The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-16

q rival Of tho Conan Doyles and the indiana
school. and the other popular and highly
paid entertainers OF the day. but TO follow
lat whatever humble distancel the lead or the
Howellses and George Moores. and all the
other honest artists who are intent on giving
honest shape TO their first hand impressions
OF real human life. And I had my own inn
pressions. and my own experiences. \ man
who has been out in the working world since
his boyhood. who has been erTand boy. clerk.
fioorwaIker, surveyors helper. commission
agent, newspaper reporter and editor. and
who has gone In sailing ships and steamships
to the West Indies and Texas. and knows
the West and New England. Boston. New
York. San Fra~ncisco-snch a man has his own
store Of experiences, which have inspired
his own thou ghts and impressions. Ana l
have been made no Dismal Jenny. no NOR
bid pessimist, by my experiences and obser-
vations. On the other hand, ! have not
been made q silly. romantic magazine writer
writing a. II all life IL one grand. sweet song.
and everything all right In the best ofaupos
sible worlds. ! simply tried my best to relate
honestly and as finely as l could my " real
Impressions of life to-day. T.
And ! found that such work would not Keep
me from hunger. II may be. Of course. that
! am not capable OF writing such real works
in an adequate manner. Passing that point
by, ] claim that even the attempt to write
honestly OF real life is discouraged In every
possible manner by the ma gaZine editors, the
publishers and the theatrical managers OF
the day. ! assert that they do not want to
consider honest literary work; that they are
not capable tthe most OF them) Of judging. or
even reco gnizing, honest literary work. ]
accuse them OF moral dishonesty, whiting and
inviting. say that their criterions are
false, and that with rare exceptions the stun
they foist on the public Is trivial. bsnsi. false
and fraudulent in the highest degree. Allow
me. sir. to quote just one letter Of the many
Of the kind ] have received. IL is from one
Of the best known theatre mana gers of New
York:
My play reader reports on your play as
follows: IT merely to be dramatic gives value
10 a play, this little play would have value
II has form and is well done: but IL is wasted
labor. for. in addition TO helms q surgical
operation on a human being. 1t is a surgical
operation on the emotions of an audience.
IL would never do. IL IL a detestable test OF
art TO present disaGreeable things. and the
author. with his apparent sense OF artistic
form, would do we'll to choose more profit
able plays"
IF merely to he drsmatic,' You see, the
criterion used is in the second last word OF
this note. the word profitable" Managers
think that subjects they call disagreesbIe will
not be popular, either on the stage OF in the
~" Nuo NhNs Nut NikbN VI
debating to the public on this point. There
is the trouble. OF course, as things go to-
day. " IL unreasonable TO expect that business
men. manager or publishers shall throw their
money away producing tha gs they know will
he unpopular. But. being business men. and
not artists or authors. they cannot Judge
artistic work. They are incapable OF gauz-
ing the publics real taste. they are always
wrong; and they pay for It in the way they
feel most. They lose more good money every
year producing tenth rete limitations OF things
that have made some success. limitations that
fail. than they would by honestly testing the
public's real taste.
But certainly ] cannot hope to reform them
and, having got married, and as I have chill.
dren, Jeanette New York last autumn from the
country where ! had been shaving on an hon
est novel, determined TO take sway some of
their money in the literary gold brick game.
The novel som ething honest: ] do not think
IL great or that the world will lose much II IL
ia not produced but IL Ia honest. and pretty
GOOD at that-the novel. I say. is getting re-
iected on It's travels now. Are. dtQue raIe!"
for It. ] wrote another in five days on a
typewriter - hsng-bsng -bangl-w with ny
tongue stuck way UP IN my cheek. sold IL
in a week for nearly $500. ban ged OF maya
zine fiction, articles; acceptances here, there.
all around: with Cupids dancing on the key
board. matinee young ladies and musical
comedy young heroes surrounding me: sexual
interest false and slushy sexual ~interest)
everywhere.
Gold bricks!
And anybody can produce them. OF course.
there are manufacturers OF this brand OF
writing who are really honest, who think that
way and write that way. Peace and the
best of luck to all honest craftsmeul They
have their place. even as Bowery whiskey
sellers have. AZ any rate. my stun won't
harm readers as much as the real stun, for IL
lacks conviction. But the Foolish editors
buy IL. I'll go on; what else is there for me
to do? !. too. must live aud graft.
| think / can Fell about fifteen undred dol
lars worth more Of gold bricks this winter. and
in the summer Ill go away and write to please
myself; and put the result in a drawer. Ger
tainly | will not send it to a magazine unless
the situation changes. IL may be that after
a few years in the aduiterated chocolate
eclair business ] won't be able to return to the
making of wheaton bread. Well, l must take
that risk.
But some day a wealthy man will come into
the magazine field, and run q magazine a. Mr..
Higginson ran the Boston Symphony. He
wont care for enormous circulation, immense
advertising. great profits. Instead OF taking
an editor from the magazine field. he will get
a man from some newspaper office-where the
only real literary men are to-day-and he will
succeed. The public will not let him lose his
money. The public can be educated. But
ma gazlne editors cannot be educated.
NEW YORK, November IS. QUrETIsT.