The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-21
SINS or THE READERS.
Old Complaints OF the irritable Race Of
Authors,

| RuIuOTt.
To THE EDITOR OF THE Sur--str.
After all said. may not a little human
| praise. or at least extenuation, be spared
for the magazine editor and the pub
lisher2 Does not the writer grown IA
nous often bless him for certain early
se1ections7 James Payn. the English
| novelist--he who was urged to "write for
| the housemaids ~ he wished to grow
rich"-owned to having done so but
that was after he had gone over to the
other side and become an editor, which
may have had Its malign influence. II
seems only fair. however, 10 remember
that the magazine editor has side Of
the question as we'll as the contributor /;
editors, no less than Izask Walton and
DR.. Henry van Dyke. must please the
taste of the hsh" as they conceive Il to
be, and II they miss good thing the
loss fs theirs. For unless the writer be
nm exceptionally timld fawn he will
have pluck enough and confidence enough
In hts work to try It's fortunes elsewhere :,
and a really good thing seldom dies
wholly unappreclated.
Undoubtedly many a postage stamp and
much paper and wear and tear OF type
writer's. to say nothing OF irrecoverabl,
golden hours, would be saved II tn,
reader. who has power of death but no,
OF life over the unsolicited contribu.
tion." were a highly paid Official OF wide
NNbSiiu oACtpAOnbily Culture0, OF keen
Insight and discrimination. and absolutely
certain OF holding his Job whatever hap
pened. But this equipment IL rare. and
when achieved predlsposes, imagine,
It's fortunate possessor to career OF
other horizons than that Of scanning day
after day the typewriter page I'D
nauseam for the coming genius. Small
wonder II that genius sometimes COMES
and goes unobserved OF the weary eye
which, having read seven opening SEN
fences depicting the richly upholstered
heroine or ''viriie" hero mus'ng before a
wood fire. pardonably balks ut the
eighth. and Nurls It into It's stamped
and self-addressed envelope enclosed" un-
whiting that page 2, II he had only gone
50 far, let loose a pyrotechnic display OF
originality which would have made the
world sit up. Even Il magazine editor is
obliged 70 see with his own eyes and
think. more or less. with his own mind
II the story submitted begins wrong.
how shall we expect him TO wade through
the whole OF 1t 20 find out that the ending
Is the very thing he has been looking for
for years? Sometimes, possibly when he
Is lady he reads the end first, which
may lead to correspondence, and II the
writer be truly great, to revision and
much glory. But, az Bacon says "thls
happeneth rarely; II is moro likely to
ensue when an inspired beginning has
lured the hopeful editor into "a cul-de-sac
which he trusts may be somehow cut
through.
do not insist that all publishers and
magazine editors are perfect. Tho writer
however optimistic, gradually awakes TO Il
realization that some OF them are human
like himself. ! do not animadvert upon the
old bogy of payment on publication" or
long deferred decision those bitter woes
have been aired thoroughly by too many
angulshed pens. l protest only IN n
light hearted way against the use OF
ones nice clean stamped and selt-ud-
dressed envelope before mentioned fot
advertising purposes. by means of rub
Der stamp. What regard as the blacklist
sin which perditon waits to wreak upon
the perpetrator is the sending home
manuscript Il battered wreck. with barna-
cles on II, that must he entirely over
hauled before It can venture upon another
voyage.
1t is my firm conviction, and one which
am ready TO stand back Of" as Mrs
Rinehart advises. that we, the victims OF
oppression. should arise In the might of
numbers and stand shoulder to shoulder
20 combat this evil No one, | venture
to assert. typewrites as II recreation
typewritlng a manuscript requires time.
paper. ink, and somebody's patient effort.
the authors or his secretarys or perhaps
even a downtrodden and long suffering
wife's. To destroy what some one else
may profitably use Is indefensible We
are not interested in identifying the
criminal by his finger prints we do not
care whether those grlmy drops upon the
final page were tea or tears Let us de-
mand that those magazine editors whose
obvious custom II is to delegate the first
OF manuscript to the office cat
be compelled TO train that office cat I'm
every instance to lick It's forepaws clean
before 1t opens our envelopes
ROBERT EMMET WARD.
HfGHLANps N c., October 10