The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-06-28
uE,LBERT HUBBARD manage,

ULlLBERT HUBBARD managed
u 20 make a living putting over
the Same kind OF obvious plaiitude
IN our day. but who remembers him7
Nobody win ever accuse him OF be.
ing "a clnBsleisu As for Marcus
Aurelius. III bet dollar 20 dime,
II tho bet could only be decided at
this late date. that he was a. popu.
lar with his friends as preacher
aboard ship. I'm certain that
whenever Mark drif,ed around where
the gang was and started unloading
the wiso cracks. everybody got up
ana left. one by one. and pretty soon
Mark was loft talking 20 himself.
"Genilemen. I'm here 20 tell you
that my observations lead me 10
believe that. with few exceptions. u
classic Is a book upon which the
copyright has expired or which was
written long before anybody dreamed
Of a copyright. Wise publishers get
out special editions OF these books
they do them IN wonderful. uniform
bindings. very expensive, and sell
them 90 boobs who are suffering
from a rush OF money 10 the brain
After the interior decorator fin
lshes with tho library he leaves 4
mass OF empty book shelves staring
the new millionaire in the eye. 80 he
drops In on n bookseller friend and
tips him off to the prospect, after
arranging for "A 10 per cent rakeofi
for himself.
And that's the way rich men bus
books. I'm sure OF Il because I've
attended a hundred auctions and
have yet TO find a library with th'
leaves cut A new millionaire vii
not buy furniture unless II is an
Client and ugly: he viii not buy q
canvas unless Il is an old master Il
the legs OF the cherub!m frescoed or
his ceiling aren't family reminiscent
OF the calves OF the fat lady In th,
circus he knows the artist belongs II
an advertising agency.
And II his library isn't filled witt
classics he knows folks will recog
nIEe him for the poor boob he Is
booksellers wouldn't sell half a,
many libraries as they do II the,
didn't speak OF them reverently. II
whlspers."
We'll. must say" Mr.. Redel
confessed. "that all of the classics
nre very old and there do not ap
pear to be any new ones being turnet
out this century"
NO. nor next century. nor Tn,
century thereafter. but along abou
24iO special hand,oolcd editions O
Bertha NJ. Clay and r. p. Roe vii
bo selling as classics" Cappy sug
gcsted.
They were classics" Eddie Smiti
declared. II read 'em all and enjoyed
EN-"
They weren't classics and IN,
reason Is. Eddie. that they furnishe,
entertainment. a classic must b,
heavy. dull. obvious, sans humor ant
sans entertainment" Cappy declared
Then. dull, heavy. obvious, humor
less and depressing people will bu,
them for their antiquity and dull
ness. The rich, Eddie, must hay,
something upon which to spend thei
money, 80 they spend Il. not on goot
books, but on rare bindings.
0MHEN | was looking at thai
w library OF Dennis Donovan.
this morning was reminded of Q
skipper once had. His name wa.
Hans Hendrlckson, and he was .
very religious man. He got hanging
around In dead calm once and the
calm hung on so long that Han,
went down In his cabin and prayed
for wind.
After waiting reasonable while
and not receiving an answer to hi,
prayer. he got provoked at the Al
mighty and started cussing, sallo,
fashion. Finally, as the calm con
tinued, he grew sacrilcgious. Taling
n b0.cent piece from hia nocltnt IA,