Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-13
Titled Editor Sneers at
American Literary Tastes.


Special Correspondence.
l ONDON July 3,--Lord Alfred
Douglas who recently took over
l. the editorship of 1.-THE Academy"
a literary journal which up TO that
time held an unblemished record for
responsibility and dizziness, Is doing
his best to infuse new life into that
staid old publication. His best this
week Is sneer at American literary
taste The excuse for It is the opinion
expressed by j. H. Sears, an American
publisher, that few English novelists
wrote books that were suited to the
American market. Gum chewing oc-
cidentals." "bleached Hiawathas of the
Hudson" the long ears of the Ameri-
can public" are among the phrases he
uses to express his contempt for Amer
I'ican literary tastes. There is something
irresstibly comical In the spectacle of
Lord Alfred Douglas setting himself up
| as censor OF this sort
NO REPUTATION TO LOSE.
Lord Alfred Douglas is a younger son
of the late Marquis of Queensberry OF
Queensberry fighting rules fame. At
one time he was much mixed up with
Oscar wilde His father objected and
gave Oscar Wilde thrashing, 1t was
that which led to the exposure of that
perverted genius his prosecution and
imprisonment After that Lord Alfred
Douglas disappeared for some years. A
little while ago he published book OF
Rabelaisian verses entitled 1.-THE Bel
gian Hare" clever in parts, but unquot-
Il !, 1sat taI
in America. Lord Alfred enjoys the
advantage Of occupying the unassail-
able position of the man who has no
reputation to lose. He can't hurt him
self by anything he says or writes.
And he can't hurt anybody else.
The realistic NOVELETTE, novel which
aims primarily at depicting manners
and social states truly--appeals in the
main only +, those who are familiar
with the society thus depicted. That Is
the reason why many books that are
popular here fall flat in America and
vice versa
"As a simple matter OF fact" says
Alfred Mutt, an English publisher.
america is producing a number of
excellent realistic novels, but not one
English novel reader In thousand will
have them At any price. Fairy tales
about the American smart set, like Mr..
Cham5ers' ,ast look, are, on the other
mana, widely read,
"Those who think these resIdum Of
call 1t Anglo Saxondom, common 10
England and America-and that the
permanence and development Of this
common element Is of import to human
lty. must ardently wish for writer's of
sufficient genius TO make realism. the
faithful representation OF ordinary life,
palatable to both sections of the Eng
lish- speaking world. But II must be
frankly recognized that this Is n task
which requires genius. Even twentieth
rate talent. on the other hand, Will
carry romance"
COPYRIGHT QUESTION.
NJ. Victor Marguerite. the president
of the French "Societe dcs Gems do
Lettres.' has persuaded NJ, BRAND, the
minister OF public instruction, to prom
Use TO nominate an extra parliamentary
commission to consider the question Of
proongng literary copyright and pro-
tecting It more effectually. In France
the copyright of a literary work is the
property OF the heirs OF deceased hue
thor for so years after his death. At
the expiration of that period 1t becomes
public property NJ. Marguerite con-
tends II is unfair that publishers alone
should benefit by the extinction Of
copyright. The steps that he has taken
for the revision Of the law on the sub
1cet were evidently prompted by the re-
cent expiration OF the copyright of the
works Of Balzae and Musset and the APP
proaeh Of the moment when The for
mldable literary baggage" OF Alexan-
DIRE Dumas the elder who died In 1870,
Will fall into the public domain.
NJ. Marguerite proposes that a cer-
tain portion Of the profits arising from
the sale OF a deceased authors works
should be allotted to his direct heirs,
and In case OF their extinction their
share should be turned over 10 the pen
Lettrea.'
TAX ON AUTHORS.
NJ, Maurice Alan, deputy for st.
Calais proposes to deal with the ques-