The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-10-08

umes unpublished as have ever been /
reeled off the press at the approval Of
somebody hired for wage to pass upon /
the merits Of offerings that are sent TO
the publishers.
Company H.
why. do you know that one of the best
books. one Of the most fascinating stories. /
ever read was written by private sol /
der in the Confederate army. and is called /
Company f. Whoever the author was
and can't now recall his name-did his |
own thinking and his own writing, with
out any thought of pleasing anybody else. /
He simply told the things that be saw
and felt as a member of Company H. and /
what he tells about Bragg and Long 1
street, Joe Johnston, and Kirby Smith /
&c. makes one Of the best books ever /
written about the civil war And Com /
Dany II is INSTRUMENTATION literature, /
IL SO you prefer to call it, though I don't /
hear that sort Of talk about pictures and /
architecture and whatnot Of achievement /
that involves the operations of the think I
ing machinery of the human race From
my viewpoint literature is just literature /
whether 1t come from Europe. Asia /
Africa, America. Australia, or the islands |
of the sea. Wherefore, then. should we
pirate so much about the great American /
novel yet TO be Written Is there Il great
English novel, or a great French novel, /
or a great German novel? When anybody /
shall point out to me the great novel that /
Is strictly English. or German, or French, I
or Chinese, or Scandinavian, I will then
look around for somebody 10 write the
great American novel"
Wants Government Supervision.
Mr Lewis jumped from this line OF
talk to the novel proposition that since
the Federal government is undertaking
10 do nearly everything for the people /
it ought now TO essay the task Of rCgu-
lating their literary consumption. I'VE 1
are beginning to tell the people what
they ought TO eat and drink and wear"
said he; then why not tell them what
they ought TO read2 At any rate,
would Ike to see the government here (
at Washington keep as close tab on the
eounIry's literary production and con-
sumption as upon its agricultural, manu-
featuring, and mining production and
consumption Whose reads a book or ar
editorial or a story is influenced some /
That influence may not be much, but
II is enough 10 affect his manner OF
thinking, and therefore his conduct
Now. if the government should care
/ fully compile statistics on the number
this country every year. together with
the titles of the publications. the names
of the writer's or authors, and the num-
Der of every publication sold, we could
soon get at things that are going on in
the minds Of the people. We want 10
protect their physical health and their
pocketbOOks; then why not give some
attention TO their thinking apparatus"
VIII Net Give Advice.
There is one thing Mr.. Lewis will not
do. lie VIII not indulge either in preach /
ments or advice about literature. Hence, /
there is no use for the ambitious young I
writer TO ask him for advice as to meth q
DDS Of work or habits Of study He hasH
and knows of only one method of work. (
and that is 20 keep at the task without
rest or variableness when once il is UNI f.
dertaken. and as to habits of study. he /
is not aware that he has any. He IS an .
!nveterate reader Of the popular old 4
masters of English literature, especially .
Scott Dickens. and Thackeray. and Ste 4
vcnson he revels in 1t may not sound (
complimentary to my contemporaries" /
said he, when I tell you that I don't |
read any Of them. Ny reason for this /
is not that I don't think they would en-
terrain me highly if I should read them
but because l am afraid If I do that /
viii unconsciOUsly crib from them. When
a man is dead he is defenseIess in the /
writing business, and you can steal from
him. consciously OF Unc0nsciously, with /
out the dread Of bis kicking, but if you
steal from 4 I've author. then the Lord /
have mercy on your soul. for he win
hound you 20 your grave. Nobody. OF /
course, intends 10 steal from another
writer, but the human mind is so sus-
CeDuble 10 Impressions that a more or
less reprehensiblc form OF plagiarism is /
almost unavoidable. I am not aware
that ] crib either in the slightest the /
thoughts or the language Of any Of the /
authors whose works I read. but 1 dare
say that a close scrutiny would some \
times show that the thought that had at \
first gone through the brain and been [.
clothed in the words OF somebody else \
energies from mine onto paper in a garb /.
very similar To the original. ] see this II
in the work of other men. and I am n
not egotistical enough To think myself /.
exempt from a frailty common TO hui n
mainly
No Home Life In New York
Mr.. Lewis knows his New York \
thoroughly. and. therefore. what he says II
about the metropolis as a reaGing COM n
munity has the stamp Of authority
New York proper, that is. Manhattan n
Island said he, reads less than any /.
other part of the country. The reason is II
that there are no homes in New York
10 home life. The eagles and the buzzards n
there live in aeries and the rats and 4
mice live in holes in the ground. That is
to say, they sleep in these places, and II
because these are the only sleeping i
places they have they go to bed as late II
as possible. Therefore, they have neither
ffr-rp nor rl1-rn for pqrTiUr rThov- som
the headlines of the big morning and aft
erncOn papers, and this satisfies their ap- II
petite for reading. 1t is this that accounts
for the atTOciOus system of headlining
in the New York papers that make money. Il
If New York were a city OF yards, Ike
Philadelphia or Washington. its cOnsUmp- \
ton of literature would be immense, he Il
cause of its huge population. But the
people there, as I said before, have no \
homes-Only places to sleep-hcnCe they
have no opportunity to read They are
forced to live in the streets. in the cafes
in the theaters. on street cars. river boats,
&c. and this manner Of living IS ret con
ducive 20 the reading habit Why, if the
proportion of readers in New Tork were
as great as it is in Philadelphia, for eX-
ample. ii would be the greatest literary
market in the world. The building regu-
lations Of Philadelphia wisely compel pro-
vision for yard space around living places,
either front or back, or side. and this af-
fords the people OF that city an oppor-
tUnity 10 build homes. where they 20 be-
cause il is comfortable and where they
read because they are quiet"
- gcoof II