Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-06-13
LITERARY REWARDS.
No Connection Between Intrinsic
Merit and Financial Returns.

wards of literature never ends 1t Is
always going on somewhere. especially
in England, where the royal literary
fund has recently been talking it over
again. Every ten years or so Il
breaks through the professional circle
to take all the educated world into its
confidence. The cause of the futility
of these inquiries. of their barrenness
OF all results, lies in the haziness Of
the definition of the word Literature"
itself. 1t is either an art or pro.
fession; the mistake is that it is dealt
with as a confused mixture of both
uthorship-"creative work as the
young and enthusiastic call il with the
amusing circumstances OF their
years-is, first of all. not necessarily
branch of literature. The author of
popular novels, especially, who stands
in the public eye as the very incarna-
ton of elles-lettres, may know moth
ing about it, historically or critically,
and care less. He need not even be
grammatical At his worst he is
manufacturer of a speculative article
of commerce, whose success or failure
depends upon the incalculable within OF
the public. At his best he is an artist,
but rarely professional literary
man" in the sense in which professor
Of literature is one. AS a rule he is
too busy writing his own books to read
those of others. Who" asked the
late Marion Crawford. on a memorable
occasion, lis Miss Mary wilkins, and
what has she written?"
Literature as an art, or its imitation.
"near-literature," should not be taken
into consideration in a discussion Of
the rewards of literature as a profes.
sion. In no art, not even in music
and song, is there any sure connection
between intrinsic worth and financial
return. The artist is oveypaid or I'M
derpaid. admired or neglected, accord
ing to the public's good pleasure. His
work is not a necessity, like medicine
or the law. with which professions
literature is oftenest compared. Paint
ers. sculptors, musicians never dream
of drawing this comparison
The professional literary man, as
distinct from the literary artist, makes
the comparison as often, and with bet.
ter reason, but he. too, overlooks sew.
eral differences. II he is a teacher he
should compare his income with the
incomes of his colleagues in the de-
partments of art and music, not, as he
generally does. with those gained by
the lecturers on law and medicine as
practitioners. To do this, he, too
must practice first.
There is a general practitioner in
literature. He is sometimes dubbed
hack" There is nothing derogatory
in the term; Andrew Lang declared
that he gloried in the title prince of
hacks when it was bestowed upon
him by superciliOus reviewer. This
literary general practitioner, too, is
much given to comparison of his earn
ings with those of lawyers and ply
slcians-of corporation lawyers and
eminent specialists by preference-in
his hours of detection. Unlike them.
however. he is 'middleman," not the
ogre that, according to some radical
economists. takes most of the profits,
but useful and not badly paid cog in
the machinery Of the world of print.
He reads manuscripts for publishers.
and "licks them into shape for mex
perienced authors. He writes pref
aces, contributes to encyclopedias and
helps edit them. reviews books, adapts
foreign plays, translates, perhaps con-
ducts a department of his own in some
periodical, occasionally is an ac-
knowledged authority on some special
subJect-Chaucer or Jonathan Swift
or heraldry, or the moderated native
English influence in the drama of the
restoration-and in his leisure hours
may be a minor poet, an occasional
and very acceptable novelist or writer
of children's books. and even a per-
sistent playwright. His interests and
his work are one, which in itself is
great compensation; and as bread
winner he, the average professional
literary worker. compares not un-
favorably with the average lawyer or
general medical practitioner.
All of which leaves the question OF
the speculative financial rewards OF
authorship, as distinct from the earn
ings of literature. exactly where it has
always been and always will be, de-
pendent upon the tickle favor of the
public.-New York Tribune.