The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 4, 1899, Page 24

e gent me to be 1¢d part of the pubiishing busine or canva inted book. ser for Mr. Watt himself much an ne drifted into the business quite by accident hout any idea at fi of making the Latest Are the Literary In o ent vocation. In a conversa- few days before he to England he said tion held with him ed on his ot his beginning: “It was in 1872 that I first did anything of the kind. My friend, Dr. George Mc- THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY. 1899. UNE 4 is bestowing the pskin. girl graduate of to-day is 1 person with am- site to be “somebody” wday world. She is anxious asure strength with the world her the ion 1 toward th ur si means nd. A and or to 5 then what ty, chi. ster 1ins to take thi )l diploma 1ere matter serious er mathe terms with the ci ned to take life a come M e dolls with which ws I shops are now generally known, WINIFRED N ,‘:':*Q H!ss:oN PN \ HiaH Donald, the author of ‘Alexander Forbes,” had just completed a new book, and 1 undertook to dispose of the serial rights for him. This I did; but it was some years after that before I began to think it was something to develop inte But it is not so generally known that the making of them is very largely cottage and not a factory industry The cheaper ones come almost entirely from the agricultural districts of Coburs, the field being peasants filling up their intervals of work with dollmaking, the dolls collected at regular intervals by GALLAGHER MissioN HiGH ScrHooL- A business. Then another author came to me and asked me to sell a book for him, and I gradually went on until at the present time the business has become so extensive as to include the handling of the work of the most prominent writers in England. I think it was in 1879 that Wilkie Collins came to me and asked me to dispose of his books for him. For ten vears we worked together in this way, and upon his death, in 1889, I was ap- pointed his literary executor. Now almost every new writer comes to me to dispose of his work, the author finding it of tremendous advantage.” To-day Mr. Watt has among his clients Kipling, Anthony Hope, Conan Doyle, Weyman, Crockett, Sir Walter Besant, Rider Haggard, fan Maclaren and, in short, about: every well-known = writer of stories in England, as well as promi- nent writers of other kirds. With these men, publishers and editors in England or in this country have now no direct business dealings; such dealings are all conducted through the agent. ‘And all that this means is not obvious at first view. One thing it means is that the leading writers of England are in what is practically a sort of “trust;"” their affairs being so largely under the man- eyes, too. come mostly ‘rom Ger- many, but the better sorts from France. The English industry is mostly in wax dolls of a more expensive kind than the compo, china or wooden articles, of which we import such huge quantities every vear. agement of one man he can, and in point of fact does, conduct them somewhat with a view to the advantage of ail It has meant gradually increasing prices to the authors; and it has meant, and means, the opportunity to sell their product more “‘cleanly.” so to say, than ever before. As to this latter advantage, even such men as those I have named have their lapses, and produce things that editors and publishers, If they could always have a free choice, would certainly leave on the author's hands. Ihe literary agent, in the control he has of the market, and business shrewdness—his ‘‘clearance al sense—saves the author of good commercial name almost entirely from this form of loss. It would be an inter- esting story If one could tell of the work by men of big names that American edi- tors and publishers nhave bought in Eng- land at a pretty good price, and not known quite how to use when they get it. Ultimately such work gets published in one form or another, but often not until it been sniffed at and sworn at or groaned over for months, and may be for years, as it came into view on the editor’s or publisher’s manuscript file. But what promises to be the most far- reaching effect of the authors’ agent is one that 1s at present only just coming into view. I have said that the business dealings are now with the agent, and not with the authors. As yet this has not re- sulted in a dissolution of the old ties b-~. tween author and publisher. It is still “‘good business” for publishers to be in close personal relations with authors, and authors with publishers; and an impor- tant part of the good will of a periodical or a publishing house is still Its acquaint- ance with the leading authors. And prob- ably this will never cease to be the case, in considerable measure. But any. one can see that the growth of the authors’ agent must . tend finally to make-it less the case. Already any one in this country who has the money to pay for it can get a story or novel from a well-known English writer. He needs no ‘‘connections,” no special reputation as a publisher. And this is likely to become more and more the “condition of the market” as time goes on. As yet, however, it is only in placing the work of English writers that the authors’ agent has had any -eally de- effect. The better known American riters still do their business direct witt editor or publisher, in the old way. But there are unm akable signs of change. YOUNG woman writes to me that she is engaged to be mar- jed to one man and is deeply in love with another. She has not seen the man she loves for several years. He left her with no avowal of affection, but she believed he cared for her and had been estranged by some circumstance or person un- known to her. She says “After three years I wrote, but received ply. Since that time I can safely E that he has not been out of my thoughts for one whole hour at a single time. My every desire, every thought, has been associated with him. 1 love Lim ‘with a deep, pure love, and I am so afrai@ 1 shall never be happy if I marry the gentleman to whom I am engaged. 1 pray you to advise me as you wouid your sister. 1 would be willing to make any reasonable advance if necessary if I thought 1 would not be repulsed or ig- nored entirely. Kindly advise me in whatever way you may seem to think best.” This young woman must remember that while nature gave all female animals the right . to call their mates to them boldly, it imposes silence upon woman. The whip-poor-will tells her love In a passionate ‘‘Come, O come!" To her mate in the depths of the grovs, But the volce of a woman is dumb. The lioness seeks her mate; The she tiger calls her pwn. Who made it a'woman's fate To sit in the silence—alone? LENA C.MAUSSHARDT GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL. ... OGGOO000UGO00006006000000000000000 ¢ Ella Wheefer Wilcox 00000000000000000000000C00000000000 Probably the author who is now getting the work, atter Mr. Kipl the wonder work- er. For a s rage length he is now as $600. This is still a Mr. Kipling’s royal rewards, for he r s for a short story of ave anywhere from 1200 to $1500; but it is above the ordi The are for American _rights lish rights, and thus ¢ them Is not apt to fall on r of shoul- ders, sc d some Americs aall ar it be- tween Wells' o to his present independence has been quite a-rapid one. Only five or six years ago he was u struggling writer of r icles on the of special, or “feature Snren newspapers. He had been & teacher, and he had written a scientific text book, but he was not known even to Under some himself as a writer of stories piration he wrote Time “The happy ir L x\lur«)»’mny. It came out in 1895 and had immedia Within a few weeks 6000 copie sold land, and it : here_as well Mr. Wells w reed to bother mouth work for whimsi itors, but could become pure ‘and simple and be He is 2 men of uncert had once or twice to Kr for a considerable only 32 years old with hand-to- al newspaper ed- a story writer his own master. ith, and has C off work en- time. He is still E. C. MARTIN. o © On Mutual Love And Its Happiness © © © (] It Is hard to answer who has; such is the law of civilization. The moment a woman makes a bold advance toward the m he loves, no matter if he, too, loves her, he is repelled by it. It is the man’'s province to pursy kes the pleasure of the chase. puq den not want his game to fly into his hand. He would rather see the bird retreat that he may follow. If he does not follow, he is not very eager for its possession. What a man really wants he will make earnest efforts to obtain He is a blind lover whe does when he is loved. A woman :Bor: l;::z: her love {n a thousand feminine ways which sre at once modest and convinc- It is a sort of deaf and dumb gl phabet which all men understand. If & man does not read this sign language and reply to it, it is because he is indifferent, and to speak aloud would only disgust and offend him I am sorry for my correspondent. S is In an unfortunate state. But she has done all that any self-respecting woman can do and she must bear her sorrow un- til It wears away. I do not understand how she can con- template marriage with another man while loving this one so ardently. It would be a great injustice to the hus- hand, unless she tells him the state ot her mind, and even then If he still wishas her to become his wife, I do not see how happiness could result from such a union, Marriage is either heayen on ‘earth op the other place. The only password into-this heaven is mutual love.