Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-05

ferring to my mental condition at this
moment / have used the words self
possession in "a manner indicating
that | am not sure of myself in that
matter. This has been done advisedly.
For many years / have had an idea
that such men as make up the mem
bership Of this association are by ma
ture or requirement somewhat fierce
not to say bloodthirsty-in their treat
ment of innocent persons who have not
been inspired to write luminous essays,
enhancing stories, wondrous txper-
fences, or soul-elevating poetry, only
TO be ruthlessly stricken down by re-
fusal of publication. And / cannot rid
myself of the feeling that all along
your paths lie many wrecked aspira-
tions, and that you have killed many
unarmed and defenceless hopes. /
hasten to say that these notions OF
your disposition and propensities
neither originated nor have been inten-
sitied by sad experience on my part. It
is more than 90 years since a contri-
button l desired to make to the happi-
ness and elevation Of mankind was
killed by periodical publisher. So
far from nursing resentment on this
account. / have been convinced for
about 80 years that this was a case of
iustiiable homicide. Besides, / have
since been abundantly compensated
by the publication Of a number of
things / have written which honestly
/ believe ought to have been rejected.
And now it gratifies me exceedingly
to supplement the greetings | extend
/ 20 you by the assurance that, with the
| opportunity TO see you at close range
and aimed these surroundings, l am
nearly persuaded that have met here,
as my hosts, the mildest hammered
men that ever scuttled a ship of
writer's hope or cut a throat of
poetic inspiration. I have seen you
eat, too. And this brings to my mind
q remembrance of far away childhood
/ which, though not at all suggested by
your individualities or your CASTRO
l nomical performances, has some rele-
vancy to my improved state of mind.
cannot help recalling that, while the
1 boy was fortunate among his fellows
/ who had seen the wild animals of the
l caravan in regular and stated session,
the boy was distinguished far above us
all who had seen the animals fed.
Though 1 confess myself, in a measure
/ at least, TO be newly converted, / do
not harbor the delusion Of sudden and
/ new knowledge that generally accom-
panies conversion. In point Of fact,
| do not feel at this instant entirely
competent, strange as 1t may seem, to
advise the publishers OF our periodi-
calls, whose desserts | better under.
stand, how they should manage every
branch and every detail of their
work.
/ hope, however, may be allowed
TO gain the better of my modesty and
trespass sufficiently beyond my limit
Of speech TO express a thought and a
desire which / believe are shared by
thousands of our countrymen who read
the daily newspapers as we'll as The
periodicals. We feel that, in the
present circumstances, these should
in scope and puprose be distinctly sep
arated. We mean by this that, 50 long
as our newspapers keep the field they
seem TO have chosen for themselves,
nothing should tempt our periodicals
TO follow them. We read the daily
papers in the hope Of keeping pace
with the daily news, and for the op-
! lConunued on seventh pagel