The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-06
WRITINGiAS A CALLING

Edward s. Martin in January Harper's.
The majority of writer's seem to have
come to that calling somewhat as men
come to state prison-without any orig
inal purpose to get there, but after fail
ure to realize different and perhaps bet
ter intentions. 1t is .rare thing for a
boy to be deliberately educated to be a
writer 1t has been so precarious a call
writer 1t has been SO precarious calling
that the usage has been to train youths
for some work in which the average
turn writer's and don't succeed they will
have something to fall back on Sons of
editors may tend naturally to the work
on the family paper, but even then the
attempt is often made to educate them
as lawyers or put them into business.
Examples may be cited at random: Low
ell studied law, Emerson was preach
err, Holmes was a doctor and only prac-
ticed literature as an avocation. Keats.
who was born to write, went from school
to be an apotheeary's apprentice. The
rule still seems to be that before any
man takes to writing for his bread he
must have made a serious effort to get
his bread by some other means A man
rarely gets a license to be a writer UNI
til he has faithfully demonstrated his un-
fitness to be something else.
With women the way is less beset with
obstacles Writing is we'll adapted to be
a domestic industry which folks can take
up at home and work at in their spare
time. On the whole. I think It is the in
dustry in which women compete most
ell. af
work for newspapers and magazines.
Shoals of them write books, and they
write their full proportion of successful
books They are particularly good at
stories, long and short.
Even modest people like to make stir
enough in the world while they are in
1t to be identified. The conditions for
making that much of a stir are very
favorable in the literary calling. The
thing that most brings reputation is ad-
vertisement. A writer who puts his name
to his work is constantly advertised. If
he can break into print at all. his name
gets to be known, and If somebody likes
his deliverances they come to feel that
they have made acquaintance with the
writer of them. So the great writer's are
known by millions of people, and the
lesser ones in their day by thousands.
While a highly successful and useful man
of business or lawyer, or DOCTOR may be
known only to a restricted circle of ac-
quaintance and limited number beyond
it, writer of perhaps less ability and
less merit may be known, in a way up
and down the land. No profession is SO
well advertised except perhaps that of
the actor, the politician, and the high
class criminal; and the last is at a dis
advantage because when he becomes en-
inently famous they hang him or put
him In jail.
OF course, a literary reputation, be-
sides being gently gratifying to ones
vanity, has business value, because the
writings of a man who Is well known
and has gained the ear of readers is
worth great deal more than the work
of man whom the public doesn't yet
know. And besides the pecuniary value
of literature reputation it is pleasant
To be looked up to little, or even af-
fectionately regarded is one of the most
compromising things in life, and many
writer's have been and are so regarded
by a great number of readers whom they
have helped. or to whom they have CIV
en- pleasure
And besides all that, writing is inter-
esting work. A mans work Is the thing
that is going to take most of his time
and energy, that he is going to put his
best into, and that is going to be his
chief reliance for entertainment. Work
in ha 1or,e te
form of entertainment than play though
play has its uses and is good for
change. Any work man devotes him
self is apt to interest him, but some
kinds of work are pleasanter and more
intrinscally interesting than other kinds.
Writing is exceedingly pleasant If Won
can make it go well enough. It is the
practice of art, and to practice an art
with skill is delightful. 1t is a pleasure
to be able to kick football SO that it
will go between the goal-posts, or where
you want it to- That is a mighty skill
full job, and it gives pleasure in the do
ing because it is pretty and because it is
difficult. To catch an idea, and send it
where you want it to go, and have it
go as 1t should and land where it is
needed, is also an exploit that makes
you happy. To do good piece of work
satisfies certain hunger of the mind. Not
that writer always knows when a piece
of his work is. particularly good or not.
Very often he doesn't. Once he gets
started on his subject, all he can do is
to keep his mind at work on it and put
down the best he knows how, the best his
mind will yield. What he gets depends
upon what is in him and whether he
manages to get 1t out.