The San Francisco call., 1906-05-25
WITH THE OLD
WORLD WRITERS
British Authors Suggest
the Use Of Trade
marks.
Similarity of Names of
NoveliSts ConfuseS
Public.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LONDON. May 24.-Will the Win
ston Churchill who wrote 1.-The
Crisis" and THE Crossing" agree,
after while, to print tiny Ameri-
can flag after his name to show that
he is not the English Winston? And
will the accomplished son of Lord
Randolph Churchill likewise consent
to embellish the title pages of his
books with small Union Jack lest
any should take them for the work
or his American namesake?
The thing is quite possible, should
a plan be adopted which the British
Society of Authors is said to be ser
iously considering" at the present
time. 1t is no more or less than that
authors generally should adopt def
mite "totems" or trademarks in order
to distinguish them from other writ
ers who are similarly or almost SINH
larly, named, and 1t must be admitted
that as things are now there is chance
for good deal of confusion in the
mind of the reading public.
Perhaps the case of the two Win
ston Churchills is the most striking
instance in point, but one also recalls
Immediately that no less than three
brothers by the name of Benson are
writing simultaneously in this coun-
try, that as many Haggards, similarly
related, are producing fiction, and
that romantic works of moral char
acter are being turned out by two
Hockings-both of them clergymen
too-the Rev. Silas and the Rev. JOS
eph. To name these. however, is
only to make a beginning, and well
known literary authority has just
drawn up much more formidable list
of writer's who not only have the
same surnames, but in some cases, the
same Christian names. They include
three Zangwills, five Williamsons, six
Fowlers, seven Murrays, eight Smiths,
and no less than nine Watsons-to
name only few out of veritable
literary army.
why should each of these writer's
not adopt some distinctive insignia, or
totem y asks the patient compiler of
the aforementioned list, and he then
goes on to advocate 'humor and COM
mon sense in the matter of selection.
For instance he says in dead SER
iousness, if Cutliffe Hyne printed a
kettle after his name to distinguish
himself from Conrad Hyne, there
would be nothing inappropriate, for
his Captain Kettle stories have made
that useful article quite a famous and
blood stirring emblem"
In case the thing comes into effect
f. f. Benson might distinguish him
self from the other Bensons by
- - piStoiC VI IOoO Oii NiiS
title pages of his noyels-that is. II
any picture now exists of that noto-
riously extinct biped. But think of
the possibilities that this scheme has
in the matter of future advertisement.
Imagine being told to TASK for Laura
Jean Libbey's new romance and insist
on seeing the trademark (view of
Libbey Prison) stamped on the
covert"
But, after all, will 1t be any easier
Ior reader, say, who has an affection
Tor and insists on getting the books
or the Mr.. Haggards to remember that
his totem is a female figure ('SheD
than TO recall the simple fact that his
frst name is Rider and not Andrew
or Lionel, as the other literary Hag-
CARDS are respectively named p
evidently Bret Harte's daughter in
herited a portion at any rate of her
1athers literary genius, for quite a
promising little tale from her pen ap-
pears in the London "Tattler'' this
week, and | hear that another rather
longer story by Ethel Bret Harte, as
she calls herself, has been accepted by
the London Magazine and is also to
appear in the United States. These
are almost Miss Bret Harte's first
ventures in the way of story writing,