The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-19

correct. Each of us must write about
what interests him, what appeals to
him, what demands to be written by
him. The setting may differ according
to environment. but the essential truth
must be life as we see it, or those
phases of life which we see most
clearly"
But you must admit that your books
result in far more controversy and dis
cussion than do the stories of many
other successful writer's. How do you
explain that?''
Il DON'T" said Mr.. Phillips promptly.
Il never thought of it. Still it may be
true, and it may be because 1 write
about what is as distinguishable from
what was or what ought to be. You
see nobody gets very angry over
what's portrayed in a story in which
the action takes place several centuries
ago or in what happens in that purely
| imaginary world where all the men are
marvelously handsome, strong and
| good, except the few who are irredeem-
ably bad, and where the women are in
variably perfect and impeccable. But
when woman sees her petty deceits
and shams put into type and a man
reads an unvarnished description of the
particular piracy by which he has be-
come wealthy it hurts and they pro-
test and denounce and get red in the
face with their cutlery against the
author
Then you don't consider it writer's
duty to please the public?"
NO. I don't" said Mr.. Phillips, with
an emphatic gesture, while he left his
stand and strobe up and down the
room. Il consider it a writer's duty to
write about what he knows. What
does he know? The life that goes on
around him is all that he can know
Suppose i were to write about the past
about what was. But / don't know
what was, and the more / read those
who profess to know the stronger
grows my suspicion that nobody
knows.
Shall 1 write about what ought to
be? How do / know what ought to be?
1 don't even know what ought not to
be, for many things 1 once thought
curses upon the race now see were in
fact the means to its development in
strength and we'll being. Out of death
comes life, out Of vice comes virtue. out
of injustice comes justice. Good things
breed decay and disease; the bad things
breed health. War teaches peace
cruelty teaches mercy. slavery teaches
brotherhood and freedom.
Shall l write my opinions? Library
less volumes of opinions that have
served simply to give pleasure to ego
tistic writers. TO spare other writers
equally worthless the trouble of think
ing and to obscure in dense envelopes
of fog the facts of life that some day
will enlighten and redeem the world.
$50 you see. all that is left to write
is what is he continued, turning with
an outward sweep of the hands that
cd 70 l<- oil hut ;1r
aside. 1t might seem that this field is
crowded. But is 1t really crowded? Do
not most of these writer's about the
thing that is really write about what
they think ought to be, or what the
world has agreed to say exists, though
ii does not exist, or about what creeds,
political. social. religious. have to as
sert is. because If it is not they are
false and futile. hypocritical and ride
ulous? I try to tell no lies. try to pre-
vent myself from mixing in with truth
little doses of what 1 think ought to
be truth, of what 1 think would sound
better or would be more popular, for
the truth is the most unpopular, as il
is the most unfamiliar, of visitors to
the human mind"
But a good many people claim that
in your newest book Old Wives for
New your picture is overdrawn and
10 tnat extent untrue as a representa-
ton of American family life"
But" he interrupted. you observe
that they say it angrily. Now, when
ever anyone denies anything angrily
he would do we'll to take a long and
careful look within himself. Why an
ger. if there is not truth in the story,
truth that is somehow personally dis
agreeable or disquieting?
Some people say that everything in
Old Wives for New is true enough,
but that it is not wise to speak of these
things. Now this amounts to defense
of lying and suppressing truth and
smoothing things over. Haven't we had
about enough of this kind of smooth,
SNUG lying? Does it increase your re-
spect for a liar to discover that he is
lying because his salary depends on it,
or to get tudgeship or a dog catcher
ship? Or, because he, the husband, is,
lying for fear he would be less respect
able if truthful? Or that she, the wife,
is lying because she is getting board
and clothes and a chance to lazy about?
No, whenever anyone tells you truth
should be suppressed for whatever lofty
reason, be sure he or she means that
the telling of that truth imperils his or
her personal comfort in some way in
which it ought to be imperiled or de-
stroyed.
Some people say that old Wives for
New is indelicate.' That is not my
fault 1 do not make life as 1t is. 1 do
not establish the standard of delicacy
and indelicacy. And if truth is indeli-
cate i rather think the trouble is not
with the truth. but with the standard
of delicacy. Healthy minds are not
shocked. They look at all things clean
ly and shudder only at hypocrisy. Our
coarse and ignorant habit OF confusing
the natural with the nasty leads us into
moral degeneration"
Mr. Phillips consulted his watch and
voiced his regret that the fifteen min
utes allotted for our talk had expired.
He accompanied me to the door.
Lying is the great fault" he con-
tinued earnestly. 1T is emptying the
churches. is making politics and poll
ticians a byword, is destroying home
life, is. threatening to make the oncom-
ing generation selfish, cold and cynical
under an even thicker envelope OF shiny
hypocricy than that which Grapes the
real self, the real motive and ambition
of the present generation Let us stop
lying. Surely the truth. even the naked
IL no Or C