even to the swarming pom They write upon every subject and as sail everything with the boldness ol I ignorance. If they have never been to l France they write a French novel, II they have spent their lives among the l trees. near to natures heart, they plot their story within city walls that they may write about that which they have never seen, and therefore know little about.
 The average magazine and literary I periodical receives every month, Tn au- dition to other matter supposed by It's q writers to he literature, from five hun 2 dred to a thousand manuscripts which 5 vary in length from a yard to halt q I miIe and when it is remembered tha' s there are comparatively few publlca- I tions which pay really high prices TOT s stories and other productions, and tha, these periodicals cannot use, on an aV- I craze. more than a dozen month, II would appear that the supply is not fai
 from fifty times greater than the de- mand.
 Not one boy, or girl. or man, or wo- | 1 ;~, caf car