The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-30

other States; and almost everywhere,
such is the frequency and the fecundity
OF producers Of books, articles and poems,
the density Of that literary population has
outgrown the means Of subsistence. The
country is full Of professional writers,
and stuffed and grooming with amateurs
and volunteers. Naturally, wages are low
for the mass.
Then, Of the multiplication Of manu-
scripts there is nc end. Millions, trill-
ions, decillions, rain upon the much
cursed reader and new magazines
are founded, on an average, at a rate OF
not more than sixteen to the hour. The
problem is chiefly physical, as some OF
our letter writer's see. 1t seems more
than probable that the magazine editors
and publishers know their business,
whatever GIFTED HOPKINS may think
OF their ignorance and their hardness
Of heart. Almost any sort OF magazine
sells, and most magazines have forsworn
anything that might seem like literature.
1t is hard to get, If anybody wanted 1t.
As to the value of a name magazine
writing and book writing being a. dis
tinctly commercial as the sale Of sau-
sages, why shouldn't advertising reap
it's due HARVEST If, personally, wo
might feel hat the prevalence Of certain
names throws a shade Of WEAKNESS and
makes us regret that the rule OF mo-
nymity is out Of date, who are we to judge
these high matters7 1t is among the
privileges of this blessed age that 1t Is
permitted to know the color Of the bath
robe of every literary person and
whether she or he puts salt and pepper
or sugar on the morning melon. How
could the world worship the writing gods
and godlets as unknown divinities? The
only trouble is that there is such a COM
pany of them that the Hindu pantheon
is not so crowded, and memory cannot
hold more than the most memorable and
loudest reverberating names.
1t is true enough, a Mr.. EGBERr p.
WATSON says, that the rewards Of liter
ature, the wages of the pen, are pitiful
enough usually. Not all of us q make
best sellers" Let the less fortunate
remember HAWTHORNE and Poe and
soothe themselves with the belief or illu-
sion that their genius is too rare and
! delicate to succeed, and meanwhile work
at some regular trade or business. We
hold, in effect, with Mr.. WATSON that
in competent hands the pick brings in
more money than the pen.
As TO BACON and BUNGAY and their
tribe of author eaters, they are at least
as intelligent as other merchants; they
have TO deal now not so much with an
irritable as a grasping race Of writer's,
| and they want new stuff" as much as
a theatre manager wants new "attrac-
tons" They are doing the best they
ran. Don't boot them. Their business
is to a great extent speculative and I'M
certain; again like a managers. They
would like to see every author own a
| string of automobiles and a steam yacht.
But these things lie on the knees of the
gods and in the appetite of that composite
monster "the reading public
As for the bedevilled magazine editor,
even he has bowels. Not ~infrequently,
perhaps, he despises the stuff" which
! lie DuQAlStCb. II Y 0COh w RACcoO
himself so much as the composite o
ster. Friendless and accursed as he is,
he is much like other folks in his private
hours. and something kindlier than the
printed formal rejection is not unapt to
go back with manuscripts in which he
discerns promise.
The real trouble with the writers is
that they are too many. They can
scarcely form a union. No appren-
ticeship is needed in their business. Mr..
CARNEGIE ought to endow them instead
| of providing catacombs for their books.
If the movement for the ownership OF
public utilities and utilities goes far
enough the Government will have to
publish every mans book who has per-
petrated one. For the present we hope
much from the incursion Of ~novelists
into politics. Anything that tends to
restrict production is welcome.