The New York herald., 1922-07-09
CHRONICLE AND
COMMENT
By ARTHUR BARTLETT MAURICE,

viewed from the standpoint of the
story, any curtailment did spoil its
unity, but serial readers are an i'm
patient folk whose constant cry is:
Cut the cackle and come to the
'osses.' and so. In Difference to their
unreasonable requirements, the
story was cut down. and lunched
at the Reform Club with Doyle
when the painful operation was
over. Both William Black and
Barrie came over to speak to him"
lust as Bret Harte killed of John
y Oakhurst and resuscitated him
in later stories, Conan Doyle found
it expedient to do away with the
far more notorious Sherlock Holmes
and then to bring him back to life
for further purposes Of profitable
fiction. Every one knows 1.-The
Adventure Of the Final Problem"
and most readers are acquainted
with the volume "The Return Of
Sherlock Holiness" in which the
first story explains that the death
was all mistake. According to
Mr.. Burgin. the man who suggested
to Doyle. who at the time had grown
tired Of Sherlock, that the best
way to dispose of him was to drop
him down crevasse In Switzer-
land was Silas Hooking. Hooking
did not remember the exact year.
but one August he and Doyle were
staying at the Riffel Alp Hotel, and
e. F. Benson was also there, and
the Archbishop, his father.
ONE day the party started out
~ with a guide to visit a neigh
boring glacier. During a rest in
the journey. which proved to be
particularly arduous. the talk
turned to Sherlock Holmes, then in
the zenith of his first glory. and
Doyle announced his intention of
getting rid of him. To the obvious
suggestion that Sherlock must have
been good friend to his creator
Doyle replied: "Oh, don't deny
that, but the fact is he's become q
sort of nightmare-an old man Of
the sea about my neck. II l don't
kill him soon he'll kill me-" At the
moment the venturers were near a
yawning crevasse, and looking down
into the greeny blue depths Hooking
said: "If you are determined to put
an end to Holmes you might do
worse than bring him out to Swift
zerland and drop him down a Gre
vase. 1t would save funeral ex-
penses anyhow"
MIR. BURGIN emphasizes Doyle's
AvA industry and describes his
methods of literary work He
scorns the use of the typewriter,
and writes his own copy" in a firm.
clear. neat hand. with thick up and
down strokes. His days work
varies from 1000 to $500 words.
When he is engaged on a book he
does his stretch" Systematically
nearly every day. II he is writing
about any epoch he begins by read
ing every book available that bears
upon it. This he usually does
while he is writing another book.
He takes copious notes, and then
rearranges them in long lists under
the heading of the different charac-
ters. getting, for example, every
thing about archery under the head
ing OF archer" and everything
about knight or monk under those
headings. In this way, il he has a
conversation between a knight and
an archer, having the two lists in
front of him he can hope to make
each man talk within his own
limits.
CIR RIDER HAGGARD. on the
~ other hand, dictates to a secre-
tary. who uses typewriter and
taps down the copy" as the author
speaks 1t. Sir Rider is supposed
to begin at 10:30 every morning,
to keep at work until lunch time,