Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-11
Kipling More Praised In
France Than In England
Our London Literary Letter.

regain his earlier form and find fresh
inspiration.
MooRE's START
Frankfort Moore has been giving
some interesting "reminiscences of his
early literary struggles. The manner
of his first getting into print was rather
strange. AS a boy he was always fond
of studying seamy and peculiar phases
of life which led him one day to visit a
police court. He wrote a humorous
account of one of the cases that was
tried and gave 1T to reporter who
handed it in to his paper as part of his
own copy. 1t was the only item relating
to the police court proceedings that
appeared in the paper next day. II got
to the EDITORS ears that young Moore
was the author of it with the result
that he was offered the position OF the
reporter who had sent it in as his own
work. But the future novelist had not
then acquired that self-confidence which
Is one of his most pronounced char
acterjstics. He did not know shorthand
and declined the job on the ground that
he was not qualified for If. Afterwards
he obtained a journalistic foothold as an
editorial writer and speedily made
good
HARD ON HIS FRIENDS.
When he was 10 he published vol
ume of poems. "One may judge of the
extraordinary popularity of the book"
he states, by saying that at the end
of six months so copies were sold and,
moreover, that / was personally ac-
quainted with every purchaser of the
book. | eventually however, made It a
financial success by whipping up other
friends and by dint OF sheer cheek get
ting them to purchase copies before
they became aware Of the fact that the
price of the volume was six .shllliugs
so | lost nothing by the book-except
friends, From that day until now
have published between 80 and 60 books
and by everyone of them / have man
aged to make some money"
Frankfort Moore's first signal success
was achieved with Il Forbid the
Banns." So firmly convinced was he
that 1t would make hit with the pub
lie that on the day ne finished II he said
to friend; II shall not be much long
er in this town. / mean to begin pack
ing this night because a book which !
have just completed win enable me to
sever my connection with journalism"
But II didn't until two years had elaps-
ed. 1t was the old story Twelve
London publishers IN succession reject
ed II. The thirteenth. more greatly dar-
ing. accepted II, In It's three-voume
form II ran through eight editions and
II continues to sell well still
PUBLISHERS JUDGMENT.
Mr.. Moore relates another story which
illustrates the fallibllity of publish
ers judgment Just after his "Tho
Jessamy Bride" had begun to appear
In serial form In an illustrated weekly
a publisher whom he had met only once
before called upon him 70 give some ad-
vice II hear" he said, that you have
written historical romance. Why on
earth do you do anything so stupid e?
There Is absolutely no market for such
a thing. People are reading your nov
els of modern society and liking them
pretty well, and II you continue doing
them you might get a decent living.
| Now, II you Will insist on taking lear
Into the dark, they win neither read
that book of yours nor any other You
may write IN the future, either IN your
blessed eighteenth century or I'm the
nineteenth century / tell YOU this
for your own good. II II Is not too late
] should strongly advise you to cancel
the publication"
And now for the sequel About a
| year after the publication of The
Jessamy Bride" the same publisher
wrote 10 Mr.. Moore stating that he
would be delighted 10 publish a book by
him. stipulating that IL should be "a
historical eighteenth century romance. "
CHARLES OGDENs.