New-York tribune., 1922-09-10
London Letter
By Douglas Goldring

k-rz HERE is a half-column to be
Fl found in most English news
n papers bearing some such
title as words Winged To-
day" l always read it with rapt at
tention, | suppose, because it is COM
forting to find that the utterances of
the great and good are at least as
fatuous as ones own. Many remarkable
gems of thought have been given to
the world in this way, but / confess /
have rarely come across anything so
coruscating as Mr.. st. John Ervine's
recent observations about novel-writ-
ing, which were detached and quoted
in my morning paper. "Any man who
Is too lazy to earn a living by hard
work." said Mr.. Ervine, "can make
one by writing novels-a handsome
living, too, if he is lucky--but only
those who have labored for years at
the job can earn living by writing
plays" Now this is just the old high
brow nonsense about the easiness of
writing down to the public" and max
ing money, If one could "bring ones
self" to do 1t. OF course, one doesn't
do it--but still anybody could" In
point Of fact nobody who writes sue
cessfully, whether from the financial
or the artistic standpoint, ever writes
down to the public. They write what
ever they happen to be fitted for, and
do it as we'll as they possibly can. A
novelist who happens to be endowed
with the average mind naturally finds
the largest public and makes the most
money. But to suggest that it requires
less hard work on the part of O
best-selling novelist to turn out his
best seller than it does for a 'lit-
erary" writer to turn out his success
d'estime, seems to me absurd.
The truth is that the writing Of any
kind Of novel which is worth a pub
lisher's while to print requires just as
prolonged and arduous an effort as the
writing of play, and so difficult is it
to make a living out of novels that not
one novelist in a thousand succeeds in
thor as w. J. Locke had written and
published six books before he began to
make living by his pen. Both the
novelist and the playwright have to
keep themselves alive by business or by
journalism until, as a rule, only after
years of effort, they make success,
When they do succeed, as everybody
knows, the financial rewards Of the
playwright are OUT of all proportion to
those of the novelist.
1t was naive of Mr.. Ervine to speak so
contemptuously about an art in which
he has not shone. | wender what made
him DO it? Here is pleasing problem
for the amateur psyche analyst
American admirers Of Professor
George Saintsbury, the dozen Of ou1
literary critics, will be interested ts
hear that on October 23, when he will
attain his 77th birthday, he is to be
presented with an address of gratitude
and good wishes from his old pupils
together with some more substantial
token Of their admiration and regard
Professor Saintsbury was professor of
rhetoric and English literature in
Edinburgh University for twenty years
(1895-1915). His life has been one of
unremitting industry in the service of
literature, and innumerable people owe
him a debt of gratitude for having been
enthusiasm" His taste in wines-it
may be remarked in passing-is as good
as his taste in books, and his cellar has
long been famous. A year or two ago
he published a fascinating volume
called Notes for Cellar Book" which
is the delight Of every connoisseur of
good wine.
The Max Beerbohm enthusiasts, now
formidable body, are looking forward
with great eagerness to his Christmas
book, "Rossetti and His Circle" The
volume will consist of an Introductory
essay by Mr.. Beerbohm and twenty
three cartoons in color. There will be
limited edition numbered and signed
by the author, as we'll as the ordinary
edition. imagine that the whole Of
the united edition has already been
snapped up by collectors and specula-
tors. Max certainly deserves to be
popular with his publishers!
have been much interested In q new
novel called "Mary Lee," by CAPTAIN
Godfrey Dennis, who is head of a de-
partment in the League of Nations
secretariat at Geneva. The book de-
scribes in great detail the rise of that
curious sect, the plymouth Brethren
2nu gives faithful picture of mid
Victorian non-conformity in the west
of England. Among the hypocrites in
fiction the sadistic Simeon Greeber,
who is one of the characters in this
book, stands out as an unforgettable
figure.
In "Tex" Mr.. Stephen McKenna has
written very charming biography of
his friend Alexander Teixeira de Mat
tos, the translator. De Mattos was a
witty and engaging correspondent and
mr.. Mchenna prints great many of
his letters.
So W. L. George is going to lead us
all back to the mid-Victorian novel of
incident and plot! He has issued a
manifesto to this effect, SO it must be
true. "The Stiff Lip which will prob
ably not be published here until after
It has run its course as a serial in
America, is apparently intended by its
author as deliberate breakaway from
the psychological or psycho-sociologic
novel to which he has devoted him
self hitherto.s We shall be interested to
see whether the experiment has proved
an artistic or commercial success.
MIR. Georges account OF his recent
experiences on a lecture tour through
H~ yI..sk ske<I