The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-19

the journeys ana reJcctlonS' you may
have earned an approximate right to be
petulant with the tale buyers. stu,
still--make not too much OF your pa
tent persistence. The record for manu-
script tries is sixty times. gentlemen,
sixty times That was the experience
Of the prize travelling tale before ii was
sold by the man who made the record.
Now will you whine at hfty-nine re-
jeCtions?
And what's the principal reason why
a man should have a good enough story
to print and yet not be able to convince
ffty-nine experts of the fact? To the
prizefighting press agents vocabulary
for your answer--"Go and get "A reputa-
ton" Go and get one son and daugh-
ter of the quill. and the tale buyer will
decker with you. Reputationless you
are valueless. once in a while there's
an exception when an editor becomes
Disguised with the monotony Of regular
ity and tingles to take "A chance with
strange manuscript. It's unprofessonal
but sometimes they take that chance.
There's no use rehashing the long
standing dispute between authors and
editors. Ever since the time away back
in Egypt's history when Thothmcs Ro-
manctuph, author Of the rejected story
"Babie in Bulrushes," lay in walt and
sungshotted Necho Scrbneses. editor of
the Nile PdpyrUs. there's been such a
dispute. You and know 1t. You and
] mourn our postage outlay on that
story we wrote that was to make the
reading public caracole. When 1t came
hack the A1ird time with the undeviat-
ing courteous curtness of rejection you
and I know we became disguised and
quit.
But recently the author-ed con-
troversy has been stirred up again by
the Henry Sydnor Harrison incident.
Mr.. Harrison made hit with his novel
"Queed." He had previously tried in
vain TO sell eleven short stories Now
behold the editors who rejected these
stories importuning the author of
"Queed" for the chance to publish the
creations they had declined.
Mr.. Harrison haughtily refused It,
Why hadn't they seen the power and
worth Of his tales when he submitted
them? He wrote an article for one OF
the magazines on the incident. calling
IL Adventures With the Editors" And
the magazine editors are still talking
about this Harrison incident and this
Harrison article and some of them have
talked plainly on the subject to THE
SUNDAY SIN man. So have some Of
the authors. It's regular tug-o'war
Of the tale.
Half a dozen Of the editors have beer
combined into one composite utterance
and the same economy of argument has
been practised with respect to the con-
tentions of the authors. AS Mr.. Har-
rison and his associates among the great
sers, they have been accorded the right
to the opening whack. as is proper In
all prosecutions. 1t must be admitted
that THE SUNDAY SCN man found the
prosecution less calm than the defence
in the presentation of its case. Wounds
to pride and purse reaching over a lonp
period still show scars, and eyes CLEAN
and snap as the Rejected tell Of tn,
"absurdties" and the Inconsistencies
of the tale buyers. The Harrison cas-,
Is declared to be a pointed example OF
what all have had to endure, although
most of them have not yet produced {
successful novel.
when a writer sends story to
magazine" say the Rejected. hes al
egregious ass or a convicted greenhorr
If he has kept the reading public il
mind while writing his tale. He mus
write for the editor. The public viii
never get to see his story unless tn,
editor says so. And the editor has al
the weaknesses and prejudlces of tn,
average man.
emphasizing this last point, why il
1t that the proprietors of publication
when they hire an editor take it fo
granted that because he can write III
can judge and select with wisdom, jus
tice and accuracy? He may be a CAPT
tai writer, hut has he ever been pu
through a course of sprouts To deter
mine whether or not he can edit?
you don't select editors from tn,
ranks of street cleaners, of course; bu
why not, when writer's are selected al
editors, choose such writers as ar,
proved to be qualified to judge, weigh
and Gull for the benefit and delectatioi
Of the reading public? Here's an edito
chosen because he can write, who, i'm
mediately after taking control, pre-
sumes to turn down manuscripts of au
thors acknowledged to be OF his owl
grade of talent before he became al
editor He declares that the judgmen
of these writer's whose stuff he decline
Is not equal to his own, although thi
superior judgment of hi. may hav
come to him, like his appointment, owe
night.
Right here comes in the reieCtio
reason scheme operated by editors b
which they are able to beat the authO
in all arguments over reflections, bot
coming and going. These reason are
"a Story has not sufficient merit g
story does not fit the reading Cllcntel
Of the magazine; go story just like
has Just been accepted; 90 story jus
like it was printed a month or two be
fore; 90 story well done, but hasn't tn
right ending-toO tragic; 60 stOr
would be accepted If author was known
not being known the author hasn't cV
dcnCcd more than average handiwork
Now, the irritated author, smartln
under the rejection of a dozen stories h
the same magazine, grits his teeth an
proceeds to keep diary on the magazine
He waits one, two, six, twelve month
noting everything about every story
the magazine, And what does he find
Why, that all the reasons from | to
have been violated
"iio finds stories that the editor of tn
magazine has apoog.Zcd for, on Il
quiet, to confidential friends, sayin