The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-04-06
DR.. ELIOT EDITED.

In an article By publisher who ha,
"handlcd his copy" Robert Loui
Stevenson was recently handed dowl
in literary history as a great write
Who did not al all object TO beins
edited Ne was ready to adopt sug
scs,ions as TO changes that might i'm
prove the original manuscript anC
often agreed when cutting down here
and there was recommended. Il
comes to light in news from Cam
bridge Mass. that Dr Eliot has beer
edited by President Wilson for the
Improvement Of inscriptions whirt
viii appear in tho paviliors + th,
new post office building in Nasaip--
tom
The New Y}s Times ssis ihl; nj
Erots stle is famed for It's "elaIiij
and lucidity. but acquires adaea les
Tor IS a result Of Nr Wtsoa lodsh-
ing because Or. wilson is "a mateh-
l,ss phrase maker
For ,ae waa ia a.p insesipno.
Dr Eliot wrote;
Carrier of love and sympathy,
Messenger of FRIENDSHIP
Consoler Of the lcnely.
Bond of the scattered famils.
H'niarser OF the public lire
The President has made amend
ments which give the copy Tor the
Inscription this form
Messenger Of sympathy and love,
Servant OF parted friends,
SO oler of the lonely,
Bond OF the scattered family
Enlarger Of the common life
Dr Eliot, in the opinion Of The
ITimes, viii not object to the changes.
but viii be grateful because his lines
were well edited by a capable re
handler OF verbal goods
1t might be said in this connection
that the president does not resent be
linz edited, but welcomes the sugges
ton Of any editor whose ideas promiss
to improve the speech or message he
Is about to deliver In recent In
formal address at the National Press
Tub the President spoke Of borrowine
brains. as he termed it. He illustrat-
ed his meaning By saying that he read
one OF his messages to Congress &c
Senator Newlands a few days before
II was delivered, and that after its de-
livery Senator Newlands said that #
was a better message than i bad
seemed to bim when he read it, II
had been improved. so the President
told the Press Club, by the sugges
tions Of several persons to whom 4
had been read after Senator Newlands
heard it.
Only the writer who has all or the
egotism that is popularly, but errone-
|ously, believed to be inseparable from
literary genius. or the beginner who
has a great deal to learn, and ml> b
supersensitiveness to overcome, re-
sents intelligent editing. If someone
rad supplied Sentimental Tommy with
the right word he doubtless wo.ld
have been glad to receive il instead o'
wasting the opportunity o. brioi
lifetime while irving vainly to thiak
Of the right word. Maturer writer's
at any rate. are rarely resentful Of aid
from the right source Thackeray is
said to have spent hours trying to
form the sentence that should fan
from the lips cf Lord Steyne to make
perfect climax in Vanity Fair. "
When the sentence popped into his
head the great man slapped his thigb
and shouted genius If The story s
true il is altogether probable thar d.,
someone else's genius had supplied Ne
sentence an hour earlier the aYthOr
would have been thanslni for .ae sr--
gestion lust a. drsmalist, try i'
on the dog standing ready 10 eeit
the play after Witnessing perform
ance, many authors are glad to read
their work to colleagues. or even to
friends who are not of the craft, in
the hope of getting hints that viii
enable them TO repoish it effectively.
Or Eliot is not likely to regard Ais
words as being sacred. and to take
offense at Younger mans liberties
with them