Evening star., 1924-11-09
Howe About
Mean People; An Overdone Artistry;
Politics as a Profession.
BY E. ". HOWE.
"The Sage OF Potato Hill"

| books. but they know life and the
value of experience
* K x
Anatole France said he sometimes
rewrote Il sentence thirty tirp-~
Samuel Butler said he regarded suc:l
painstaking as finicky and harmful,
and that he did not indulge in it.
When an agreeable piece of writ
ing falls into my hands | appreciate
it, l believe, and / do not care who
the author may be. ! am familiar
with the reputation of Anto1e France
| the most capable writer of the
generation, but cannot give him this
distinction; dozen / might name
are more agreeable to me. Sam
uel Buffers Way of All Flesh is
one of the great books of all time.
His Notebook" is full of ideas
clearly and well expressed. Many Of
Antolc Frances expressions paint the
rose and spoil it's natural beauty.
A writer should have decent re
| spect for the rights of his readers and
| express clearly and briefly what he
has to say. But going over a sen
tence thirty times, or half a dozen
| times, is apt to weaken rather than
| improve it | now know why
| dislike Anatole Frances writing; he
went over his sentences thirty times.
| venture to say the method of the
| real genuiuseS is no more than this:
! They write hurriedly and carelesSl.h
and then. in the course of few days,
| they revise again-revise, not re-
write. Then the copy is almost ready
for the printer; only a few changes
will be made in the proof sheets. In
writing, the real point is the fac,
the idea, not the form of expression,
although this should be strong
and brief and decent and agreeable.
x 4 = i:
| No one. Of course, knows how he
| stands with the public. What people
say for the sake of pofiteness is one
! thing, and what they say behind your
! back is another. There is Il certain
! famous writer l like personally, but
every one l hear mention his writing,
which appears regularly. rips him up
| the back as tiresome and worn out;
they say he may fool editors, but
cannot fool them.
:: i
! Don't abuse your rival; behave bet
| ter than he does.
! A man should enter politics as
! duty and not as a career. a man who
! has been so useful and sensible as
| worker that he is called to public
| life because of his Intelligence and
! integrity is commendable, but a
young man who begins his life with
/ a determination to make politics
! business makes a false start. He
/ announces, in effect, that he thinks
/ himself more cunning than the aver
/ age and that he will use this cunning
! to his own advantage. \ young man
| should begin with the worlds useful
! work and graduate into public life
! only on a real call from those who
are familiar with his methods and his
/ life. The world is being harmed by
J the millions who are anxious to make
! politics a profession. In providing
work for them and audiences to hear
/ their speeches We are neglecting, af-
| fairs of very much greater impor-
| tance.
:: = x x
| In business. if you can get your
| opponent in politics, it is about thas
! same as getting him in the peniteh-
! tiary.
= + X x
Our trouble in everything connected
! with public affairs in America is that
We cheer and waste and then in
| yestigate.
= Z: = :.
If were king Of a country and free
to do what I thought right without
! fear of aSSa SSination, ] wouldn't per-
nit d woman to get married who had
| always been a great idleT. Such a
| woman is sure to make a lot of
| trouble.
Copyright, 19o4.l