Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-12-10

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600.
"Peary is not a good business man.
AS matter of fact, he is poor man.
Mrs. Peary has been the business head
of the family, and the Commander
never loses an opportunity to praise
her for the manner in which she has
labored and borne the brunt of his
quarter of century of work in the
Attic. Peary and Mrs. Peary have
sacrificed their material comfort to this
Attic ideal. Every dollar they could
spare from actual living expenses has
been used to equip expeditions, SO that,
when Peary returned a few months
ago, there was mighty little money in
the Peary bank account
RATES PAID OTHER AUTHORS.
just why Commander Peary received
such an exceptional rate for his story
is explained by the eager competition
for it on part of nearly all the important
publishing houses in the world. Realiz-
ing the supreme Importance of this,
the most wonderful and last of the
earth's hero-stories, they engaged in
bidding which made figures rise mer-
curially. They knew, of courage, that
this story had not-like most of the
world romances-been told before. 1t
was the most extraordinary and in
teresting story of fact to be told for the
the first, and last time.
1t is interesting to compare the price
paid Commander Peary with the rates
enjoyed by the top-notch writers of the
world.
Ex-president Roosevelt received for
his African hunting stories dollar
word. Rudyard Kipling is supposed
to receive the highest prices paid any
author of fiction. For the English and
American serial rights of "Kim" he
received $4,000. Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle hit one of the highest marks
when he received 6Oc word for the
American serial rights of his later
aSherlock Holiness s. cries. This COM
pares amusingly with the rate of 81 per
thousand words-or one-fifth of cent
word-received for his first and gen
orally considered best stories.
High prices for literary work began
practically. with the great success of Sir
Walter Scott. The compensation for
his "Life of Bonaparte" averaged S165
for each day of work spent upon it.
Thackeray was offered $1,000 for
"Henry Esmond" and he jumped at
the proposition: Both Dickens and
Hugo made good money, but when
Eugene Sue drew $40, 900 for his EVAN
dering Iewn-a novel of probably up
ward of 100000 words-the literary
world gasped. Prices have risen steadi
ly, with the increasing success of pub
fishers and the growth of magazines
No author, however, in all the history
{ of literature has ever made so mucf
money for each actual word in a liter
airy product as will Commander Peary
; The eagerness of publishers for Com
e mander Peary's forthcoming story, ant
the exceptional price paid, mark on
thing signally. This is full apprecia
ton of this mans work in his own age
i One cannot help comparing the grea
: price paid for this story with the SINAI
, sums for which many of the world
) masterpieces were sold.
: DR.. johnson, it will be remembered
!. wrote his immortal "Rasselas" to pa
!, the funeral expenses of his grandmotf
er. Milton sold his "Paradise Lost"
q bookseller for S2o. POe's craven
/ brought him the grateful sum of 81!
= If these books were written TODAY woul
E they bring as high price as Command
# er Peary' story Although they woul
}. unquestionably net their authors mol
y than they did during their lifetim
% hey would hardly bring this recol
d price. For they were works OF lmag
q nation. The work of Command
" Peary, pure literature as it will be,
l. the rarest and most exceptional
things written-the romance OF actu
+ adventure written by a world-he
n himself.
,e Few of the worlds heroes, discove
id ers, explorers and fighters were able
tell their own tales.
or Imagine what the world would gl
today for the story of the long voya
and discovery of Columbus as told
ct himself. What an account it wou
a. a. be-
th From financial standpoint Colul
he bus own story would be invalual
as were manuscript found today. Y
this last and greatest of stories, me-
of teeming with adventure and hardsf
I'd. than that of Columbus could have be
nd high as is the price-is cheap. 1t
.. beyond merely financial valuation.
he A big real estate deal was closed S
Id. urday when Mr.. Thomas Bogsht
ith bought out the interest of Mr.. Edws
! ! Alexander in the building No. q Sol
he Augusta street, formerly occupied
lst A. Loeb & Co., sold the same build
to Messrs. C. p. Bowman, James
up Kemper and Jas. II. Bowman, a
up then purchased from the same TN
gentlemen, the building at the cor
old of Main and Augusta, now occupied
,oil Hogshead's Drugstore.
der
ian Miss Lola Garland Steele, daugl
u. of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel w. Steele,
. or near Greenville, was married on
ave oath ult., in Lexington, to Mr.. Edw
A. Quisenberry, of that place. R
w g Hammond Offici atirp