Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-29

think they have. found out She be-
came Madame Paul de MusseI. after
Alfred de Musset's death. The poets
brother. who had stood up for him in
famous book. "'Lul ct Ellie a coun-
Ter blast to the Ellie ct Lui." about
Alfred dc Musset and George Sand,
married the poets flame after her low
er death. This woman's originality
was not only manifested In her mar
rage with Paul de Musset but also
IN her inviting to the ceremony all
those who hal paid court to her;
the church was crowded on her we'd
oinG day. On May 8 she wrote to her
cousin Valentine. Countess of Alton
Shee, TO announce the news. "whicn
would be sure TO give her pleasure"
though she does not speak OF any
pleasure OF her own.
Il want TO be the first to tell you
that my face has been done up new
Tor this great event" she writes. ''and
that II Va as nice as II can be made
at my age" She goes on to say: This
marriage Is the means OF a general
patching up between all my family
ana myself and brings tears of Joy
To all my friends, l am pleased, M.
de Musset is pleased his family is
denghted. and mine Is In ccstasIes"
IL was essentially marriage de rail-
SON and perhaps after the letters
nave been polished. we shall be able
10 learn something moro about the
motives that led TO IT,
PRICE OF ENGLISH NOVEL.
Some interesting figures. Illustrating
the effect of any departure from the
conventional price of the English
novel upon the profits both OF publish
er and author are reported by a SUBJ
ecrnmittee OF the Incorporated
Authors. This report is signed by Mrs.
II
w Hornung, w, w. Jacobs and s.
Squire Sprigge.
In order to consider the question OF
the price at which new novels should
be Issued, this subcommittee Invited
the opinion of rs noyelists The re-
suit was that 80 authors declared
themselves uncompromisIngly oppos-
ed to any systematic reduction OF the
usual price OF new novcls-s15o be-
neving that the reduction would bring
them no return which would compcn-
safe them for the loss which they
would sustain by not receiving the
larger royalty upon the larger prices
Seven writer's took the opposite view.
The deduction drawn from this evil
dence and that OF other authors who
took a non-committal attitude is that
1t contains no definite arguments In
favor of the lowering OF the original
price OF the new novel, either for the
benefit OF the author. the publisher.
the bookseller. or the public.
PUBLISHERS STATISTICS.
To judge by the statistics II pub
fishing during the last ten years (which
have been tabulated by the Publish
er's Circular" we might appear to be
the most hard-reading and devotedly
literary people that ever existed. But
Andrew Lang tells us and tells lis
truly that this Is not really the case.
There has never been a people"
he says. mot Greece or Rome in the
four centuries on each side of the
Christian era, which could pretend to
keep up with the activity OF Its literary
producers. Only one edition OF
Shakespeare's sonnets at 10 cents, In
more than 80 years-that fact speaks
for Jacobean times . &. There always
have been, and there are far too
many new books, but what author will
cease to write on that account? With
sheer doom before our eyes-neglect,
oblivion. we pass laborlous days. AL
ways scribble. scribble" as a royal
duke said to the great Mr.. Gibbon. As
nature supplies the ocean with many
millions of oya of a single cod, 40
mankind recklessly produces books
that one in a million may survive"
CHARLES OGDENS.