The Washington herald., 1907-12-29
THE WORLD OF BOOKS
LITERARY CLEANINCs AND GOSSIP

The records of the Public Library show
the following in the matter of book popu-
larlty: In nonfiction, Hitchcock's Build
ing of a Book" and Sakurars Human
Bullets had the call. In fiction it was
WhartoP's Fruit of the Tree" and
Careys Angel of Forgiveness Among
4 Juvenile literature Grimm's Household
Tales" and Alcott's Eight Cousins"
were in demand. In the chiidren's room
the most popular book of standard hc-
tion was Dickens Tale of Two Cities. ="
There were quite a number of calls for
books on accounting, and Dawson's
Makers of English Prose" and Simonds'
students History of English Lltera-
ture"
Why does any one take 20 writing as
a calling? says z. S. Martin in January
Harper's. There are reasons enough. 1t
is one way to get an honest living. and
man may lawfully choose it, and may
live by it. better or worse, and be happy
in the practice of it. Writing is both a
profession and an art. On its money
getting side it seems to me not a particu-
larry good profession. A successful law
yer or a successful doctor commonly
earns more money than a successful
writer. and there are vastly more law
yers and doctors who succeed in a meas
ure worth talking about than writers
But a man seldom takes to the profess
sion OF writing with money-making as his
primary object. any more than he takes
Fov hot
purpose. He takes 20 writing because he
likes il and has turn for it. or because
he cannot wait TO fit himself for some
other profession. or is debarred for some
reason from other professions. or because
opportunity offers. Once he commences
writing and undertakes TO live by his
work, he will probably want to get out
Of it all the money he can without sacri-
flee of things that are worth more TO him
than mere money. Mere money, for ex-
ample, will not tempt a wise man. let
alone good one, to take service with a
newspaper which he does not approve
nor 10 write trash. which. being capable
OF better things, he knows 10 be trash.
because the market for trash happens 10
be better than the market for literature.
There is no great harm in writing trash
Robeit II is not vicious. if a man can do
no better. But for a man of real talent
and literary power 70 turn away from
art. and the truth that art must express.
10 trash and drivel is prostitution. 1t is
a writer's duty 10 write his best, and he
cannot turn his back on that duty for
long without paying the penalty in repu-
tatiOn and in power
There passed away from US, in Eng
land, last month. a poet who belonged
TO the old tradition of great poetry If
his themes were somewhat confined. at
any rate he dealt with the form Of poetry
as in itself a great and noble art. and no
effort whatever was offered TO degrade
il TO the level of the majority. Highly
charged imagery. nObly wrought phrases,
infinite cunning in the handling OF words,
an erudite vocabulary. much Latinized
mark Francis Thompson's poetry He
belongs undoubtedly 10 the school OF the
metaphysical poets coming in direct de-
scent from such poets as Crashaw.
Donne. Herbert. and Vaughan. II the
fault Of the main body OF DOnne's poetry
be that II is spiritualized worldliness and
sensuality. the main difficulty with
ThOmpson's Is that in its high spiritual
flight II has almost lost sense OF the con-
crete world we touch. II. as poet. he
had a misfortune, il was that his percep-
tions were almost too much divorced
from this world. The love Of flowers
and of children, the worship OF sanity
women. those creatures that still bear
upon them some OF the powdery bloom
OF the unknown heaven whence they
spring. these he loved and celebrated in
his verses, but his main theme is the
search Of Christ for the wandering soul.
and the souls final initiation into the
ultimate and the infinite. The Hound Of
Heaven" which appeared In the first
volume In 1898, is already a classic. in
cluded in all religious anthologies and in
all anthOlOgies OF the best English poetry
and one cannot but regret that II was
born too late 10 be included and com
mented upon In George Macdonald's in
comparable England's Antiphon. Now
that this poet has passed beyond the
confines OF things mortal, more than
ever does his earthly wandering seem the
straying Of an alien spirit who lost his
way into this world, stared at it briefly.
uncomprehended and uncOmprehending.
bore portion of its most poignant woe.
offered as gift TO those who belong here
lamentation in magnificent sounds. some
speculation and strange dreams Of other
worlds, and passed again to his rightful
heritage.
One Of the earliest short stories sold by
William Wallace Whitelock, author OF
the successful novel when Kings Go
Forth TO Battle" now in its third edi-
tion. WAS disposed of TO one Of the minor
magazines, now defunct. whose name
had been selected from the long-sufrer-
ing animal kingdom. The animal in dues-
tion proving slow Of payment, Mr. White
lock set out upon its trail. and finally
succeeded in locating its lair Moreover.
by dint Of much argument, he secured
his check, but before escaping from the
Office this shaft was launched at his head
by the publisher, who had taken over the
conduct Of the magazine. in view of the
mental collapse of the editor
II read your story last night, and since
doing so I'm convinced that my editor
must have been crazy when he accepted
II. quite while before we suspected his
state"
Prof. Sladen. the well-known author OF
Queer Things About Japan" has for
his collaboration in his new work Queer
Things About Persia" a former attache
OF the legation of France at the court OF
'ersia. The facts and impressions are
Ie latter's-the setting OF them in order
e formers The book, together with
views and photographs from life.
es as faithful a presentation OF the
steries OF the land Of Xerxes as an
dental can hope 10 achieve. In the
lor's discussion of the woman ques-
in Persia. II IS curious to note that
Persian husbands do not approve of the
reading OF novels By the female members