https://historysoa.com/files/original/5/505/1905-05-01-The-Author-15-8.pdf f9fd14b10ccf89ac5156b3bd0a85355a PDF Text Text ���������������������������������� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em> Description An account of the resource A digitised run of the Society of Authors' monthly periodical, <em>The Author</em>, 1890<span>–</span>1914, made available together for the first time.<br /><br />Currently users can browse issues and <a href="https://historysoa.com/items/browse?search=&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=51&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&amp;advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Index&amp;collection=&amp;type=&amp;tags=&amp;exhibit=&amp;date_search_term=&amp;submit_search=Search+For+Items&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle">indices</a> (not available for all volumes). Full text search for all issues, and other additional search functionality, will be added in 2022. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890–1914 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context The-Author-Issues Publication Date The date of an event (in YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD format) 1905-05-01 Volume 15 Issue 8 Pages Page range in volume 217–248 Ngram Date Version of the date in YYYYMMDD format for use by the Ngram plugin 19050501 Ngram Text Version of the text with no HTML formatting for use by the Ngram plugin Che Huthor. (The Organ of the Incorporated Society of Authors. Monthly.) FOUNDED BY SIR WALTER BESANT. Vou. XV.—No. 8. May ist, 1905. [Prick SIXPENCE. TELEPHONE NUMBER : 374 VICTORIA. TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS : AUTORIDAD, LONDON. ————_—~<+-— NOTICES. ta OR the opinions expressed in papers that are RK signed or initialled the authors alone are responsible. None of the papers or para- graphs must be taken as expressing the opinion of the Committee unless such is especially stated to be the case. Tue Editor begs to inform members of the Authors’ Society and other readers of The Author that the cases which are from time to time quoted in The Author are cases that have come before the notice or to the knowledge of the Secretary of the Society, and that those members of the Society who desire to have the names of the publishers concerned can obtain them on application. + List of Members. Tux List of Members of the Society of Authors published October, 1902, at the price of 6d., and the elections from October, 1902, to July, 1903, as a supplemental list, at the price of 2d., can now be obtained at the offices of the Society. They will be sold to members or associates of the Society only. Set tae oe ee The Pension Fund of the Society. THE Trustees of the Pension Fund met at the Society’s Offices in February, 1904, and having gone carefully into the accounts of the fund, decided to purchase £250 London and North Western 3% Debenture Stock. Accordingly, the Mvestments of the Pension Fund at present Vou. XV. , standing in the names of the Trustees are as follows. This is a statement of the actual stock; the money value can be easily worked out at the current price of the market :— Consols 24% £1000 0 0 EO AOE ee es 500 0 0 Victorian Government 3 % Consoli- dated Inscribed Stock ............... 291 19 14 Waroan 201. 9 3 London and North Western 3 % Deben- LOte StOCK 3 6, 250 0 0 Total: oe £2,243 9 2 Subscriptions, 1905. & is. ad. Jan. 12, Anonymous . 0 2 6 Donations, 1905. a Jan. , Middlemas, Miss Jean 010 0 Jan. , Bolton, Miss Anna : - 0-5 6 Jan. 24, Barry, Miss Fanny . : - 07 6 0 Jan. 27, Bencke, Albert : : - 0 5 6 Jan. 28, Harcourt-Roe, Mrs. . . 010 0 Feb. 18, French-Sheldon, Mrs. . +0 10 0 Feb. 21, Lyall, Sir Alfred, P.C. . . tf 0 0 Mar. 28, Kirmse, Mrs. : - 010 0 April19, Hornung, E. W. . : “25 0 6 ————" o> —_____—__ COMMITTEE NOTES. Bie HE April meeting of the committee was held at the offices of the society on the 8rd ult., at four o’clock ; Sir Henry Bergne was in the chair. The agenda comprised a large number of matters and the sitting lasted over two hours. After the minutes of the last meeting had been read and approved, the members and associates whose names were before the committee were elected. The total number of elections during the year amounts to 74. The number elected at the April meeting was 23. The list is printed below. The committee then considered two cases against  18 THE the same publisher who, for certain reasons of his own, had withheld from authors payments shown to be due on his accounts. As the authors could not obtain a settlement they invoked the assistance of the society in order to enforce their demands. In the first case the matter had to be adjourned. It was necessary for the committee to be more fully informed respecting the exact terms of the agreement before they could come to a decision. The member, unfortunately, is resident abroad. In the second case, the committee decided to com- mence action if the author would undertake to bear a third of the expenses. This he has undertaken to do. Some months ago a judgment was obtained on behalf of one of the members of the society against a travelling theatrical manager. The solicitors of the society have, on one or two similar occasions, experienced great difficulty in making the judg- ment debtor pay. The member in this case com- plained that the judgment had only been partially satisfied, and he seemed to get no further. The committee decided to instruct the solicitors to exhaust all legal methods with a view to obtaining the amount still due, and it is hoped that, with renewed activity, the member and the judgement will be satisfied. The next case before the committee arose out of the difficulty of an author, who had paid for the production of his work, to possess himseif of his property, when the publisher became bankrupt. The binder claimed a general lien on the stock. The committee discussed the question very fully, but adjourned the matter, in order that they might gain fuller information which would enable them to decide whether or not action could be taken with advantage. The question of United States copyright was again brought forward. As the Amending Billhad passed into law at the end of the session, before it had been possible to make any satisfactory protest, the committee decided to adjourn the question until a fitting opportunity should arise. It has been reported that at the next session of congress a consolidation in the United States Copyright Laws will be taken in hand. If this information is correct, it is possible that an opportunity will then arise for taking action. In the meantime, any movement will be carefully watched. ‘The com- mittee are in a position to receive the fullest infor- mation from the most reliable sources. ‘The chairman reported that the secretary of the society had been offered the solicitorship in Eng- land of the famous French Society “la Société des Gens de Lettres,” and that as the position was practically honorary, he had sanctioned tle secre- tary’s acceptance of it. The committee approved the course the chairman had adopted. AUTHOR. A question of international copyright was placed before the committee, arising from the adherence of Sweden to the Bern Convention of 1886. Sweden has signed the Convention, but not the additional Act of Paris of 1896. Article 7 of the Bern Convention of 1886 runs as follows :— “ Articles from newspapers or periodicals published in any of the countries of the Union, may be reproduced in original or in translation in the other countries of the Union, unless the authors or publishers have expressly forbidden it. For periodicals it is sufficient if the prohi- bition is made in a general manner at the beginning of each number of the periodical. This prohibition cannot in any case apply to articles of political discussion, or to the reproduction of news of the day, or current topics.” This Article was altered by the Additional Act of Paris of 1896, so as to run :— “Serial stories, including tales, published in the news- papers or periodicals of one of the countries of the Union, may not be reproduced, in original or in translation, in the other countries, without the sanction of the authors or their lawful representative. This stipulation shall apply equally to other articles in newspapers or periodicals, when the authors or editors shall have expressly declared in the newspaper or periodical itself in which they shall have been published, that the right of reproduction is prohibited. In case of periodicals it shall suffice if such prohibition be indicated in general terms at the beginning of each number. In the absence of prohibition, such articles may be re- produced on condition that the source is acknowledged. In any case, the prohibition shall not apply to articles on political questions, to the news of the day, or to miscel- laneous information.” It will thus be seen that in those countries which have not signed the Additional Act of Paris, works which have not the notice “ All Rights Reserved” printed either generally in the periodical, or pat- ticularly with the article, may be reproduced with- out the consent of the author. The society's correspondent in Sweden has brought before the notice of the committee the fact that Swedish newspapers have taken advantage of this, and in consequence, the committee desire to impress upon all members of the society who desire to maintain their market in Sweden, the importance of having the notice printed with the serial use of short stories, essays, &c. ‘They also decided to issue a letter to the editors of the important magazines, periodicals, and newspapers, pointing out the diffi- culties that might arise if no notice were printed, owing to the fact that Norway and Sweden had — joined the Bern Convention without signing the Additional Act of Paris. The question of Canadian Copyright was further discussed. Readers of Zhe Author may remember that im the March issue, it was reported that the com mittee had decided to place the papers relating to a claim ’  Pee Son Caen een of one of the members of the society in the hands of a German lawyer. They have now decided to carry the case through the German courts if neces- sary. It is hoped, however, that the publisher will make some reasonable offer of settlement without this step being necessary. The Secretary reported that the chairman had sanctioned three county court cases, two of which, however, had not gone into court, one because the member, at the last moment, refused to commence action. (This is a difficulty which arises from time to time, and-sometimes with serious consequences to the society on account of its loss of prestige). The other owing to the fact that the publisher said the debt before the summons was issued. The third action is in the course of settlement. eg Cases, Since the last issue of The Author, although the business before the Committee has been heavy, the cases which have passed through the secretary’s hands have been but few. There have been two questions concerning contracts for publication between authors and publishers. One of these has been satisfactorily settled. The other may take some time, for the member involved resides in Australia. There have been two cases in which members have desired the return of their MSS. In both cases the MSS. have been returned by the editors and forwarded to the members. Three cases where money due to authors has been in arrears. In one of these the money has been paid in full; in another the secretary has received part payment; in the third no answer has been obtained owing to the fact that it has been impossible to find any trace of the debtor. There has been one case of accounts which has been satisfactorily settled. This makes eight cases in all during the month. All the matters in hand before April have been _ cleared up with one exception, which is still in the hands of the society’s solicitors for advice, and one case where money is due. The chairman of the society has given leave to place the latter in the solicitors’ hands in order to enforce the members’ rights. It will be a county court case. One of the county court cases referred to as unsettled in last month’s statement is now ended. The magazine paid the amount due before the issue of the summons. —_—t—> + April Elections, Bayliss, Miss Ellen . Blackmore, Gecffrey , Sander- Sander- “ Glenwood,” stead load, stead, Surrey. THE AUTHOR. Collins, J. Hawksworth . Cunynghame Francis, J. de M. Davies, A. T. Dryden, Miss ‘ Farrer, Reginald . Hills, Miss Katherine Tmeson, W. E. James, J. Barnard ‘ Jebb, Richard Kay, Richard Kindler, Mrs. : : Langan, The Rev. Thomas, D.D. Maxwell, W. B. . . y Rackham, Arthur. ; Robson, A. W. Mayo, DAS: : : : Sanders, Miss E. K. Scheu, Mrs. (Chris Sewell) Sewell, Mrs. (Christobel Hulbert) . : : Talbot, Miss L. Agnes . Worsley, Miss Alice. Weale, G. L. Putnam 219 The Glebe, Cranbrook School, Kent. 12, Lincoln Chelsea, S.W. Avon House, Kenysham, near Bristol. Kingsfield, Bradford- on-Avon, Wilts. 50, Ennismore Gardens, Ingleborough, Lan- caster. 11, Collingham Place, Kensington, S.W. Street, Clevedale, Downend, Gloucestershire. The Higher Grange, Ellesmere. Berrington Priory, II- minster, Somerset. 420, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Australia. Abbeylara, Granard, Treland. Lichfield House, Rich- mond, Surrey. 3, Primrose Hill Studios, Fitzroy Road, N.W. 8, Park Crescent, W. Park House, Curzon Park, Chester. Towerhurst, Leigh Woods, Clifton, Bris- tol. The Fourth House, The Stourport Road, Wrib- benhall, near Bewdley. todney Lodge, Clifton. Two of the members elected in April do not desire either their names or addresses published. ie BOOKS PUBLISHED BY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. —_+—~—-_—_ (In the following list we do not propose to give more than the titles, prices, publishers, etc., of the books enumerated, with, in special cases, such particulars as may serve to explain the scope and purpose of the work. Members are requested to forward information which will enable the Editor to supply such particulars.) ART. sy DuDLEY Hratn, 208. Tl. MINTATURES, 101 x 74. 320 pp. Methuen.  220 BOOKS OF REFERENCE, Tue STATESMAN’S YEAR Book, 1905. Edited by J. Scort KnLTie, LL.D. 74 x 43. 142 pp. Macmillan. 10s. 6d. n. AurHorR AND Printer. A Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctors of the Press, Compositors and Typists. With full list of abbreviations. By F. Howarpb CoLLins. 74 X 5.° 408 pp. Frowde. 5s, EDUCATIONAL. Tun STORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE. A Simple Intro- ductory Historical Reader. By JOHN FINNEMORE. 7x 43. 167 pp. Blackie. 1s. 6d. FICTION. QuEER LaDy Jupas. By “Rita.” 72 x 43. 345 pp. Hutchinson. 6s. A Frontier Mystery. By BERTRAM MITFORD. 72 x 5. 307 pp. White. 6s. THE YOUNGEST Miss BrowN. By FLORENCE WARDEN. 72x 5, 320 pp. Chatto & Windus. 6s. A Sporter oF Men. By RicHARD MARSH. 72 xX «5. 306 pp. Chatto & Windus. 6s. SoRREL-Tor. By E. CRAWFORD (Mrs. J. A. Crawford). 73 x 5. 351 pp. Drane. 6s. CAPTAIN BALAAM OF THE “ CORMORANT,” AND OTHER Sea ComepiEs. By Morney ROBERTS. 73 X 5. 228 pp. Nash. 3s. 6d. Li TING oF LONDON AND OTHER STORIES. By Gro. R. Sims. 64 x 33. 222pp. Chatto & Windus. 1s. 6d. THE OLD CANTONMENT. By B. M. CROKER, 7] x 5. 294 pp. Methuen. 6s. THE GOLDEN Poon. By R. AUSTIN FREEMAN. 7} X 5. 341 pp. Cassell. 6s. Aw INSTINCTIVE CRIMINAL. By GILBERT COLERIDGE. 74x 56. Treherne. 6s. DUKE’s Son. By Cosmo HAMILTON. 7} x 5. 279 pp. Heinemann. 6s. MonarcH, THE Big BEAR OF TaLLAc. By ERNEST THOMPSON SETON. 73 x 6. 214 pp. Constable. 5s. n. Grounp Ivy. By Myra Swan, 73 X 5. 332 pp. Brown, Langham. 6s. HEARTS OF WALES. By ALLEN Rate. 7} x 5. 347 pp. Hutchinson. 6s. A CouRrER oF FortunE. By A. W. MARCHMONT. 73 x 5. 384 pp. Ward Lock. 6s. THE Master MumMMeR. By E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM. . 7% x5. 815 pp. Ward Lock. 6s. A Liypsay’s Love. By CHARLES LOWE. 420 pp. Werner Laurie. 6s. THE MANITOBAN. By H. H. BAsHForD. Lane. 6s. 8 x 5h. A Town ROMANCE, OR ON LONDON STONES. By Cc. C. ANDREWS (“CARL SWERDNA”). 73 X 5. 397 pp. Messrs. James Clarke. Cheaper edition, 2s. HISTORY. Tuer CHURCH IN MapRas; being the history of the Ecclesiastical and Missionary action of the East India Company in the Presidency of Madras in the 17th and 18th centuries, chiefly from the company’s own records preserved at the India Office. By the Ray. FRANK PENNY, LL.M., late Chaplain His Majesty’s Indian Service (Madras Establishment). 33 illustrations, demy 8vo. 9 x 6. 700 pp. including index. Smith, Elder & Co. 21s. n. MEDICAL. Tur Foop Inspectors’ Hanppook. By F. VACHER. 4th Edition. Illustrated. 73 x 5. 231 pp. The Sanitary Publishing Co. 3s. 6d. THE AUTHOR. MISCELLANEOUS. CHANGE FOR A HALFPENNY; being the Prospectus of the Napolio Syndicate. By E. V. Lucas and C. L. GRAVES. 81 x 64. Alston Rivers. 1s. n. POETRY. PENTHESILEA. By LAURENCE BINYON. 7} X 5. 63 pp. Constable. 3s. 6d. n. POLITICAL. RACIAL SUPREMACY. Being Studies in Imperialism. By J.G. GopARD. 8 x 54. 323 pp. Edinburgh: Morton; London: Simpkin. 6s. STUDIES IN COLONIAL PATRIOTISM. By RICHARD JEBB. 9 x 58. 336pp. Arnold. 12s. 6d. n. REPRINTS. THe WoRKS OF CHARLES AND Mary Lame. Vol. vi. Letters 1796—1820; Vol. vii. Letters 1821—1834. Edited by E. V.Lucas. 9 x 6. 1,025 pp. Methuen, 7s. 6d. each vol. SCIENCE. A StTuDENT’s TEXT Book oF ZooLoGy. By A. SEDGWICK. Vol. Il. 94 x 6}. 705 pp. Sonnenschien. 21s. SOCIOLOGY. A PECULIAR PEOPLE, THE DouKHOBORS. By AYLMER MaupeE. 8} xX 5%. 388 pp. Constable. 6s. n. A MopErN Utopia. By H. G. WELLS. 7} x 5}. 393 pp. Chapman & Hall. 7s. 6d. SPORT. An AnGurr's Hours. By BH. Tf. 8i x 54. 264 pp. Macmillan. 63. SHERINGHAM. THEOLOGY, THE BIBLE IN MopEeRN ENe@uisH. Old Testament, Four Vols. Introduction and Critical Notes (2nd Edition). 214+187+245+346 pp. New Testament in Modern English with some Critical Notes. One Vol. (8rd Edition of the Gospels and Seventh of St. Paul's Epistles translated afresh), 255 pp. By FERRAR FENTON, F.R.A.S. 73 x 5. Partridge. THE TRIAL OF JESUS. By G1ovANNI Rosapi. Trans- lated from the third Italian edition. Edited by Dr. Emin Reicw. 73 x 54. 342 pp. Hutchinson. 6s. 0. THe CHRIST IN THE TEACHER. Four Addresses given in the Chapel of Keble College, Oxford, January 14th. and 15th, 1905. By J. HUNTLEY SKRINE. 7} X 43. 46 pp. Simpkin, Marshall. 1s. 6d. n. —————_—_o ro —_— LITERARY, DRAMATIC, AND MUSICAL NOTES. — > E understand that the annual dinner of the London Shakespeare League will be held on the 6th of May. honorary secretary to the-dinner, at the price of 8s. 6d. to members and their guests and 10s. 6d. to non-members. All enquiries concerning Tickets may be — obtained of Mrs. Gomme, who is acting a8  THE AUTHOR. ¢) the dinner should be made of Mrs. © 24, Dorset Square, N. W. “The Irish Bee Guide,’ by the Rev. J. C. ‘| Digges is a new book on bees and bee-keeping, containing 150 illustrations. It can be obtained, in“a paper cover, for 2s, nett, and in art linen for /© 3s. nett, from Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall & Co., «i in London; and Eason & Son, Ltd., Dublin. Mr. J. M. Stuart Young is accumulating material o| for a new negro novel. Mr. Fisher Unwin has recently published a new work by Mr. Barry Pain, entitled ‘‘ The Memoirs of Constantine Dix.” The book narrates the career of a professional thief who keeps three banking © accounts as well as houses in Bloomsbury and Brighton, and is, moreover, a philanthropist v2 greatly interested in the reclamation of the lower > classes. “The Double Rose,” by J. W. Boulding, is the 29 title of a play, originally performed at the Adelphi i= Theatre, which Messrs. Jarrold & Son, have now we issued at the price of 1s. The play is of historical ‘ai interest, dealing with the fortunes of the houses of of York and Lancaster. : ““Marjorie’s Mistake” is the title selected by * Miss Bertha M. M. Miniken (author of “Where ) the Ways Part,” “Through Life’s Rough Way,” .* “An English Wife,” etc.) for her new novel, 6 dealing with life in the south west of England, “© mainly. It will be issued about May 18th, by Mr. ») George A. Morton, Edinburgh. ; “The Young Preacher’s Guide,” by the Rev. 1) Gilbert Monks, with a preface by the Archdeacon _1- of London, which was published recently by Mr. 19 Elliot Stock, is divided into two parts, the first part * dealing with the preparation of the sermon, andthe © second part with the mode of delivery. t Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall & Co., have recently “a: published a work entitled “Darwinian Fallacies,” % by John Scouller. As its title indicates, Mr. © Scouller’s book is mainly devoted to an exposure of “19 what, in his opinion, are the fallacies inherent in 4%) Mr. Darwin’s theory of evolution. He has, how- ¥ ever, in addition, given a demonstration of those szomme, at “principles which, he considers, will bring the. ef doctrines of modern science into complete harmony 10) with the teachings of Christ. a Rennie Rennison, the author of “ George’s o> Georgina,” has written another novel ‘“ Mixed ) Relationships,” which Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall ¥ + & Co. published in April. The story is one of > recent times, the Jocale changing from the worsted 2) districts of Yorkshire to the cotton districts of “® Lancashire ; mill life—as viewed by the manager “rather than the operative—is to a certain extent ' discussed. ‘The “Minor Masters of the Old British School of Painting” is the title of a work by George H. 221 Shepherd, which contains the name, birthplace, date of birth and death, and branch of art of over one hundred artists. It is published by Messrs. Shepherd Bros., 27 King Street, St. James’s, Messrs. J. B. Lippincott Co. have recently published a work entitled “The Diseases of Society ” by G. Frank Lydston, M.D. The special object of Dr. Lydston has been to indicate the origin, development, and influence of the anarchist, criminal and sexual pervert, and that class of offenders against the moral law who frequently do not fall under the ban of criminal or civil law. Mrs. F. E. Penny, whose last year’s novel “'The Sanyasi ” is now in a second edition, is publishing through Messrs. Chatto and Windus another novel called “Dilys.” It is a South Indian romance, in which some typical old soldiers of the East India Company, pensioners living in the cantonment bazaars, play a part. The sale of the first edition of Mr. Howard Collins’s “ Author and Printer, a Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctors of the Press, Com- positors and Typists” (Henry Frowde) was so satisfactory that within five days of publication the second edition—or rather impression, as there will be no alteration in it—was put in the hands of the printers, the Oxford University Press, and it is hoped will soon be ready for sale. That the work is of practical use, may be gathered from the fact that in one of the largest printing establishments in the provinces--employing nearly a thousand hands—-the compositors have requisitioned the principals to adopt and use it all through the works. Mademoiselle Helene Vacaresco has published with Harper Bros., London and New York, “Songs of the Valiant Voivode,” collected from Roumanian peasants. The author states in her preface that she has wandered through Roumania from village to village and gathered the strange stories that grow there like flowers in the country. The tales are drawn from Latin, Dacian and Asiatic sources, while the mysticism of the Slavonic race may sometimes be traced in them. Mr. Morton has recently published a new novel by Mr. Robert Aitken, author of ‘‘ Windfalls.” The title of the work is ‘The Redding Straik.” The Early English Text Society is now bringing out Part II. of Mrs. Mary L. Banks’ edition of the ‘“Alphabetum Narrationum” formerly attributed to Etienne de Besancon. Part III. will contain glossary and notes and is to come out later. Messrs. Smith, Elder have had to go to press with a third impression of Mrs. Humphry Ward’s novel, “The Marriage of William Ashe,” with a fifth impression of ‘ Peter’s Mother,” by Mrs. H. de la Pasture ; and with a fifth and thoroughly revised edition of Mr. Sidney Lee’s “ Life of Shakespeare.”  222 The scene of “The Dryad,” by Justin Huntley M‘Carthy, is Athens, but not the classic Athens, nor the Athens of to-day, which have often found their chroniclers. Mr. M‘Carthy has chosen the dawn of the fourteenth century, when Greece was governed by splendid French adventurers, whose courts were centres of wealth and chivalry. Messrs. Methuen & Co., are the publishers of this work. The same firm have also issued “ Miniatures,” by Dudley Heath, a history of the Art of Miniature Painting from its earliest origin and development in the I!luminated Manuscript under Byzantine, Carlo- vingian, Celtic, and Saxon influences, and in the French, Flemish, and Italian schools of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, showing the growth of realistic expression in the Miniature, and tracing its subsequent history as an indepen- dent art of portraiture “in little” down to the present day. Messrs. Constable & Co. have recently published, at the price of 6s., a book by Mr. Aylmer Maude, entitled “A Peculiar People: the Doukhobors.” The work, which contains seventeen illustrations, is a history and description of the remarkable Russian peasant sect, more than 7,000 of whom have settled in Canada, and whose virtues and eccentricities have attracted much attention. “ Alice-Sit-by-the-Fire,”’ by J. M. Barrie was produced at the Duke of York’s theatre, on Wednesday, April 5th. The piece, which is whimsical in tone, shows how an extremely young lady, applied her knowledge of human nature— derived from five visits to the theatre—to an entirely innocent action of everyday life, with un- fortunate results, which are not set right till the fall of the curtain. The caste included Miss Ellen Terry, Miss Irene Vanbrugh and Mr. Aubrey Smith. An original farcical comedy in three acts entitled “Daniel Dibsey,” by George Blagrove, , will be produced at the Royal Albert Theatre, on Monday evening, May Ist. —__—_—_+—<——__—_. PARIS NOTES. — HE name of Jules Verne has for years past been a household word in many countries. His books have been translated into most languages, including Arabic and Japanese. It appears that he commenced his literary career by publishing in a review some stories imitated from those of Edgar Poe. One of them, “ Un Drame dans les Airs,” attracted attention and, encouraged by his success, he at once commenced a novel. M. Hetzel was so convinced of his talent that THE AUTHOR. he advised him not to depart from the style he had adopted, and offered to sign a contract with him — for two novels a year. ‘This was agreed upon, and Jules Verne from that time forth produced the two books annually. In spite of the Revolution, the Franco-German War, and all other outside events, the work was accomplished scrupulously. He was a most conscientious author, and the despair of his printers, as he sometimes revised and corrected ‘ passages nine or ten times before finally approving ae them. Strange as it may seem, the writer of such —— #'" adventurous stories was not a traveller. He wrote most of his books at his home in Amiens, and his _ longest journey was probably an excursion in his aff yacht to the Mediterranean and the English Channel, at He owned a planisphere on which he had com menced to trace the voyages of all the heroes of hi piel books. He had a well-filled library, and quantiti of journals of travel and scientific publications 0 all kinds, both French and foreign. M. Adolphe Brisson tells us that “ Twenty tho sand Leagues under the Sea” was suggested to hi by George Sand in one of her letters to him. “T hope,” she writes, “that you will soon take us down into the depths of the sea, and that yo will let your personages travel in a diving apparat which with all your science and imagination yo will be able to improve for the occasion. . . Thanks a thousand times for the happy moments I have spent with your books in the midst of my troubles.” Some critics in France declare that Jules Ve had the gift of second sight. He prophesied admirably, fifty or twenty-five years ahead, about many of the most marvellous scientific inventions. Before there were any railways he affirmed that voyage round the world would require eighty da and at present it requires seventy-five. At about the same time his Captain Nemo goes down into the depths of the sea in his submarine boat, and in another of his books, “‘ Robur le Conquérant, we have the conquest of the air for travelli purposes. In an article on the works of Jules Verne, : Rzewuski says : “He shows us in his marvellow series of paradoxical studies how interesting @ picturesque this modern world is, in spite of all vulgarities and injustices, and how many elements of beauty, originality and activity manifested, changing every day the aspect of ti lobe.” M. Adolphe Brisson considers that there is som thing more than this in the books of J ules Ver' “ By taking his young readers into all parts of world,” he says, ‘he awakens their intelligence showing them something of life, and he gives the an idea of the relativity of things, which in 108 is the source of all wisdom and kindliness.  THE AUTHOR. ogo) teaches his readers that in every climate and conntry oi} the eternal terrestrial comedy is always being played, and that everywhere mankind aspires to a happier fature of justice and love, to some far-off ideal which may be chimerical like that of Captain Hatteras, but the prestige of which we cannot (se entively abolish. For forty years Jules Verne has os¢ been more than a savant, vulgarising his science ' a0) for the younger generation. He has been a novelist ow who at the same time was an idealist.” I He led an extremely simple life. He was an ise early riser, and had finished the greater part of his ‘ysh day’s work before luncheon. In the afternoon he ses read, and then went to do his duty as a citizen, 640) for as a member of the Municipal Council of Amiens se he took a keen interest in public matters. Twice »ow & & week he accompanied his wife to the theatre, and ) ed: the other evenings he usually retired early. ‘1. His long list of books are too well known for ‘mec comment. At the time of his death he had a book | @ in preparation entitled “ L’{nvasion de la Mer,” » ofl the subject of which occurred to him on seeing » 9d; the crumbling of the cliffs of Normandy and of seo those between Dover and Folkestone when on a i998" recent yachting excursion. oo: A subscription is being raised for a monnu- iaoa ment to Jules Verne by his young readers and us admirers. i? “ Le Serpent Noir,” by Paul Adam, is one of the ,joeP strongest and, at‘thesame time, most delicate of this oMmauthor’s novels. The scene is laid in Brittany oo: and the story is essentially modern. A doctor » es{ has discovered a marvellous serum, but has no -<0@ money to spend on the necessary publicity for sls making the most of his discovery. The serpent “iit enters his paradise in the form of a certain man oly who is always on the look-out for commercial |i enterprises. By specious arguments he endeavours ‘7 ® to persuade the doctor into a divorce in order to “%8@ marry a wealthy young widow. The great interest | of the book lies in the psychology of the chief ‘a characters. The devotion and self-sacrifice of the ¥wife, the utter unscrupulousness of the financial ‘onS schemer, and the struggles of the scientist and “i husband. In the end the doctor realises the base- » “9sness of the other man’s arguments, and appreciates eithe devotion and abnegation of his wife. ‘The wy dénouement is a triumph over the individualism ‘which tramples ruthlessly over all obstacles in its Yes way. __ Among the new books are: “ Le Millionnaire,” -Tby J. H. Rosny; “La Conquérante,” by Georges aeohast , “ L?Impossible,” by Jean de la Brete ; al me *Drames de l’Histoire,” by M. le Comte Fleury ; “1 * La Société francaise du XVI° au XX° Siécles,”’ y M. Victor du Bled ; “ Bonaparte et Moreau,” «yoy M. Picard ; “Memoires du Comte de Ram- /Miputeau,” published by his grandson; “ Sophistes 223 francais et la Reévolution européenne,” by M. Th. Funck-Brentano ; “Le Pape et l’Empereur (1804—1815),” by M. Henri Welschinger ; “ Au Service de lAllemagne,” by M. Maurice Barrés ; “Une Année de Politique Extérieure,” by M. René Moulin ; “Quatre Cents ans de Concordat,” by M. Bandrillart. In the reviews M. Emile Ollivier writes in favour of the “Concordat ” in the Correspondant. In the Nouvelle Revue Gilbert Stenger writes on “Le Clergé sous le Consulat.” The Marquis de Ségur publishes in the Revue des Deur-Mondes “ lies Années de Jeunesse de Julie de Lespinasse,” and M. Pierre Leroy Beaulieu examines “ La Situation et les Perspectives écono- miques de la Chine.” The Revue de Paris continues the publication of Wagner’s letters from Paris and from Vienna. In the theatrical world we have had “ Scarron,” by Catulle Mendeés, a great success at the Théatre dela Gaité ; “L’Age d’aimer,” a comedy in four acts, by Pierre Wolff, at the Gymnase; “Le Meilleur Parti,” by Maurice Maindron, a piece in four acts, at the Théatre Antoine. La Duse has had the triumphs of the month at the Nouveau Théatre. Madame Sarah Bernhardt, after “ Angelo,” has been giving a series of performances of ‘ Esther.” “ Monsieur Piégois,” by Alfred Capus, is another success for the author of “ La Veine.” ALYS HALLArp. SPANISH NOTES. — HE recent catastrophe of the bursting of the reservoir in Madrid has plunged the city in mourning. Senor Vadillo, the Minister of Works, will institute a searching inquiry into the reason of the disaster, as it has been said that it was preceded by many ominous signs. However, amid all the tragic scenes of the disaster, the fact that the young sovereign, in company with the Prince of Asturias, hastened in his motor-car to give his personal assistance to the rescue of those sub- merged in the ruins, and subsequently visited the sufferers in the hospitals, and added his royal mother’s and sister’s names to his liberal donations on their behalf, has been a ray of sunshine in the panic and gloom which has pervaded the city, _ A catastrophe often gives rise to reforms, and in this case the well-known engineer Don Carlos Santamaria was appointed to present plans for the new reservoir which is so urgently required in Madrid.  224 It was thought that the national disaster of the bursting reservoir might have led to the postpone- ment of the royal visit to Valencia, but the King rightly decided that a delay would cause a great deal of expense to the city when the preparations were so far advanced. Moreover, it was not only in such fétes as the beautiful battle of flowers, etc., that the Valencians did honour to their sovereign, but they had begged his Majesty to lay the first stone of the lighthouse on the dike to the north of the harbour ; and it was a great satisfaction to Don José Canalejas, the eminent politician, who has combined with General Pando and Don Ramon Castro in the institution of thirty-six perfectly sanitary houses at a moderate rent for workmen, to show the successful result of the labours to the king. Don Benito Galdos is generally associated with the historical romances which have become classics in Spanish literature, but his comedy Realidad marked him as a dramatist some time ago, and the judgment recorded by the well-known critic, Leopold Alas, who came from Oviedo on purpose to be present at the performance, set the seal to its success. So it was with great interest that it was heard that a new play from the pen of “dear Don Benito,” as he is generally styled in Madrid, was to be performed. The drama shows the power of the great writer to set forth the small details as well as the ruling passions of life ; and it is thus that the play, which takes its name from the heroine, “ Barbara,” never ceases to interest the audience, although her crimes naturally savour of Sicilian life in the nineteenth century, in which epoch it is laid. The story goes that the lady, in desperation at her husband's prutalities, managed to compass his death, and although the fact of the murder of this governor of Syracuse was known to the deputy Horace and two others, they all preserved silence in the hope that Barbara would marry the murdered man’s brother, who had returned from the East with a great fortune. The heroine’s love for Leonardo, an unpractical mystic, was a serious barrier to this plan, but the obstacle was removed by the plotters accusing the unhappy man of the murder of Barbara’s husband, and after a powerful scene between the two lovers, Leonardo suffers the result of the crime of his beloved, while she ultimately marries the rich man from the East. It is only the acute suffering of Barbara which seems to counterbalance in any way such “triumphs of the wicked,” and it requires the pen of a genius, with very powerful acting, to show that such triumphs are not synonymous with happiness. The present illness of Don Juan Valera, the well- known writer, is evoking much sympathy and interest in the social as well as the literary THE AUTHOR. world, where the veteran author is a well-known figure. ‘ Pepita Jiménez” was one of his books, which had an immense influence in society. When an illustrious lady, who was known for her worldliness once complained to the author that she could not put the work into the hands of her daughters, who were two veritable angels, the author replied: ‘‘I have not written the book, madam, for daughters such as, yours, but for mothers such as you are.” Valera has always had a contempt for politics, and when some years ago Canovas and Castelar were using their opposing influences with regard to the Restoration, Valera remarked that Canovas was stimulated in the struggle by the clever speeches directed by Castelar against his scheme, and that Castelar’s eloquence would never have reached such perfection had it not been brought to bear against such a powerful opponent, without whom he would have been like a fiddler with no audience. When approached by America to write a treatise on the reason of the decadence of Spain, Valera refused the offer, lucrative as it would have been. “No,” he replied, “ you ask me to write a satire on my mother. I have no pen with which to do it, and if I had, it would pierce my heart.” Valera was taken ill whilst engaged on a scientific work on Cervantes, and it will be a loss to the literary out- put of this season, so filled with tributes to the seventeenth century author, if it cannot celebrate the result of a student of such renown on the subject. It is interesting to note the stride now made by woman in Spain in literature. “Mis Flores” (My Flowers) is the title of a book just published by a poetess of the name of Concha Espina de Serna, and in the prologue from the pen of Enrique Menendez Pelayo, the writer says: “These verses are the spontaneous outcome of a woman's sensible, tender, loving, and ductile mind, swayed — by the breeze of life, and responding like a sensitive — plant to the emotions of the spirit.” Ricardo Leon, moreover, remarks that this authoress has the gift of Andersen for seeing stories in the — commonplace things of life, so that an old clock, a _ table, or a girl reading at a window, assumes & new interest under the magic power of her pen. “To posible,” now placed on the boards ab — Madrid, shows that Linares Rivas has by Ro ~ means exhausted his versatility. Eusebio Blasco’s last volume of verses entitled — “ Poesias Festicas” has just been published, and as — one of the critics says, “ He is, indeed, a poet, and | moreover, a modern human poet, who idealises the things of every-day life in a way unknown to the uneducated. His style is untrammelled by being that of any particular school, and it has am attraction peculiar to itself.”  -against 2,072 new editions for 1903. THE AUTHOR. 225 The ovation just accorded to Luis Morote shows that the Spaniards are very ready to give tribute to intelligence and pluck, and if I gave the names of all the celebrities assembled to do honour to the writer on his return from Russia, it would take two columns of print ; and the fact of Canalejas, the well-known democratic and liberal monarchist, making a speech in favour of the guest of the evening, shows the broad-minded nature of the assembly. The journalist’s accounts of his inter- views with Tolstoi, Gorky, ete., were listened to with the deepest interest, and as he told in simple language the story of his efforts in pursuit of his profession, it was felt that the Socialist only spoke the truth when he declared that whereas Valencia is his country, his life lay in the Spanish Press. RAcHEL CHALLICE. $$? > —_______ UNITED STATES BOOK PRODUCTION IN 1904. ——+ (Reproduced from the United States Publishers’ Weekly.) HE number of books recorded by The Publishers’ Weekly in 1904, through its “Weekly Record of New Publications,” was 8,291. The new editions of standard works, and the additions to series are included in this total, of which 6,971 are new books and 1,320 new editions. The whole number of books put on record in 1904 by the Weekly exceeded the number for 1903 by 426, when the total was 7,865. The table shows 1,178 more new books than in 1903, when the figures were only 5,793, and 752 less new editions ; that is, 1,520 new editions for 1904 The in- creased proportion of new books over all previous years illustrates in a marked degree the steady, normal growth of the publishing business in a year—a Presidential year—when great things were not looked for. The analytical table, dividing the year’s output into twenty classes, betrays few notable changes. Fiction keeps its old place at the head of the list, with one of the largest majori- ties it has had in many years. Theology and Religion, which in 1903 lost its position as the second in number to Fiction, regained it in 1904, being followed closely by Literature and Collected Works, Education and Law. Juvenile books were not as abundant as in 1903, Poetry and the Drama -and Biography both taking a step above this class. Physical and Mathematical Science moved to a position above History, while Description, etc., fell two steps lower than it has usually held. TABLE No, 1. CLASSES. Fiction ... oe se ae oe a S16 644 | 1,007 $14 Theology and Religion ee 233 280 | 7B de Literature and Collected Works 8| 331] 644] 538 Education = < a Db]. 721 6991 36 Law se re i i 98 | 606 | s Poetry and the Drama ao 25) 530 | 8 Biography, Correspondence ... 45 | 416 21 Be 42/ 408] 11 land Mathematical Science 245 322 | 52 Bae oe ote is 7 315 42 Political and Social Science See 12 297 | 39 Medicine, Hygiene... aes 97 186 92 Fine Arts: Illus. Gift Books 13 230 23 Description, Geography, Travel 25 215 | 25 Jseful Arts ae ae 26] 144) 3) sand Amusements 16 110 4 Works of Reference 17 87 1 Domestic¢ and Rural 15) 72) 8 Philosophy ae 8| 54] 4 Humour and Satire 4) 6] | 4 Totals 9,793 | 2,072 | 6,971 | 1,320 2,072 | 1,320 | 7,865 | $,291 | | There was little Philosophy in the year’s make-up, and even less Humour. Out of the whole total of 8,291 books recorded, 3,750 were received at this office, against 3,549 of 1903, being an increase of 201. The balance represents titles gathered from copyright entries, from information sent by publishers, and in various other ways. ‘There were of these 4,541 against 4,316 of the same class in 1903, an increase of 225. Table No. 1 gives in classes the figures, approximately, of the book production in this country in 1904, with those of 1903 for comparison. Table No. 2 attempts to show the number of books manufactured in the United States in 1904— first, those by American authors ; second, those by English or other foreign authors made in this country according to the demands of copyright law; and third, the books in English imported bound or in sheets, these three classes comprising the book production of the United States in 1904. The first and second classes are almost all copyright books. This table, like the former, scarcely claims to be exactly correct, as it is impossible always to trace the history of a work, from its author to its final publication. The table shows 5,978 books by American authors against 5,621 of 1903 ; 1,288 books by English or other foreign authors (made here), against 1,356 of 1903; and 1,025 books or sheets imported, against 888 of 1903. The reprints were, as usual, the largest in fiction, amounting to 491, far less, however, than in several years previous, when almost double that number of English or other  226 foreign novels were reprinted. The most evident fact demonstrated by this table is the great number of books by American authors published in 1904 in all classes of literature. TaBLe No. 2. CLASSES. Fiction .... os a Theology and Religion... ee Literature and Collected Works Education : ee Si Law es ae oN Poetry and the Drama... ane 68 Biography, Correspondence, «Xe. 121 Juvenile ... ave os a tes 35 Physical and Mathematical Science... 79 History... oe Ses, aes a 75 Political and Social Science ... 51 Medicine, Hygiene aS oe 13 Fine Arts: Illus. Gift Books 94 Description, Geography, Tra vel 75 Useful Arts a Fon a 36 Sports and Amusements is Works of Reference 8 Domestic and Rural 4 Philosophy ae 13 Humour and Satire 1 Totals Oo RUSSIA AND POLAND: THEIR AUTHORS AND THEIR COPYRIGHT LAW. —_——+— § Russia had given birth to such eminent poets as Puschkin, Lermontoff, and Kryloff, such dramatists as Griboedoff and Gogol, such novelists as Dostoyevsky, Turgenief, and Nekrasoff, in the first part of the past century, it was natural to believe that after such splendid promise the future should bring even more eminent authors to the knowledge of mankind, but the result of these expectations was rather disappointing. To-day there is neither poet nor dramatist of any exceptional merit, and the novelists and short story writers are not so numerous as the huge develop- ment of. literature gave a right to expect. Outside the writers best known to the English public, Tolstoy, Tschechof, Korolenko, and Gorky, there are only a few who merit special mention : H. Jasynsky and the well-known war correspon- dent, Nemyrovytz-Datschenko, and perhaps Mrs. Nadejda Vladimirovna Yakovlef, better known ‘ander her nom de plume of “ Lanskaya,” who is the THE AUTHOR. authoress of an excellent novel translated into many European languages, “ Obrusyteli.” There is algo the humourist Leykin, who in his excellent sketches gives, very well indeed, satirical and comic pictures of various classes in Russian society. The development of the Russian press at the end of the last century and in the present one has been very great, when we consider the colossal number of the illiterate in Russia. Over 700 periodicals have been issued, and out of these over 100 dailies, which command a large sale. Out of about one hundred millions of people* who can speak Russian, no more than twenty millions can be taken into account as readers of books and newspapers. The develop- ment of the press was helped by the cheap postal rates, and there are newspapers published and sent post free for a year for the sum of 8s. 6d., the postal payment being taken monthly, 20 per cent. of the subscription price for dailies, and even less: for other periodicals. Such an enormous journalistic output followed by large demands for books, without an adequate supply of original works, created the necessity of translating the work of foreign authors. The first in the field, of course, were the Polish novelists and playwrights whose writings were adapted; practically there is not a single Polish novelist, playwright, or short story writer worth mentioning, whose works were not published in the Russian papers or in book form. Next came the adaptation of the works of French and English authors, and these are translated and published in Russia, not only in single volumes, but in complete editions, accompanied sometimes by copies of the original illustrations which appeared in the English edition. The most popular English author in Russia at present is Mr. Jerome K. Jerome, whose books are: issued in Russia immediately after their produc- tion in England, often by several publishers. With the production of plays by foreign authors the same practice obtains. The Government stage is the first to set the example of pirating operas, comic operas and plays, without dreaming of paying any royalty ; of course, this malpractice is imitated by others. : But while in the case of the novelist the name of the author remains in the Russian adaptation, the adaptor or rather the translator of the play often omits to mention the name of its author, or the language from which he has taken it. Occasionally he may make some alteration to avoid detection, and will pose as an original play- wright. os ee * Out of a total of 125,680,682 persons living, in Russia, only 55,667,469 axe really Russians according to official statistical returns from census of 1897 just published.  THE AUTHOR. Lately, on the same principle, a good many scientific works have been published at very low prices to popularise science. A society called “the Union ” formerly existed, composed of authors and journalists, whose aims were similar to those of the members of our * Authors’ Society,” but for political reasons it was closed last year by the Government. *The existing copyright law does not materially protect authors, as it is very difficult to prove plagiarism or infringement of copyright. According to the law, one sheet, equal to sixteen pages of an ordinary-sized book, can be quoted without in- fringement of copyright, and as no special size of type has been settled upon as legal, even this law may entail much controversy. Articles and short stories can, of course, be borrowed legally ; trans- lation from foreign languages is sanctioned by law even of books and publications issued in Russia in the numerous languages of the various peoples conquered by the Russian nation. Only in the republication of original books more than one sheet is forbidden ; the performance of plays as long as they are not published in book form can be forbidden, if the original language in which the play was written is used. Knowing that the author of “Madame Sans Géne” + had taken all strict precautions when the play was produced in Paris to prevent any Russian theatrical managers from obtaining copies of the work, M. Korsch, the richest theatrical owner in Russia, travelled specially to Paris. Finding the price asked for the right of performing the play in Russia too high, and having been refused a copy of the work by the prompter (although he offered a thousand francs for it), the disappointed purchaser attended the theatre during a few performances, wrote down the play, and afterwards produced it in Moscow. Usually foreign operas and plays for the Imperial stage are bought from prompters ; the musical scores of “the Geisha” were bought from a touring company in Austria for a few pounds. When the Government leads the way in dishonour- able transactions, no wonder that its imitators are equally unscrupulous. Notwithstanding this unenviable condition of affairs in Russian Poland, owing to the strict censorship which rules there, Polish literature is prospering, and may justly claim the third place, after English and French, in European literature. Not only does the number, but the quality, of its authors give it this right. Unfortunately the world at large knows little of * .A book on Russian copyright law was published some years ago by an eminent lawyer, Spasovitch. t+ The English version is called, I think, “ Duchess of Dantzig,” 227 the rank which Polish authors have attained in the sphere of letters, for, with the exception of all the works of Sienkiewicz, one novel of Glowacki, and two novels of Miss Rodziewicz, nothing has been translated into English. Two novels of an eminent author are at this moment in course of publication. The yearly output of Polish books is over two thousand, and is considerably above a million of copies. There are over five hundred Polish periodi- cals, of which eleven daily papers and ninety-two weeklies and monthlies are published in Warsaw alone. In the United States, seven dailies and forty-three weeklies are published ; in Brazil three weeklies, two in Paris, one in Switzerland, and one in Italy ; all the rest are issued in provincial towns of Russian, Ausfrian, and German Poland. If it is said that the figures quoted are not large for a nation of over thirty millions of people, out of which twenty millions are in Russia, three millions in America, and the remainder divided between Austrian and German Poland, let the political situation be remembered, especially the fact that in nine provinces of Russian Poland no Polish publications are allowed, that even in Warsaw there was a time when permission for new publica- tions was refused by the Government, and that even now this is difficult to obtain; then it will be conceded that the results are astonishing. The development of Polish literature under such depressing circumstances is wonderful. Its many shades are well represented ; history and fiction have authors of standard va'ue as well as the largest number of representatives. Towards the end of the third quarter of the last century, between 1870 and 1900, the output of Polish fiction was not only meagre in quantity, but in value, for some of the greatest novelists, like Joseph Korzeniowski, had died; Kaczkowski was silent ; Kraszewski (the father of the novel in Poland, who had written more than 750 volumes of romances, poetry, and history) was in exile ; Sigismund Milkowski, another great writer of fic- tion, though still alive, had been forced to live in Switzerland, for he was a member of the late National Government of 1863. At this moment the first book of Henry K. Sienkiewicz, the author of “Quo Vadis,” appeared, and simul- taneously those of Alexander Glowacki, the Polish Dickens, Clemens Junosza Szaniawski, the writer who has faithfully described the nobility of the country as well as the country Jews in Poland, and Adolf Dygasinski, an excellent novelist, whose special art consisted in describing the heroism of animals, and who is unique in the world’s literature. Historical novels were represented in addition to the above by Adam Krechowiecki and T. Jeske- Choinski, all of them standard authors, whose  228 works were translated into many foreign languages, especially Russian and German. If we do not reckon Sienkiewicz, only one novel, the last of Alexander Glowacki’s, ‘‘The Pharaoh and the Priest,’ has been published in the English language and appeared in America three years ago ; all the others are unknown to the British public. At the same time, Mrs. Elize Orzeszko began to write. Some of her best novels, as “ Eli Makower” and “ Meir Ezofowicz,” are mainly concerned with descriptions of Jewish society. The subject is treated without prejudice and with great talent. The number of ladies who are novelists is very large, but two names merit special mention: Mrs. Gabriel Snieszko-Zapolska, the Polish George Sand, and Miss Mary Rodziewicz, whose novels ‘‘ Anima Vilis” and “ Distaff” are known to the English public, having been brought out*in English by a London publisher. The appearance of so many first-class stars on the Polish literary horizon had its effect on the previously large output of French novels, and the development of the literary movement was followed by an increasing demand of unprecedented strength, The end of the last century was marked not only by the appearance of a very large number of authors, but by their extraordinary talent, so that were one asked to name the greatest novelist in Poland, it would be impossible to select one from a dozen whose genius is pre-eminent. Dombrowski’s novel “ Death” is a masterpiece of its kind. Un- fortunately his other works suffer by comparison, and he will be celebrated as the author of one book. Waclaw Gasiorowski has written a whole series of novels from the time of Napoleon, two of which, one dealing with a descendant of the Stuarts and another called “‘ Countess Walewska ” (the mother of the Prime Minister of Napoleon III.), are in course of publication in London. The Polish Manchester “‘ Lodz” has been immortalised by Wladislaw Rejmont as “The Promised Land.” The Government, by sending Waclaw Sieroszewski to Siberia, unwittingly gave to that region a Polish Kipling, who discovered unknown nations in that vast country and depicted them with great talent in his novels and stories. Stefan Zeromski is the Polish Gorky, except that he has no personal experience of slum life. With the addition of the names of Baron Weyssenhoff and Casimir Glinski and Tetmajer, the list of great Polish authors may be complete. The most popular author of all is of course Sienkiewicz, but not as the author of ‘Quo Vadis,” but of “With Fire and Sword” and other historical novels which were found in the houses of the poorest peasants, and are the best defence against the Germanisation and Russification THE AUTHOR. of Poles. In this respect Sienkiewicz stands alone ; his work is partly shared by Alexander Glowacki, some of whose books are very popular among the working classes in the towns of Poland. One peculiar fact should be noted, viz., that all the leading novelists belong to the very oldest noble families of Poland, and in other branches of litera- ture the same class is conspicuous among the chief authors. History mostly dealing with national events is a very popular study in Poland, and the number of writers is extensive. The authors most widely known are ‘Tadeusz Korzon, Szymon Askenazy, Oswald Balzer, and Alexander Briickner. Essayists and critics are also numerous, Julian Klaczko, who is not only well known in Poland, but also in France, where his work on Pope Julius IJ. won him Continental fame, deserves special mention. Dr. Matlakowski’s work on Shakespeare belongs to the best of its kind in world literature, and most able studies may be found on Tennyson as reviewed by Dr. Swiecicki, Byron and Shelley by Matuszewski, French literature by Wladyslaw Jablonowski, Polish poets by Ferdi- nand Hoesick. All the English leading authors are not only well known to the reading public in Poland, but their works are discussed in periodicals and hand- books of literature, while many have their merits reviewed in essays, even such modern writers as. Hall Caine, Kipling, Hardy, and others. An excellent book on England was written: by Tadeusz Smarzewski entitled “Holidays in England.” It is by far the best study of life and manners in this country which has appeared in Poland; its judgment is sound, and the author's. appreciation is correct. Poetry also has many representatives, the leaders being Mrs. Konopnicka (also a very gifted short-story writer), Miss Jadwiga Luszczewska,. and Miss Terpilowska, whose poem ‘ Borys,” being unfortunately banned by the censor, is little known, but is a work of rare merit. As it dealt with the history of Rome, it was supposed to affect the Tzardom injuriously, and was therefore forbidden. Among the men the chief poets are A, Lange, K. Glinski, Arthur Uppman, Kasprowicz, and others. As arule short poems are the more numerous. Comedy is in course of revival. has many gifted authors who deal generally with local subjects. Of these the principal are Feldman, Jaroszynski, Kisielewski, Swietochowski, K. Zaleski, and Wyspianski. There is not a subject which has not been dealt with by distinguished authors. Even the cats found a historian in M. Jacques de Vermond Leonard, a Polish writer with a foreign name. In former — years Poland had her Moliére in Fredro ; now she — THE AUTHOR. The statement made in the Evho de Paris con- cerning the predominance of French literature in Russia caused me to look up statistics relating to foreign books published in Poland. The catalogue of Messrs. Gebethner and Wolff (large Polish pub- lishers) gives 1138 works, of which 222 are trans- lations. This makes two in ten to be foreign, more than half of which are English, a little less than a quarter French, the remainder being trans- lations from Spanish, Italian, Scandinavian, Russian, or other languages. The majority of foreign books are not novels, but publications for children or scientific works. Polish literature is very poor in popular scientific books or those which deal with trades of all kinds, as well as manufacturers’ manuals. In Poland there are more than 600 booksellers and above 100 publishers; over 2,000 works are published by the authors themselves, and given to Messrs. Gebethner and Wolff or any other leading book- seller (who also publishes on his own account) for sale on commission. The method of dealing between authors and publishers is exceedingly primitive: no agreement is made, but the author receives a certain amount of money in advance, gives a receipt for it in which he says that he has sold his book, or an edition of it, for such a price. The number of copies in an edition is usually limited, but no one can control the number the publisher may choose to issue. The publisher gives no written agreement to the author, but after five years from the publication of the work the author may legally sell it for the issue of a second edition to another publisher. The majority of authors are not professional writers ; they are landowners or have other means of living. Those who earn their bread by their pen are few, unless they work as journalists. Mr. Barrie’s two novels brought him larger profits than all Sienkiewicz’s works put together yielded to him, or indeed the combined publications of any vther five leading Polish novelists. With the exception of Sienkiewicz, no author would refuse £500 for a novel, most would accept £200 with pleasure, while the majority would sell their book for from £30 to £50. Ifan author is fortunate enough to secure the publication of his novel serially in a daily paper in Austrian or German Poland, and simultaneously in a Warsaw daily, he may hope to make from £150 to £200 in addition to what the publisher will pay. Many authors after aserial run are unable to find a publisher. With the exception of one daily, the Warsaw Courier, in most publications there is usually one original novel by a Polish author and one foreign one, generally an English one, as at the present time outside England there are not Many great novelists on the Continent. A trans- lator is only paid from £5 to £10 for his work ; 229 such novels, even of the best authors, are gel- dom published in book form. At the present moment “The Prodigal Son” is published by a Warsaw weekly, and a Warsaw daily is about to give serially “The Return of Sherlock Holmes.” Some of Kipling’s short stories are published in Lemberg. In book form I have seen the works of J. M. Barrie, T. Hall Caine, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard, A nthony Hope Hawkins, E. Hornung, Marion Crawford, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Gilbert Parker, and Mrs. Humphrey Ward. In Poland one may find many reference books. This is not the case in Russia. “The only Russian encyclopedia is about to be issued by Messrs. Brockhaus in Leipzig, but the Poles possess not only many general encyclopedias, but different ones on special subjects, as education, agriculture, Church, ete., and also many dictionaries of the Polish language, while the Russians have only one, and this was edited by a Pole, Dr. Baudoin de Courtenay, who is also editor of the new dictionary of the Polish language. Poland can also boast of the largest encyclopedia in the world, far larger than that published by the Zimes. The publica- tion of this work began in 1890, and up to the present forty-five volumes have been brought out, yet practically only a little over half the work has been achieved. The most wonderful fact is that the book is now published without a publisher! The Polish Harmsworth, Mr. Granowski, who from £20 made a fortune of £50,000 in a few years by the publication of various periodicals and farthing (not halfpenny) dailies, seeing that the encyclopedia did not pay, made a gift of it to the editors, who continue its publication. The work itself will be of great value, but owing to the lack of capital, with about 4,000 subscribers, the illustrations are scarce, and most of the contributors write for the credit of helping such a splendid pub- lication to a successful end. The work not only surpasses any other encyclopedia in the world, but has many original articles by 300 of the best Polish specialist authors. The Poles have in addition to this a good “ Literary Year-book,” in which not only the names and addresses of authors, periodicals, and publishers are given, but also those of the corps de ballet. The editor probably had heard something of the criticism of the Routledge Year-book, and to avoid a similar notice gave more than was wanted. One valuable fact given in the book is the particulars of all Polish libraries. A Polish weekly is published in St. Petersburg, but, being a pro-Government paper, is despised by the Poles. Unfortunately it is a masterpiece of editorship, and is read by all who desire reliable information as to what is going on in Poland and in the world. Really the Kraj is the best edited weekly paper in the world, being  228 works were translated into many foreign languages, especially Russian and German. If we do not reckon Sienkiewicz, only one novel, the last of Alexander Glowacki’s, “The Pharaoh and the Priest,’ has been published in the English language and appeared in America three years ago ; all the others are unknown to the British public. At the same time, Mrs. Elize Orzeszko began to write. Some of her best novels, as “ Eli Makower ” and “ Meir Ezofowicz,” are mainly concerned with descriptions of Jewish society. ‘The subject is treated without prejudice and with great talent. The number of ladies who are novelists is very large, but two names merit special mention : Mrs. Gabriel Snieszko-Zapolska, the Polish George Sand, and Miss Mary Rodziewicz, whose novels ‘‘ Anima Vilis” and “Distaff” are known to the English public, having been brought out* in English by a London publisher. The appearance of so many first-class stars on the Polish literary horizon had its effect on the previously large output of French novels, and the development of the literary movement was followed by an increasing demand of unprecedented strength. The end of the last century was marked not only by the appearance of a very large number of authors, but by their extraordinary talent, so that were one asked to name the greatest novelist in Poland, it would be impossible to select one from a dozen whose genius is pre-eminent. Dombrowski’s novel “ Death” is a masterpiece of its kind. Un- fortunately his other works suffer by comparison, and he will be celebrated as the author of one book. Waclaw Gasiorowski has written a whole series of novels from the time of Napoleon, two of which, one dealing with a descendant of the Stuarts and another called “ Countess Walewska ” (the mother of the Prime Minister of Napoleon III.), are in course of publication in London. The Polish Manchester “Lodz” has been immortalised by Wladislaw Rejmont as “The Promised Land.” The Government, by sending Waclaw Sieroszewski to Siberia, unwittingly gave to that region a Polish Kipling, who discovered unknown nations in that vast country and depicted them with great talent in his novels and stories. Stefan Zeromski is the Polish Gorky, except that he has no personal experience of slum life. With the addition of the names of Baron Weyssenhoff and Casimir Glinski and Tetmajer, the list of great Polish authors may be complete. The most popular author of all is of course Sienkiewicz, but not as the author of “Quo Vadis,” but of “With Fire and Sword” and other historical novels which were found in the houses of the poorest peasants, and are the best defence against the Germanisation and Russification THE AUTHOR. of Poles. In this respect Sienkiewicz stands alone ; his work is partly shared by Alexander Glowacki, some of whose books are very popular among the working classes in the towns of Poland. One peculiar fact should be noted, viz., that all the leading novelists belong to the very oldest noble families of Poland, and in other branches of litera- ture the same class is conspicuous among the chief authors. History mostly dealing with national events is a very popular study in Poland, and the number of writers is extensive. The authors most widely known are Tadeusz Korzon, Szymon Askenazy, Oswald Balzer, and Alexander Briickner, Essayists and critics are also numerous. Julian Klaczko, who is not only well known in Poland, but also in France, where his work on Pope Julius IJ. won him Continental fame, deserves special mention. Dr. Matlakowski’s work on Shakespeare belongs to the best of its kind in world literature, and most able studies may be found on Tennyson as reviewed by Dr. Swiecicki, Byron and Shelley by Matuszewski, French literature by Wladyslaw Jablonowski, Polish poets by Ferdi- nand Hoesick. All the English leading authors are not only well known to the reading public in Poland, but their works are discussed in periodicals and hand- books of literature, while many have their merits reviewed in essays, even such modern writers as Hall Caine, Kipling, Hardy, and others. An excellent book on England was written by Tadeusz Smarzewski entitled “Holidays in England.” It is by far the best study of life and manners in this country which has appeared in Poland; its judgment is sound, and the author's. appreciation is correct. Poetry also has many representatives, the- leaders being Mrs. Konopnicka (also a very gifted short-story writer), Miss Jadwiga Luszczewska, and Miss Terpilowska, whose poem “ Borys,” being unfortunately banned by the censor, is little known, but is a work of rare merit. As it dealt with the history of Rome, it was supposed to affect the Tzardom injuriously, and was therefore forbidden. Among the men the chief poets are A, Lange, K. Glinski, Arthur Uppman, Kasprowicz, and others. As arule short poems are the more numerous. Comedy is in course of revival. In former years Poland had her Moliére in Fredro ; now she has many gifted authors who deal generally with | local subjects. Of these the principal are Feldman, © Jaroszynski, Kisielewski, Swietochowski, K. Zaleski, and Wyspianski. There is not a subject which has not been dealt with by distinguished authors. Even the cats found a historian in M. Jacques de Vermond Leonard, a Polish writer with a foreign name.  THE AUTHOR. The statement made in the Evho de Paris con- cerning the predominance of French literature in Russia caused me to look up statistics relating to foreign books published in Poland. The catalogue of Messrs. Gebethner and Wolff (large Polish pub- lishers) gives 1138 works, of which 222 are trans- lations. This makes two in ten to be foreign, more than half of which are English, a little less than a quarter French, the remainder being trans- lations from Spanish, Italian, Scandinavian, Russian, or other languages. The majority of foreign books are not novels, but publications for children or scientific works. Polish literature is very poor in popular scientific books or those which deal with trades of all kinds, as well as manufacturers’ manuals. In Poland there are more than 600 booksellers and above 100 publishers; over 2,000 works are published by the authors themselves, and given to Messrs. Gebethner and Wolff or any other leading book- seller (who also publishes on his own account) for sale on commission. The method of dealing between authors and publishers is exceedingly primitive : no agreement is made, but the author receives a certain amount of money in advance, gives a receipt for it in which he says that he has sold his book, or an edition of it, for such a price. The number of copies in an edition is usually limited, but no one can control the number the publisher may choose to issue. The publisher gives no written agreement to the author, but after five years from the publication of the work the author may legally sell it for the issue of a second edition to another publisher. The majority of authors are not professional writers ; they are landowners or have other means of living. ‘Those who earn their bread by their pen are few, unless they work as journalists. Mr. Barrie’s two novels brought him larger profits than all Sienkiewicz’s works put together yielded to him, or indeed the combined publications of any other five leading Polish novelists. With the exception of Sienkiewicz, no author would refuse £500 for a novel, most would accept £200 with pleasure, while the majority would sell their book for from £30 to £50. Ifan author is fortunate enough to secure the publication of his novel serially in a daily paper in Austrian or German Poland, and simultaneously in a Warsaw daily, he may hope to make from £150 to £200 in addition to what the publisher will pay. Many authors after aserial run are unable to find a publisher. With the exception of one daily, the Warsaw Courier, in most publications there is usually one original novel by a Polish author and one foreign one, generally an English one, as at the present time outside England there are not Many great novelists on the Continent. A trans- lator is only paid from £5 to £10 for his work ; 229 such novels, even of the best authors, are sel- dom published in book form. At the present moment “The Prodigal Son” ig published by a Warsaw weekly, and a Warsaw daily is about to give serially “The Return of Sherlock Holmes.” Some of Kipling’s short. stories are published in Lemberg. In book form T have seen the works of J. M. Barrie, T. Hall Caine, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard, Anthony Hope Hawkins, E. Hornung, Marion Crawford, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Gilbert Parker, and Mrs. Humphrey Ward. In Poland one may find many reference books. This is not the case in Russia, "The only Russian encyclopedia is about to be issued by Messrs. Brockhaus in Leipzig, but the Poles possess not only many general encyclopedias, but different ones on special subjects, as education, agriculture, Church, etc., and also many dictionaries of the Polish language, while the Russians have only one, and this was edited by a Pole, Dr. Baudoin de Courtenay, who is also editor of the new dictionary of the Polish language. Poland can also boast of the largest encyclopedia in the world, far larger than that published by the Zimes. The publica- tion of this work began in 1890, and up to the present forty-five volumes have been brought out, yet practically only a little over half the work has been achieved. The most wonderful fact is that the book is now published without a publisher ! The Polish Harmsworth, Mr. Granowski, who from £20 made a fortune of £50,000 in a few years by the publication of various periodicals and farthing (not halfpenny) dailies, seeing that the encyclopedia did not pay, made a gift of it to the editors, who continue its publication. The work itself will be of great value, but owing to the Jack of capital, with about 4,000 subscribers, the illustrations are scarce, and most of the contributors write for the credit of helping such a splendid pub- lication to a successful end. The work not only surpasses any other encyclopedia in the world, but has many original articles by 300 of the best Polish specialist authors. The Poles have in addition to this a good “ Literary Year-book,” in which not only the names and addresses of authors, periodicals, and publishers are given, but also those of the corps de ballet. The editor probably had heard something of the criticism of the Routledge Year-book, and to avoid a similar notice gave more than was wanted. One valuable fact given in the book is the particulars of all Polish libraries. A Polish weekly is published in St. Petersburg, but, being a pro-Government paper, is despised by the Poles. Unfortunately it is a masterpiece of editorship, and is read by all who desire reliable information as to what is going on in Poland and in the world. Really the Kraj is the best edited weekly paper in the world, being 230 a kind of weekly Review of Reviews, with the best bits of other papers, in addition to contributions of some 200 correspondents from all parts of the world, and good literary original articles. « ALMAR.” +—~<>_ -—__- IMPERIAL POSTAL CHARGES. —— INCE the short article that appeared in the last number of Ze Author on Canadian Postal Rates was written, the report of the debate in the Canadian Senate has come to hand from our Canadian correspondent. We have taken the liberty of reprinting Sir George Drummond’s speech as it puts forward much more clearly and lucidly than we could attempt to do, the exact position of Canada as regards the United States and as regards Great Britain. It is hoped that the action of Canada will once again arouse some interest in this discussion in Parliament. The resolution proposed was : ‘“‘ That the atten- tion of the government be directed to the local, foreign and imperial postal charges, with the view of remedying certain ‘inequalities therein, and the Senate affirms the principle that the conveyance of letters, newspapers, books, periodicals, &c., should be at a lower scale of charges within the empire than at the time ruling with any foreign country.” Sir George Drummond spoke as follows : “In rising to propose this resolution I have to ask the indulgence of honourable members while I sub- mit some facts and figures bearing on the case. I desire to draw the attention of this House to one or two of the existing charges between this country and the United States and the United Kingdom, and to show, if itis possible to do so—as I think you will agree it is—that there are very wide and serious discrepancies in the rates current as between these countries. In Canada two cents per ounce is the present rate for the conveyance of letters all over the continent, both in this country and in the United States, while to England and the empire two cents covers only half an ounce; in other words, the rate is double that charged on letters to the United States. My resolution calls for an ex- pression of the opinion of this honourable House that the rates within the empire should be lower than those at the time ruling with any foreign country. The same discrepancy exists with regard to post cards. In Canada and to the United States they are conveyed for one cent each, while to England and the empire generally, the rate is two cents, again double. But the most serious discrepancy occurs in the postage rates for newspapers, magazines, and periodicals, which THE AUTHOR. Canada conveys to England at the rate of half cent per pound, while the rate from England to Canada is no less than eight cents per pound, and the rate from the United States to Canada is one cent per pound. It is difficuit to imagine on what principle the imperial government proceeds in charging a rate of eight cents per pound. It is in itself a monstrous rate, equivalent to $175 per ton, or say £36 per ton. In these days of cheap convey- ance such a rate is absolutely unjustifiable. It is quite true that mails from the United Kingdom have to cross the ocean, but it is equally true that the cost of conveyance across the ocean is much less than land conveyance, and if you take the extent of the United States and of Canada itself, if a rate of one cent per pound covers the cost of the land carriage, there is certainly something seriously wrong in charging eight cents per pound for con- veying the mails across the ocean. But I shall proceed to show that this rate, which the Post- master-General of England iniagines is a source of revenue, is evaded in substance and in fact. I am rather amused, and you will be I have no doubt, at the following remark of the Postmaster-General in the 49th report of the Post Office Department in 1903, the last bearing any reference to the subject. The Postmaster-General says :— “In reference to representations from the Cana- dian Post Office, I have agreed to accept news- papers and other periodicals from Canada for delivery in the United Kingdom prepaid only, at the Canadian domestic rates of postage. I regret that I have been unable to recommend to your Lordship the adoption of these very low rates in the reverse direction. I am of opinion that any rate of postage adopted for Canada must be eventu- ally applied to all other parts of the British Empire and I do not see any present justification for so wide and costly an extension of this unremunerative post. I have already said that I really believe that instead of the rate being unremunerative, it is such an exaggerated rate that, as in all such cases, it is sure to be evaded, and evaded it is. An institution called the American News Company, doing business in New York, imports all this literature by express at two dollars per hundred pounds to New York, that is two cents a pound, and then posting it by the United States post at one cent a pound, delivers _ it in Canada for three cents a pound, so that the Postmaster-General is to this extent cheated out of his revenue. Probably, if he reduced the rate to three cents, he would command the business and — make a handsome profit, but he charges eight cents — a pound and kills the goose that lays the golden eco, I ask this honourable House to consider the effect of this prohibitive rate, as compared with  THE AUTHOR. the rate charged by the United States, on the Canadian bookseller and distributors. The Cana- dian bookseller has this before him: If he accepts an order for a subscription for an English magazine or illustrated paper, he is in the first place charged eight cents a pound by the British Post Office, and then he has to pay to the Canadian Post Office one cent a pound in addition for the purpose of having his wares distributed, unless, indeed, he and the subscriber happen to be in'the same city, when he can do it by hand without the intervention of the post office. So he has to compete with an institution which can do business for three cents a pound, while if he employs the legitimate post office facilities, the postage on his wares amounts to nine cents a pound. Now that is a very serious thing. You ask, probably, as it occurred to me, cannot the Canadian bookseller evade the English Post Office in the same way that the United States bookseller does ? but he is met by the express company, which is, so far as I know, a United States institution ; while they carry such wares to New York for two dollars per hundred pounds, they charge four dollars to Montreal, and a proportionately high rate to other parts of the Dominion. Altogether, it appears to me that this rate is destructive to the business of the Canadian bookseller. It affects other classes also. I call every member of this House to witness, if he has not observed for himself, that the supply of read- ing matter of alight character is almost entirely monopolized by United States publishers, and the majority of English papers and magazines which come into this country are reprints coming from the United States and filled with United States advertisements. A Canadian magazine is almost an impossibility. Canada is flooded with United States literature and Canadian manufacturers are met with the free distribution of the advertisements of United States wares. This outrageous condi- tion of things is productive of many serious con- sequences. The United States magazine comes in filled with advertisements of the United States wares illustrated freely and distributed gratis, because out of the one cent a pound charged for the conveyance by post, the Canadian Post Office gets nothing. The charge of one cent a pound goes entirely to the United States government. If the publisher of a magazine in this country, with a limited circulation, struggling with the opposi- tion so improperly created by the flooding of the country with United States literature, has to im- port materials of any kind, type plates, prints or process plates, which are now so common, he is charged duty on them, but if a book is made up and printed on United States paper it comes in free. An arrangement made with the United States for the conveyance of this literature seems 231 a very easy thing. It seems fair to say to this country, as no doubt they do, if you will exchange rates with ourselves, we will carry all your maga- zines that you may send to us, and you will carry all we can supply to you; but in working it out, look at the discrepancy which results. The num- ber of publications, including newspapers, maga- zines and periodicals of all kinds, published in the United States, according to the census of 1900 was 22,072, of magazines monthly and quarterly 8,181 ; while the total number of publications in Canada is 1,227, of magazines, 169, so in entering into an arrangement of that kind we have to consider this difference. In addition, I have looked up some facts with regard to some of the magazines which circulate in this country. I am_ not going to trouble the House with details or statistics of the whole or even any considerable number of them. I will take only two. One magazine weighs 14 ounces, and is carried, as above stated, for seven-eighths of one cent to all parts of Canada. It contains 159 pages of reading matter and 106 of advertisements, on which there are 303 advertisements. Another magazine weighs 19 ounces, is carried for one and three-sixteenths cents, contains 112 pages of reading matter and 183 pages of advertisements, on which are pub- lished 457 separate advertisements. The more popular of the English magazines are now printed in the United States, and while they do not have anything like the number of advertisements to which I have alluded, they still have a fair pro- portion of United States advertisements. As against that we have nothing to offset, no quid pro guo, and I must say that it appears to me the manufacturers and producers in this country have a reasonable cause for complaint when they see the advertisement of rival wares to their own distri- buted at the expense of our government gratis, while if they, on their side, attempt to distribute advertisements or catalogues, they have to pay to their own government two cents per ounce. The difference is very material, but if they are satisfied with it, I have nothing more to say. A strong representation made to England, backed by the weight of this Senate, might probably fortify the hands of our government in dealing with this question, and do infinite good. I have no cog- nizance of the representations which have been made to the British Post Office on the subject, but the inference is very plain that if we are willing to carry our magazines and literature of that kind to England for one-half cent per pound, as against the eight cents per pound charged by the imperial government, our government is not to blame. I. have, in my resolution, made this statement, that— 232 THE AUTHOR. The Senate affirms the principle that the con- veyance of letters, newspapers, books, periodicals, &e., should be at a lower scale of charges within the empire than at the time ruling with any foreign country.’ Does that require any long argument? To my mind, it does not. This country has already shown how it stands by its preferential tariff, which, while I have always maintained it was rather a crude method of settling the difficulty, at least showed what the feeling of this country was, and I know that the country was behind the Government when it established that preference. It shows that the doctrine that there should be a preference within the bounds of the empire was the practically unanimous sense of this country ; not only so, but we led the way in the policy of reprisals adminis- tered to a powerful European government, a policy which was, in 1867, inaugurated by Bismarck him- self, when the German government had to deal with other countries. He put it in the most specific shape that resorting to reprisals, as he termed it, was the only way of dealing with foreign countries which discriminated against the exports of Germany. I am not going to deal with the general imperial question, but this I will say, that imperial sentiment, which is the deliberate policy of this country as affirmed, is the strongest and most effective bond of union in the empire.” Hon. Mr. Scott—‘ Hear, hear.” Hon. Sir George Drummond—“ And that in dealing with it in the miserable haggling way the British post office does, they are trifling with an important factor in the spread of imperial feeling and sympathy. The facts above stated prove that the present rates are in their operations unjust, partial, and prejudicial to the interests of several classes of our fellow citizens :— Ist. To the booksellers and distributors of literature who are sacrificed in favour of American organisations having the same business ends ; 2nd. To our manufacturers and producers who find the wares of their rivals in the United States advertised broadcast and distributed at the expense of the government of Canada ; 3rd. To the British publishers who have to meet the competition in this market of literature arti- ficially cheapened at the expense of the American and Canadian governments ; 4th. To the literary men and publishers of our own country, who have to maintain an unequal struggle against a flood of foreign productions ; Finally. In regard to the motion I have placed on record and hope to obtain the acceptance of by this honourable House, the imperial note with which it concludes is, I think, in strict accord with the present policy and practice of this country. Every one of my hearers knows that our rela- tions with the motherland and other portions of the empire are largely governed by sentiment. The debates now going on in England are almost entirely taken up with this subject, and the col- lateral one of retaliation. Now in this country we are in both subjects in advance of the parent state, we are in the fore- front in the practical adoption of a preferential tariff. We have shown the way to a policy of reprisal in our tariff relations with a great Euro- pean power, and I cannot conceive that any reasonable objection can exist to the terms of my motion. The party debates now running their course in Great Britain, centre on the proposal to give a fiscal preference within the bounds of the empire. Both sides recognise the value of the imperial sentiment evinced by the colonies, or affect to do so, but while one party advocates a tariff preference as a means of fostering this bond of union, by the consolidating influence of mutual interest, the other scouts any such step as a needless sacrifice, preferring to leave things to their own course. Indeed, the leader airily waves aside all such pro- posals as ‘ squalid bonds.’ Needless to say the latter view is not the view held in this country, but having made our prefer- ence and maintained it for years, having shown the practical value of the principle, even at some con- siderable sacrifices, we wait the answer of the mother country without excitement or haste. Now, I have nothing to say about the quality of the supplies we receive ; there are good, bad and indifferent examples, with, I am prepared to say, a preponderance of the best; but it is not Cana- dian nor is it English in tone, temper or tendency, occasionally very much the reverse, and generally and quite naturally, exhibiting a spirit of propa- gandism of American ideas and influences. The extent to which this supply has monopolised our market is largely due to the absurd, even monstrous, exactions of the English post office. I thank God that the good sense of our people has hitherto resisted and kept them immune to in- fluences of this kind, but I cannot believe that any statesman ean regard with indifference the continu- ance of this condition of things. ‘ Continual dropping wears the stone’ is a very old and a very true saying. You will observe that I do not advocate any exclusion of American reading-matter, but I do most earnestly protest against the practical ex- clusion—so far as prices can exclude—of the literature and news of our own country by postal regulations and imposts which are not justifiable, and which benefit the revenues of neither our own nor the mother country.” i ‘ 4 dg slag 4 THE AUTHOR. 233 MR. GRANT RICHARDS’ os UMMARY of the debtor’s statement of affairs at 17th January, 1905, date of receiving BANKRUPTCY. preparation for his autumn productions was greatly In arrear, and that to supply the necessary funds he borrowed £8,000 of the creditors, now treated as fully secured, on charges covering the series of order :— books entitled “The World’s -Classics ” ; the Gross LIABILITIES. | Expected to rank | SSETS istimate liabilities. (As stated and estimated by debtor.) for dividend. | (As stated ee ee by debtor.) pres La | | a | £ sll d. fc sd. ee) 44,301 | 0 | 8 | 368 Creditors unsecured... .| 44,301 | 0 | 8 | Stock-in-trade Ae ee STi 0 0 8,000 | 0 | 0 | 2 Creditors fully | bo | (Estimated cost £23,000.) : Lo secured £8,000 0 0 | Trade fixtures, fittings, utensils, | | | Estimated | &e. ee 150} 0 | 0 fed value of Copyright and publishing rights | 12,514 | 4 | 6 I securities... 16,920 10 8 | Lease of Smartt’s Building ~ 700] 0/0 | ——_——_ | Shares in a company ete 200/010 Surplus, to 1,004 Book debts— pet contra £8,920 10 8 | Good .--£6,994 6 10 | | — Doubtful 1,285 19 10 | 1 Liability on 3 Bad 108-12: 1 | Bills discounted SS other than (Charged to fully secured | debtor’s own | creditors. ) be | acceptances for | | Estimated surplus from securities | 620 | 0 | Oj cvalue cc. £620 0 0 | | held by creditors fully secured 8,920 |10 | 8 a | ————_— |_| Of which it is expected will | 41,195 |15 | 2 rank se i 250} 0 | 0 | Deduct Creditors for distrainable | } | rent, and for preferential rates, 3 Creditors for rent, | &ce., per contra ... 213 | 0 | 6 213 | 0 | 6) rates, &e. | es bo = | 40,982 |14 | 8 | | | Deducted contra. | Deficiency 3,568 | 6 | 0 ie i | a nee eee | 1} 2 | £44,551 | 0 | 8 44,551 | 0|8 | | | OBSERVATIONS. 1. The receiving order was made on the petition of creditors, the act of bankruptcy being notice by the debtor at a meeting of his creditors on the 10th November, 1904, that he had suspended, or was about to suspend, payment of his debts. 2. The debtor states :— (i) That from 1888 to 1890 he was employed by a firm of publishers, and between 1890 and 1896 was on the staff of The Review of Reviews ; that in 1897, with £1,400 borrowed of a firm of bankers and a friend, and since repaid, he commenced to trade as a publisher at 9, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, W.C., and that from time to time, as the necessities of the business demanded, fur- ther sums were advanced to him by friends and others, some of whom are now creditors of the estate. Gi) That the business grew very rapidly, the net profits since its establishment amounting to nearly £19,000 ; that in February, 1904, he was taken seriously ill, and for four months was unable to attend to business ; that on returning he found his sales had considerably decreased, and the work of leases of 2, Park Crescent, and 48, Leicester Square ; two life policies, and the book debts, and an accommodation bill for £1,000. (iii) That his illness caused certain firms to restrict his credit, and his expezses having been greatly increased by the rent of a new warehouse and a larger staff, he was unable in October, 1904, to meet his engagements ; that he then consulted his principal creditors, but owing to their inability to agree as to the proper course to be adopted, and to the mortgagees having obtained the appoint- ment of a receiver, negotiations for an arrange- ment broke down, and these proceedings were taken. 3. The debtor attributes his failure and insol- vency to his want of capital, over-trading, loss of profits owing to illness during the season of 1904, the refusal of his largest unsecured creditors to consent to a moratorium of sufficient length to enable him to recover his position, and household and personal expenditure, which, although ap- parently warranted by the profits, proved to be too heavy a draft on working capital. The debtor’s deficiency account is inaccurate, but he has under- taken to amend it.  234 4. The usual books of account have been produced. Many entries in the cash book require further and better explanation, which the debtor has been required to furnish. 5. The unsecured liabilities include £6,916 in respect of money lent; £11,259 for printing ; £10,913 for binding ; £4,713 for paper ; £1,576 for other trade supplies and expenses ; £5,048 for royalties due to authors; £1,220 for household accounts; £2,000 due to the trustees of the debtor’s marriage settlement, and £685 for sun- dries. A number of the creditors claim general and special liens over stock in their hands for binding and printing, and these liens are now under investigation by the trustee. 6. The debtor has been adjudged bankrupt. 7. The Official Receiver will be glad to receive from creditors any information respecting the debtor and his affairs. 8. The first meeting of creditors was held on the Ist February, 1905. Mr. A. H. Moncrieff, of 19, Ludgate Hill, E.C., accountant and trade valuer, was appointed trustee, with a committee of inspection. Ecerton 8S. GREY, Official Receiver. —_—____—__+—~>—_ FOREIGN PRESS-CUTTING AGENCIES. aes A USTRIA-HUNGARY. Concordiaplaz. BeLaium.—Bruxelles, European Press, 3, Place Royale. DrnmaRK.—Copenhagen, On Dit, Hobrogade, 13. France.—Paris, Le Courrier de la Presse, 21, Boulevard, Montmartre. GermAny.—Berlin, Berliner —_Litterarische Bureau, 127, Wilhelmstrasse, 8.W., 48. Hotianp.—Amsterdam, Handels Bureau Marcurius, Steenmeyer et Cie. Norway.—Christiania, Norske Argus, 21, Pruss- engade. : Sparn.—Madrid, Prensa de Madrid, 28, Calle de Serrano. SweEDEN.—Stockholm, Argus, Mlle. Andreson Observator, 5, Hamngaten. SwiTzERLAND.—Geneva, Agence de coupures de journeaux, case Stand 57. Unrrep States.—New York, American press information bureau, World Building, 61, Park Row. Vienna, Observer, Informatie A. IL. ~—_+____—- MAGAZINE CONTENTS. 1 BLACKWooD’s MAGAZINE. The Kingdom of Bath. By J. H. Lobban. The Scottish Religious Revolution. By Andrew Lang. THE AUTHOR. Book MONTHLY. 3y W. P. Ryan. CHAMBERS’ JOURNAL. The Grammarian of York. On Tavas’ Hill. CONTEMPORARY REVIEW. The Bankruptcy of Higher Criticism, IT. Reich. The Reconstruction of Belief. Py W. H. Mallock. Liberal Chnrchmen and “The Reproach of Christ.” By A. W. Hutton. Parliamentary Reporting : A Reply. By A. P. Nicholson, CORNHILL MAGAZINE. Autor d’Evelina: Some Unpublished Letters of Fanny Burney’s. By Walter Frith. Reprints and Their Readers. By Joseph Shaylor. Compulsory Classics. By the Hon. John Collier. By Dr. Emit Sa ee OE Schools and Colleges: A Dialogue. By Magister Artium. Mr. G. B. Shaw and the British Public. By Stephen Gwynn. FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. Maxim Gorky and the Russian Revolt. By R. L. Japanese Poetry. By T. C. Balet and L. Defrance. The Poetry of Thomas Moore. By Arthur Symons. Sir Thomas Lawrance’s Love Affairs By J. B. Firth, INDEPENDENT REVIEW. The Tragedies of Voltaire. By G. 8. Strachey. Stanzas to Tolstoy. By Herbert Trench. “ De Profundis.” By G. Lowes Dickinson. The Appeal to the First Six Centuries. Huntley Skrine. Caidan. By E. M. Forster. MACMILLAN’S MAGAZINE. Matthew Arnold as a Critic. By H. H. Dodwell. The Fellow Workers of Voltaire. By 8. G. Tallentyre- II.—D. Alembert. Ruskin at Hawarden. By W. Sinclair. The Ladder of Education. By Geo. Bourne. MONTH. Freethought. By the Rev. John Gerrard. “ De Profundis.” By M. D. Petre. MONTHLY REVIEW. Beethoven. By Arthur Symons, Popular Songs of Old Canada. By Geo. Stewart. The Later Bourbons. By G. W. P. Sainte-Beuve. By Ferdinand Brunetiere. NINETEENTH CENTURY, Musical Hours. By H.M. the Queen of Roumania (Carmen Sylvia). The Heart of the Mikado. By Suyemutsu. The Commemoration of Shakespeare. By Sidney Lee. The Public as Seen from the Stage. By Gertrude Kingston. The Luminists. By Arthur Nicholson. ‘An Artists’ Love Story. By Eliza Priestley. The Art of Classical Quotation. By J. H. C, Welldon. TEMPLE BAR. Hans Christian Andersen. By Arthur L. Salmon. The Last of Les Jeunes. By Laurence Jerrold. WorRLp’s WORK. Commerce in Literature and Music. Standing. There are no articles dealing with literary, dramatic or musical subjects in the Bookman, Longman’s Magazine, National Review, or Pall Mall Magazine. ‘ By John By Perey Cross  THE AUTHOR. 2 WARNINGS TO THE PRODUCER OF BOOKS. 3 — ERE are a few standing rules to be observed in an H agreement. There are four methods of dealing with literary property :— I. Selling it Outright. This is sometimes satisfactory, if a@ proper price can be obtained. But the transaction should be managed by a competent agent, or with the advice of the Secretary of the Society, IJ. A Profit-Sharing Agreement (a bad form of agreement), In this case the following rules should be attended to: C1.) Not to sign any agreement in which the cost of pro- duction forms a part without the strictest investigation. (2.) Not to give the publisher the power of putting the profits into his own pocket by charging for advertisements in his own organs, or by charging exchange advertise- ments. Therefore keep control of the advertisements. (3.) Not to allow a special charge for “ office expenses,” unless the same allowance is made to the author. (4.) Not to give up American, Colonial, or Continental rights. (5.) Not to give up serial or translation rights. (6.) Not to bind yourself for future work to any publisher. As well bind yourself for the future to any one solicitor or doctor ! III. The Royalty System. This is perhaps, with certain limitations, the best form of agreement. It is above all things necessary to know what the proposed royalty means to both sides. It is now possible for an author to ascertain approximately the trnth. From time to time very important figures connected with royalties are published in Zhe Author. IY. A Commission Agreement. The main points are :— (1.). Be careful to obtain a fair cost of production. (2.) Keep control of the advertisements. (3.) Keep control of the sale price of the book. General. All other forms of agreement are combinations of the four above mentioned. Such combinations are generally disastrous to the author. Never sign any agreement without competent advice from the Seezetary of the Society. Stamp all agreements with the Inland Revenue stamp. Avoid agreements by letter if possible. The main points which the Society has always demanded from the outset are :— C1.) That both sides shall know what an agreement means. (2.) The inspection of those account books which belong to the author. We are advised that this is a right, in the nature of a common law right, which cannot be denied or withheld. (3.) Always avoid a transfer of copyright. a WARNINGS TO DRAMATIC AUTHORS. Se EVER sign an agreement without submitting it to the Secretary of the Society of Authors or some com- petent legal authority. 2. [t is well to be extremely careful in negotiating for the production of a play with anyone except an established manager. 235 3. There are three forms of dr in three or more acts :— a i * . : (4.) vo the Pesformiing right. This a cane So ie ww who enters into f act sh stipulate in the contract for production of the piece by a certain date and for proper publication of his name on the play-bills, (2.) Sale of performing right or of a licence to perform on the basis of percentages on toss receipts. Percentages vary between 5 and 15 per cent. An author should obtain a percentage on the sliding scale of gross receipts in preference to the American system. Should obtain a sum in advance of percentages. A fixed date on or before which the play should be performed. (¢.) Sale of performing right or of a licence to perform on the basis of royalties (i.e., fixed nightly fees). ‘his method should be always avoided except in cases where the fees are ey to be small or difficult to collect. The other safeguards set out under heading (0, oly also in this case. oo 4. Plays in one act are often sold outright, but it is better to obtain a small nightly fee if possible, and a sum paid in advance of such fees in any event, It is extremely important that the amateur rights of one-act plays should be reserved. 5. Authors should remember that performing rights can be limited, and are usually limited, by town, country, and time. This is most important. 6. Authors should not assign performing rights, but should grant a licence to perform. ‘I'he legal distinction is of great importance. 7. Authors should remember that performing rights in a play are distinct from literary copyright. A manager holding the performing right or licence to perform cannot print the book of the words. 8. Never forget that United States rights may be exceed- ingly valuable. hey should never be included in English agreements without the author obtaining a substantial consideration. 9. Agreements for collaboration should be carefully drawn and executed before collaboration is commenced. 10. An author should remember that production of a play is highly speculative: that he runs a very great risk of delay and a breakdown in the fulfilment of his contract. He should therefore guard himself all the more carefully in the beginning. 11. An author must remember that the dramatic market is exceedingly limited, and that for a novice the first object is to obtain adequate publication. As these warnings must necessarily be incomplete, on account of the wide range of the subject of dramatic con- tracts, those authors desirous of further information are referred to the Secretary of the Society. amatic contract for plays ee ee WARNINGS TO MUSICAL COMPOSERS. 5 eae ITTLE can be added to the warnings given for the assistance of producers of books and dramatic authors. It must, however, be pointed out that, as a rule, the musical publisher demands from the musical composer a transfer of fuller rights and less liberal finan- cial terms than those obtained for literary and dramatic property. ‘he musical composer has very often the two rights to deal with—performing right and copyright. He  236 should be especially careful therefore when entering into an agreement,and should take into part.cular consideration the warnings stated above. 1 HOW TO USE THE SOCIETY. --—<>— + — 1, VIERY member has a right toask for and to receive K advice upon his agreements, his choice of a pub- lisher, or any dispute arising in the conduct of his business or the administration of his property. The Secretary of the Society is a solicitor, but if there is any special reason the Secretary will refer the case to the Solicitors of the Society. Further, the Committee, if they deem it desirable, will obtain counsel's opinion. All this without any cost to the member. 2. Remember that questions connected with copyright and publishers’ agreements do not fall within the experi- ence of ordinary solicitors. Therefore, do not scruple to use the Society. 3. Send to the Office copies of past agreements and past accounts, with a copy of the book represented. The Secretary will always be glad to have any agreements, new or old, for inspection and note. The information thus obtained may prove invaluable. 4. Before signing any agreement whatever, send the document to the Society for examination. 5. Remember always that in belonging to the Society you are fighting the battles of other writers, even if you are reaping no benefit to yourself, and that you are advancing the best interests of your calling in promoting the independence of the writer, the dramatist, the composer. 6. The Committee have now arranged for the reception of members’ agreements and their preservation in a fire- proof safe. The agreements will, of course, be regarded as confidential documents to be read only by the Secretary, who will keep the key of thesafe. ‘The Society now offers : —(1) To read and advise upon agreements and to give advice concerning publishers. (2) To stamp agreements in readiness for a possible action upon them. (3) To keep agreements. (4) To enforce payments due according to agreements. Fuller particulars of the Society’s work can be obtained in the Prospectus. 7. No contract should be entered into with a literary agent without the advice of the Secretary of the Society. Members are strongly advised not to accept without careful consideration the contracts with publishers submitted to them by literary agents, and are recommended to submit them for interpretation and explanation to the Secretary of the Society. This The 8. Many agents neglect to stamp agreements. must be done within fourteen days of first execution. Secretary will undertake it on behalf of members. 9. Some agents endeavour to prevent authors from referring matters to the Secretary of the Society ; so do some publishers. Members can make their own deductions and act accordingly. 10. The subscription to the Society is £1 1s. per annum, or £10 10s for life membership. THE AUTHOR. TO MUSICAL COMPOSERS. —+— + HE Society undertakes to stamp copies of music on behalf of its members for the fee of 6d. per 100 or part of 100. The members’ stamps are kept in the Society’s safe. The musical publishers communicate direct with the Secretary, and the voucher is then forwarded to the members, who are thus saved much unnecessary trouble. 1 +-_____- THE READING BRANCH. —+——» — EMBERS will greatly assist the Society in this branch of its work by informing young writers of its existence. Their MSS. can be read and treated as a composition is treated by a coach. The term MSS. includes not only works of fiction, but poetry and dramatic works, and when it is possible, under special arrangement, technical and scientific works. The Readers are writers of competence and experience. The fee is one guinea. Bg NOTICES. = HE Editor of Zhe Author begs to remind members of a the Society that, although the paper is sent to them free of charge, the cost of producing it would be a very heavy charge on the resources of the Society if a great many members did not forward to the Secretary the modest 5s. 6d. subscription for the year. Communications for “The Author” should be addressed to the Offices of the Society, 39, Old Queen Street, Storey’s Gate, S.W., and should reach the Editor not later than the 2ist of each month. All persons engaged in literary work of any kind, whether members of the Society or not, are invited to communicate to the Editor any points connected with their work which it would be advisable in the general interest to publish. Communications and letters are invited by the Editor on all subjects connected with literature, but on no other subjects whatever. very effort will be made to return articles which cannot be accepted. — 1+ The Secretary of the Society begs to give notice that all remittances are acknowledged by return of post, and he requests members who do not receive an answer to important communications within two days to write to him without delay. All remittances should be crossed Union Bank of London, Chancery Lane, or be sent by registered letter only. ——_—_——_+—>—_+___——_- LEGAL AND GENERAL LIFE ASSURANCE 2 SOCIETY. — + ENSIONS to commence at any selected age, either with or without Life Assurance, can be obtained from this society. Full particulars can be obtained from the City — Branch Manager, Legal and General Life Assurance Society, 158, Leadenhall Street, London, B.C. a  THE AUTHOR. AUTHORITIES. — + THE Dinner of the society has been fixed for May 16th, at the Hotel Cecil. Members will by now have received notice to this effect. As this is the twenty-first anniversary of the incorporation of the society, it is hoped that there will be a good attendance in order to celebrate the event. The first beginnings of the society took place in September, 1883, when a small company of fifteen men met in Mr. Scoones’ chambers in Garrick Street in order to form an association for the protection of literary property. The society was actually incorporated on June 30th, 1884, so that on June 30th, of this year it will have been in existence in its incorporated form for twenty-one years. It is unnecessary to put before the members the steady growth of the society and its constant increase. The larger its membership the ereater the power possessed by the society not only in moral force; but also in those very necessary sinews of war, capital and subscriptions. In 1892 the society numbered 870 members. It has now almost doubled that number and is still steadily increasing. The aim of the founders of the society will, however, not have been completed, until all those who write, whether composers, dramatists, or authors, technical or otherwise—whether they adopt writing as a sole means of livelihood or as a means of supplementing their income—have joined its ranks. This would mean a membership of not less than 3,000. We appeal to the good fellowship of those who write, and to that esprit des corps which ought to exist, amongst those who adopt the art of letters, as amongst the followers of any other art or profession. We hope that long before the society reaches its jubilee this by no means improbable dream will have become an actual reality. During the last three months we have had reason to comment on some exceedingly bad agree- ments which have been submitted to authors. The fact presents itself that on many occasions authors come to the society after they have entered into their agreements, and after they have bound themselves to accept unreasonable terms. There is no excuse for members of the society who get into this difficulty, for not only are warnings printed every month in “ 7e Author,” explaining some of the many difficulties, but these warn- ings are constantly repeated in different forms in ‘articles which appear in the columns of this paper. 237 There is, however, some difficulty in reaching the younger field of authors. It not infrequently happens that those young in authorship are ignorant of the society’s existence. Even when they have produced their first book it is almost impossible to find out their address. Publishers do not make it an invariable rule to forward letters addressed to their care. We must therefore request members to insist that their friends whom they hear of in the springtime of authorship, should join the society. ON another page we publish some interesting details of the Book Market, taken from the United States Publishers’ Weekly. During the past year the output of books has largely increased. During the same period in England also the activity in the Book Market has been considerable. ‘One point in the list is especially interesting—the statement of those books in English and foreign languages manufactured in the United States, and particulars of those works of English authors im- ported in editions. Of the latter there were 1,025. It is quite possible if the Government of the United States had joined the Berne Convention, or had thought fit to rescind the printing clause or simul- taneous publication, that these books imported in sheets might have been actually produced by the printers of the United States. When once the copyright is lost it is useless going to the expense of printing across the water, and it is cheaper to. introduce sheets. REFERRING to the authority printed in the April number of Zhe Author on the question of Russian piracy, a Polish member is kind enough to send us the following paragraph :— “In the last Author the statement made in the French paper, Lcho de Paris, was repeated oe that out of every nine books published in Russia six are French; this is far from correct. In the months of March and April, 1904, 298 books and pamphlets were published in Russia, of which 30 were translations from English authors (four books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and one by Jerome K. Jerome, etc.) 25 from German, 21 from different European languages—Polish, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish, etc.—and only 17 from French. Thus in all, 93 books were of foreign origin, or more than three out of every ten published in Russia and more than one in ten was English. These statistics applied to the whole year of 1904 will give exactly the same figures. In periodicals, English authors also lead, followed  238 German and Polish and then only by French The most popular novelist in Russia is by authors. 1 not a Frenchman but Mr. Jerome K. Jerome. Next to him stands Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One reason that fewer French works are translated into Russian than English and German is that publica- tions in these languages generally embrace not only novels but books on scientific subjects, and in this field the French are not regarded as authorities; another explanation may be found in the fact that a great part of the Russian reading public can read French authors in the original, therefore the demand for Russian translations is comparatively small. “What the Echo de Paris says regarding plays is more correct, although I do not know where the 2ussian found five hundred essentially Russian plays, and he omits to mention the number of English, Polish, and Italian plays which are also in the Russian repertoire. Is it necessary to look for them among French plays, or those essentially Russian ?” So much has been written in the papers during the month of April about Hans Christian Andersen and his position in the world of literature that the repetition of his life work is superfluous. We think, however, it is our bounden duty to insert a paragraph drawing attention once again to the fact that April 2nd, 1905, was the centenary of the birth of the great story teller. There is no writer of fairy tales possessed of the same poetic instinct. There is no writer of fairy tales who has been able to write with such deep insight into human nature. There is hardly a story which has not two meanings—its conscious meaning and its sub- conscious meaning. As in the parables of old so in these stories. Those who desire to remain ignorant of their hidden beauty can read them with infinite delight merely as children’s fairy tales, but those who search for truth can find the beautiful reality beneath. To the latter class of readers Hans Andersen’s stories will always be a valued treasure house. It is needless to quote examples, but some of the most self-evident are stories like “The Emperor’s New Clothes” or “The Ugly Duckling” or ‘The Snow Queen.” From whatever source he may have obtained his suggestions he still possessed a power in his treat- ment, entirely his own, and entirely beautiful. In the same way as Shakespeare was a plagiarist Hans Andersen was a plagiarist, but plagiarism in the hands of a genius is one of the greatest proofs of originality. Hans Andersen’s special appeal to future genera- tions will be made through his fairy tales. THE AUTHOR. THE GENERAL MEETING. oe HE meeting of the council (the shareholders) of the Society of Authors, was held at 20, Hanover Square, on March 30th, at 3.45, to consider and to pass the annual report. After the meeting of the council, the general meeting of the members of the society was held, when the following members were present :— A. W. « Beckett, the Hon. Mr. Justice Ameer Ali, Harold Avery, Mrs. Ada 8. Ballin, J. Tyrrell Baylee, the Rev. F. W. Bamford, Miss Clementina Black, R. Warwick Bond, C. E. Buckland, Miss Rachel Challice, Miss E. E. Charlton, Miss Ellen Collett, Miss Marian Roalfe Cox, Basil Field, R. Austin Freeman, Miss Hain Friswell, Walter M. Gallichan (“Geoffrey Mortimer”), Hubert Haes, C. Gasquoine Hartley (Mrs. W. Gallichan), Eyre Hussey, the Rev. H. N. Hutchinson, C. T. Jacobi, A. M. Jasienski, Mrs. Lechmere, the Right Hon. Sir Alfred Lyall, P.C., Miss M. M. Macpherson, Aylmer Maude, Miss Jean Middlemass, Miss K. L, Montgomery, W. Booth Pearsall, Mrs. Romanes, Charles Weekes, and J. H. Yoxall. Sir Henry Bergne, the chairman for 1905, opened the proceedings by proposing that, as usual, the report, which had been circulated to members of the society, should be taken as read. He then proceeded to comment on the most salient items. He thought the members might congratulate themselves on the satisfactory position of the society, for during the past year 233 members had been elected. This was the largest number of elections during any year with the exception of 1892 and 1893, when the elections totalled 260 and 246 respectively. The present membership of the society had reached the high figure of 1630. Sir Henry next dealt with the subject of copyright, and stated how fully the committee realised its importance to members of the society; that it had been impossible with any advantage to bring forward the question of domestic copyright during the past year, and that even if a favourable opportunity occurred, there were many great difficulties surrounding its dis- cussion, especially those connected with the position of the self-governing colonies. Turning to international copyright, he con- gratulated Sweden on its recent adhesion to the Bern Convention. ‘The list of countries which are now signatories to the Convention is as follows :— Great Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Switzer- land, Japan, Luxembourg, Tunis, Haiti, and Monaco.  THE AUTHOR. The society had, through the government, en- deavoured to persuade Roumania to join the Con- vention, but, unfortunately, without success. He regretted that one country whose market was of vast importance to English authors, was as yet outside the Convention. He referred, of course, to the United States. In this case, as in the case of domestic copyright, Sir Henry pointed out the many difficulties that had to be met, and explained that the committee earnestly desired to place the members’ interests prominently forward with a view to a solution of the problem whenever an oppor- tunity should arise. He considered that the gradual education of public feeling in the United States might, however, prove a surer means to a_ change in the present United States law than any representations from this side, and he certainly thougbt it would be highly inexpedient that any steps should be taken which could possibly provoke international controversy on the subject. Turning to the domestic affairs of the society he drew attention to the fact that the memorial to Sir Walter Besant had been placed on the Embankment. Finally, he dealt with the question of the society’s finances, and explained that the heavy expenses attending the loss of the action of Aftlalo v. Lawrence and Bullen, had made severe inroads on the society’s resources, but he was glad to announce that the matter had been met without the sacrifice of any of the society’s investments. He drew attention to the sum of £512 due to the society’s Solicitors. Of this amount £200 had already been paid, and it was hoped to pay a further instalment before the expiration of the year 1905. It had been necessary for the accountants to obtain an approximate estimate of the solicitors’ charges to the end of 1904, but as a matter of fact the bills for that year had not yet been delivered and would, probably, not be delivered till the autumn. It might, therefore, fairly be stated that this unex- pected strain on the society’s resources had been met without any serious inconvenience, and ex- pressed the hope that it might, ere long, be wiped out altogether, when the society would be financially _ stronger than ever. In confirmation of this statement he showed that although the balance against the society appeared in the balance sheet at £862, yet this was in reality covered, as the liabilities—legacy account £450, and life membership account £615—existed for the accountant’s purposes and could not be recognised as actual liabilities. He paid a well deserved tribute to the zeal and ability of his predecessor, Mr. Douglas Freshfield, for the manner in which he had conducted the affairs of the society during his two years of office. 239 Finally, he mentioned that in the case of the bankruptcy of Mr. Grant Richards, through the action of the society, an author’s representative— Mr. Aylmer Maude—had been appointed to the committee of inspection. This was the first time that the position of 7'he Author had been recognised In a question of this kind, and he congratulated the society on the event. He concluded by asking for any comments or suggestions from the members, which he stated would be carefully considered by the committee. : As no one desired to make any comments, he proceeded to the next matter on the agenda—the election by the members of the society of their representative to the pension fund committee. Mrs. Alec Tweedie, who withdrew under the rules of the fund, submitted her name for re-election, and was unanimously re-elected. Mr. A. W. a Beckett proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, pointing out how important it was for the society to have as its representative, one so intimately acquainted with Copyright and international affairs. The vote was carried unanimously and the pro- ceedings terminated. ee UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT. 4 T the beginning of the year there was a con- siderable stir among those interested in copyright property, owing to the fact that the United States proposed to pass an amendment to the Copyright Act, giving foreigners a delay of twelve months in which they might secure copy- right for translations. This produced a series of letters in The Standard from English authors on the present position of United States copyright as far as it dealt with the works of English writers. This correspondence again gave rise to considerable discussion in publishing circles and among those allied trades that were interested in the production of books in the United States. Mr. William Heinemann, the English publisher, happened to be in the United States at the time, and he was overwhelmed with questions, discussions and arguments in connection with the whole con- troversy. He explained to Mr. George Haven Putnam and other publishers that Great Britain naturally resented the unreasonable treatment English authors had received in the matter, and pointed out the lack of real reciprocity between the two nations. He was referred by the publishers to the heads of the typographical unions, which really could do more to push forward fair reciprocity than  240 anyone else in the United States. At present the dread on their part of losing the printing business stood in the way of reform. There are over four hundred typographical unions in the United States, the most important lying in New York and Philadelphia. Mr. Heine- man commenced his negotiations by entering into communication with typographical Union No. 6, which is the New York typographical union, and endeavoured to demonstrate that he, as well as they, were desirous of making money, and that their present attitude was against his and their best interests. After he had gone into the matter in some detail with the heads of Union No. 6, it was decided to hold a meeting and call together the representatives of all those trade combinations in- terested. Accordingly, on March 2nd a meeting was held at the Aldine Association, at which the following gentlemen were present: Mr. Scott (Century), President American Publishers’ Asso- ciation, in the chair; Mr. George Haven Putnam ; Mr. Charles Scribner ; Mr. Sullivan, International Typographical Union, Washington ; Mr. Donnelly, Typographical Union No. 6; Mr. Jackson, Typo- graphical Union No. 6; Mr. William Green, President Typothete, City of New York; Mr. 8. H. Eggers, chairman executive committee, Typo- thete; Mr. H. V. Boyar, recording secretary, Typothete ; Mr. William Heinemann. Mr. Scott opened the proceedings. He stated they had met to discuss certain proposals which had been made to them with regard to the obtain- ing of American copyright on English books and he would ask Mr. Heinemann to outline the plan. Mr. Heinemann said that he found on arriving in New York a good deal of curiosity with regard to the apparent indignation of English authors as expressed in a recent correspondence in the Standard. It would appear that under the amendment concerning copyright in translations which passed congress on February 28th, foreign authors would be at an advantage over English authors inasmuch as they would have twelve months grace before a copyright need be completed. As a matter of fact the amendment as passed gave only a very moderate sort of protection, although in its original form it certainly would have seemed as if it favoured continental authors over English authors. Mr. Heinemann expressed an opinion that, if a provisional copyright could be obtained by entering a work at Washington, with the option of completing the copyright within a period of say two or three months, that would be a very helpful measure and one which would certainly reduce the feeling of injustice that many English authors and publishers cherish at the present moment. THE AUTHOR. Mr. Putnam, who had been instrumental in getting most copyright acts passed in the United States, suggested that the only means of obtaining such a measure of relief would be by enlisting the co-operation of the typographers of America and he suggested that as Mr. Heinemann was in America at the present moment that he might advantage- ously meet the representatives of the different typographical unions and see what reception they would give to such a plan. Mr. Heinemann thereupon wrote to typo- graphical union No. 6, requesting a representative of that Union to meet him, and after meeting first Mr. Jackson of typographical union No. 6, and then Mr. Jackson again, and also Mr. Donnelly, representing the typographical No. 6, it was thought well to call a meeting representing all the interests at stake and ask Mr. Heinemann to out- line the suggestion which he had originally made to Mr. Putnam. The present meeting was the outcome of this invitation, and Mr. Heinemann wished to empha- size the fact that this meeting was an entirely informal one and that none of those present were in any way able to pledge their Associations, so he also, although vice-president of the publishers’ association of Great Britain and Ireland, spoke in his private capacity and with no mandate from the publishers’ association of Great Britain and Ireland. Mr. Heinemann pointed out that his wish would be that a copyright could be applied for in America in the same way that a patent was applied for—on specification with a period of say to or three months to complete the copyright. He pointed out that the typographers of America could only benefit by supporting this proposal and, in order to show it, developed the theory that whereas books, the sale of which was quite assured, would always be copy- right in America, those commanding only a limited sale or exceedingly expensive in manufacture would always be manufactured in the country of their origin as they are now—so that the only books which it was necessary to discuss in this relation were those which had a moderate success assured (not sufficient to warrant two independent settings) and experimental books. Of the latter a few might, if Mr. Heinemann’s suggestion was adopted, be lost to American printers, but he had found only a very small number, and a decreasing one, of such books which were experimentally published in England and had proved sufficiently attractive to be reprinted unauthoritatively in America. There remained then the large number of books which were set with no view to American copyright under the present manufacturin clause. These generally published in Englan with no reference to the American edition were LEELA RE RI  : i THE AUTHOR. 241 usually under the present arrangement, imported either in sheets or in the shape of English plates, whereas in many cases it would be worth while to take out American copyright after the market had been tested in England, could in the firsst instance a provisional copyright be obtained. This then was what Mr. Heinemann asked for, aud he dwelt on the fact that it would constantly enable the English publishers to bring out a book at the psychological moment, which under present conditions was frequently lost through the delay in taking out American Copy- right. Most frequently this was the case, of course, in the rush of Christmas business, when it very often happened American copyright had to be sacrificed in order to place the book on the market in time for the season’s sales. Mr. Heine- mann contended that a great deal of type-setting would be acquired by American printers, and a great advantage given at the same time to English authors and publishers by the adoption of his suggestion. ~ Mr. Scribner suggested that it would be quite necessary, if such an amendment were proposed to the copyright act, that some provision should be made for the supply of the English edition during the interim period, and he thought that the words “with the consent of the owner of the copyright ” should be added to the section of the present copy- right Act permitting the importation of two copies of any book for use but not for sale. Mr. Putnam drew a comparison to the present proposal with the proposal which now had become a law concerning the rights of translation, and he was not sure whether the period that ought to be allowed should not be thirty daysrather than longer. A general discussion ensued in which it seemed to be generally agreed that the period of sixty days was the most practical period. In conclusion Mr. Scott, on behalf the American publishers, intimated that they would support such a measure, provided a proper means could be found to regulate the importation of the English edition during the period between application and completion of copyright. Mr. Sullivan, on behalf of the typographical unions, intimated that the typographers would equally support such a measure, which was bound to bring printing into the country, and which would foster the good feeling and business relations between English publishers and authors and American publishers and printers, so long as no attempt was made to place the English edition on the market in the interim period and then try to obtain American copyright. It would be necessary to make quite clear that the measure was asked in order to give the fullest possible latitude to those wishing to obtain copyright without the risk of infringing the manufacturing clause to which they always would most jealously adhere. Mr. Green, on behalf of the typothete, agreed with Mr. Sullivan, and Mr. Heinemann, in con- clusion, assured the meeting that it had:never been his intention to ask for. this present measure with a view to circumventing the manufacturing clause, irksome as it was and always would be to English publishers and authors. —_—————+ += — ROBBING PETER TO PAY OUT PAUL. — HE Music Publishers’ Association on Friday, 7th April, unanimously agreed, as a protest against musical piracy, to issue no further new works by composers, to make no more con- tracts with executive musicians to exploit such publications, and to cease advertising the pieces already on their hands. This, assuredly, is a very drastic measure. Because certain tatterdemalions have made them- selves obnoxious by hawking about cheap and nasty reprints of copyright music, it is monstrous to turn round and smite the innocent composer by way of expressing disapproval of the law or conduct of the gutter-merchant. Mr. Carnegie has stated that Great Britain is not organised for commerce. With greater truth, he might have said that it is not organised for art. So taken up are composers in evolving harmonious effects from combinations of notes that they seem to give no thought to the value of social combina- tions for the protection of their business interests. Unfortunately, musicians have no Sir Walter Besant amongst them. Sir Arthur Sullivan, had he been alive now, would surely have taken up the cudgels on their behalf, not alone because of his sympathy with his professional brethren, but also on account of the pride he took in the dignity of his calling. To judge by the comments one hears, Sir Arthur, had he now been with us, would have resented the helm of the musical ship being taken possession of by the tradesman. The composer of the “Golden Legend” at this juncture seems to exemplify in the minds of a good many people the personage of whom the Waterloo veteran, Daddy Brewster, was so fond of saying, “ By Gosh! It wouldn’t ha’ done for the Dook ; the Dook would ha’ had a word to say over that!” There is no question here of the writer having any private axe to grind. THe is on friendly terms with several music publishers. In his limited dealings with them he has been satisfied with the results. The question of these lines being written ' 242 with any hostile intent against music publishers as a body may consequently be dismissed, together svith the idea which certain composers entertain, that, because they have come off second best in their dealings with publishers, the latter have an individual spite against them. Again, it must not be thought that the writer sides with Mr. Caldwell or approves of the tricks of the pirates. The point is that if wholesale infringements of copyright are grossly unfair to publishers, there is no reason to be unjust to the creators and originators of the works in question. A big meeting was recently engineered by the publishers at Queen’s Hall. At it much was said about the crusade against the music-pirates being mainly in the interests of the composer. It was necessary to emphasise this in order to create public sympathy. But does anyone imagine that the publishers, if they had not been primarily affected by the pirates, would have incurred the expense of organising a monster gathering simply to draw benevolent attention to the grievances of composers ? If so, the most credulous should be undeceived by the unanimous agreement now come to by the Publishers’ Association to stop summarily the sale of any new works. What with the devilish tricks of the pirate king on the one hand, and the deep schemes of Associated Publishers on the other, it would appear that the unenviable Briton, who happens to live by composing music is, at the present time, between the devil and the deep sea. Hitherto, nothing has prevented his casting his bread upon the waters of the deep sea on the chance of its being returned to him after many days in the guise of royalties. Now even this small consolation is ruthlessly taken from him. Composers themselves have a right to inquire whether the trade received the sanction of the heads of the musical profession before discharging such a bomb-shell in their midst. Have Composers BEEN CONSULTED ? Can it be possible that the trade have been counselled by musicians as a body to place this Mount Ossa of their (the latter’s) unpublished works upon the Mount Pelion of the pirates in order to enable the publishers to scale the heavens of their business with more facility ? Robert Adam, the Scots writer, many years ago, maintained that “we show wisdom by decent conformity to social etiquette.” If there is no “ Dook” to say a word for composers, the Publishers’ Association would have shown wisdom, when announcing to the world their decrees regarding what they intended to do with the brain productions of musicians, if they had been able to preface the display of their own names by stating that the resolution come to had been THE AUTHOR. recommended by Sir Hubert Parry, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Sir Frederick Bridge, Sir Villiers Stanford, Sir Edward Elgar, Dr. Cowen, Dr. Prout, Dr. Cummings, Dr. José, Dr. Culwick, Messrs. Macfarren, Algernon Ashton, German, Hamish McCunn, Tosti, Stephen Adams, Lionel Monckton, Sidney Jones, Leslie Stuart, and other distinguished men, who, in reality, ought to steer the ship of music in this country. Had this been done, it would have given to the manifesto what Dr. Johnson calls ‘‘ the true effect of genuine politeness.” Yet it is scarcely to be believed that composers as a body would have voted in favour of this resolution. If, thoughtlessly, individual musi- cians, on being assured that all the others have sanctioned the step taken, have agreed to it, it would appear that the recent valiant talk at Birm- ingham and elsewhere, about the coming school of British composers, has been naught save a vain flow of idle words. Assuming that the firms constituting the Music Publishers’ Association are able to do as they please with the composers, the instinct of self-preservation should impel the latter to cultivate more of the spirit of self-help which the late Samuel Smiles declared ‘‘ constitutes the true source of national vigour and strength.” It is futile for the com- poser, whose source of income can be cut off at any time by the fiat of the Publishers’ Association, to cry out that “nothing can be done against the publishers.” It were better for him if he remem- bered how Beethoven altered the pious inscription put by Moscheles at the end of his arrangement of “Fidelio.” It was “Finale, WITH GOD’s HELP.” To this Beethoven added “O man, help thyself.” This is precisely what the publishers are doing. Being men of business, they are helping them- selves. If the rank and file of composers were more wide-awake, they would do the like. They will not realise that limited liability business houses are not philanthropic institutions. The business man is in trade to make money, and indi- viduals born with the money-making gift take advantage of every circumstance to that end. When Cecil Rhodes arrived at Kimberley and witnessed hundreds of competitive miners engaged in extracting carboniferous gems from the earth, he realised that, under such circumstances, the supply would soon exceed the demand. It was evident to him that, as soon as the gems were no longer precious, they would go out of fashion and the mining community would suffer. What did he do? He persuaded the many competitive firms to combine as certain of the publishing houses have combined. Then some of the mines were closed down, even as, at the present time, the publishers have drastically stopped the output of new music. By thus controlling the market the  THE AUTHOR. prices of Kimberley diamonds were raised, and Mr. Rhodes, together with his associates, realised enormous fortunes. In doing this they inflicted no sufferings on dead diamonds ; but the clever com- poser happens to be a living creature. If his activities are stopped, mental and physical distress follows. An apt parallel in regard. to the stoppage of artistic output obtains to-day in Paris. According to Frances Keyser, “it is an open secret that the Autumn Salon is, in a great measure, manceuvred by the picture dealers.” The Rue Laffitte virtually controls the output of the artist. From among the hundreds of talented and obscure painters living in garrets called studios, one is selected by the fraternity of dealers, who possesses the qualities of originality and prolificacy. A couple of fur- coated delegates visit the poor artist and make a bid for all his work. The canvasses which have been accumulating in his garret after rejection by everyone to whom they have been shown, are will- ingly sold. A contract to buy up prospectively at a price all pictures the artist can paint is gladly entered into. The dealers next proceed to make a market for these productions. Invitations are sent to a select circle of amateurs to view privately the new “impressionist ” paintings. Public curiosity is aroused by paragraphs in the newspapers. Next, one of these much talked about pictures is included in a collection offered at a fashionable auction. The dealers bid against each other. They buy the picture at a high price, dividing the loss amongst themselves. Such tactics are pursued until a genuine bidder intervenes, and a huge profit is made. The syndicate, who possess all the pictures by the same artist, then proceed to reap their harvest. “This,” says Frances Keyser in her article, “ Parisians of Paris,” published in Zhe King some months ago, “has occurred with the unfortunate and talented Dutch painter, Jongkind, with Sisley and others, who died in poverty whilst the Rue Laffitte filled its coffers.” I cite these examples with no hostile spirit towards any person in the music trade, but merely to emphasise how, in business, it is to the interest of composers to look after themselves. It takes two to make a bargain. If it is to the advantage of dealers or publishers to get the control of the output of certain composers, and shut down the market as regards all the others, it is equally the concern of the creators of musical works to take care that no such injustice to the profession as a body can possibly happen. From the stand- point of the tradesman who is in business to make money, and therefore to buy at the lowest possible price and sell at the highest figure, he is perfectly justified in taking advantage of cir- cumstances to make a corner in any commodity, 243 whether it be wheat or music. If his conscience is troubled he has merely to repeat mentally the dictum of Diogenes that ‘ No man is wronged but by himself.” I maintain that the composer is being wronged at the present time by himself. If his leaders are asleep and utter no protest against the publishers for arrogating to themselves the right of vetoing the creations of the musical mind being made public, those adversely affected may well exclaim with old Daddy Brewster, “It wouldn’t ha’ done for the Dook! No, by Jimini! the Dook would ha’ had a word there.” Some years ago Sir Walter Besant gave a dinner at the Saville Club. It was attended by Sir Hubert Parry, Sir Villiers Stanford, Sir Alex- ander Mackenzie, and other stars of the musical firmament. Amongst the guests, if I mistake not, was the Secretary of the Incorporated Society of Authors. For the enlightenment of musicians I beg to be permitted to note here that he is a solicitor, who, for thirteen years, has devoted him- self to the study of intricate questions of copyright, and the way they affect producers of literary, pictorial, dramatic, or musical works. Seeing how much writers and dramatists had benefitted by the work of the Society of Authors, Sir Walter Besant was anxious that the aid given to creators of literary, pictorial and dramatic works should be extended to musical composers. In the course of his duties with the members of the Authors’ Society, the Secretary had noticed not one but many agreements between composers and publishers—for a few musical composers are members—which showed that most musicians lacked even a rudimentary knowledge of business whatever their artistic abilities might be. It was apparent that certain composers were unable to protect their own interests, because they failed to understand the wording of the documents they signed, and the legal effect of many of the technical phrases. The outcome of that meeting at the Saville Club was the formation of a music sub-committee in connection with the Incorporated Society of / Authors. Its purpose was, before composers had their works published, to advise them in an expert manner, so that, while they made the best bargain possible, their interests should be legally pro- tected. In addition the Society undertook to check and sign, on behalf of composers, all copies printed by publishers before they were offered for sale. In cases of infringement of copyright the machinery of the Society was also placed at the disposal of musicians. Surely there was some practical advantage to be derived by the musical community from such a proposal. Yet, the fact remains that, whilst the sub- committees dealing with Literary Copyright, Art 244 _ and Drama have done good work and prosper, the | Society being strongly supported by many in these branches of art, the sub-committee on music has died through lack of interest or inability to under- stand its importance. That this should have happened seems strange, when it is difficult, at the present time, to meet a musical composer who has not some sort of grievance or dissatisfaction with regard to his published works which weighs heavily on his mind. It would appear that whilst the soul of the musician organises his brain and fingers to give shape to the most artistic dreams imaginable, he is so obsessed by these dreams that he wilfully disregards the desirability of collective organisation with his fellows in order that, when it comes to negotiating matters of business which affect the pocket, he may be regarded as belonging to a strong instead of a disunited and weak community. MusicaL ORGANISATIONS. I shall perhaps be answered that the Union of Graduates in Music, the Musical Association, The Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Musicians’ Company, and the Orchestral Association already provide all the necessary organisation. Do they ? Those institutions, indeed, command respect. First, the “ Union of Graduates” worthily upholds the dignity of all who have taken University degrees and, under the energetic leadership of Mr. Southgate, exposes anyone who lays claim in public to bogus honours. Secondly, the learned “Musical Association,” which devotes its attention to the reading, discussing and publication of addresses dealing with the history, principles and criticism of music, is a dignified body which has done, unostentatiously, good work. ‘Thirdly, the “Incorporated Society of Musicians,” with its two thousand members, provides valuable opportunities for social intercourse between qualified professional musicians. It maintains an orphanage, gets re- ductions from railway companies and at hotels for its members, conducts excellent examinations throughout the Kingdom, advocates the registra- tion of all bond fide music teachers, and has made itself indispensable in many ways to those who belong to it. Fourthly, the Musicians’ Company, especially of late, has accomplished a good deal in promoting the cause of music by holding an exhibition of priceless manuscripts and ancient instruments, supplementing these by a series of lectures at Fishmongers’ Hall. It also bestows yearly a coveted reward alternately on the best student of the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College, and Guildhall School. Lastly, the “Orchestral Association”? busies itself with the THE AUTHOR. affairs of orchestral musicians, and is a very useful body, But the executive of none of these organisations has taken up the work of giving legal advice to composers regarding questions of musical copy- right, the drawing up of mutual business-like agreements with publishers, or of obtaining redress when the rights of composers have been infringed. To carry out such work successfully requires special knowledge and proper legal machinery, and none of the societies in question possesses among its officers an expert in the laws of copyright and cognate matters whose chief duty it is to advise individual members of the organisations alluded to. This fact seems to strike home to not a few musicians at the present time, when the Pub- lishers’ Association have decided to do as they please with composers. The want of legal pro- tection against street piracy is, of course, a matter calling for remedy. For the grievance to be re- dressed by the publishers making a scapegoat of the guiltless composer shows that the chief need of the latter is his lack of a business knowledge of how to take care of himself. It is as bad as if a bank manager, because a burglar pilfered the safe, turned round and gave his senior partner a black eye Surely, if forcible measures had to be taken, the first people to have been asked about it should have been the composers. Perhaps it was not to the interests of publishers to ask for such per- mission, music trade houses being run with the object of making money and not as benevolent institutions. Creators of literary, dramatic and other, works of commercial value have already found that out. Until those producers protected themselves, tradesmen had a tendency to take the affairs of the artist into their own hands and do with them as they pleased. There are other ways of amending copyright laws than by taking away the bread and butter from the composer. How Composers CAN REMEDY THEIR GRIEVANCE. To establish a new and representative society to deal with this matter is out of the question at a time when taxation and local rates press more severely on the composer of average merit and ability than on almost any other class, he having to keep up appearances, codite que covite. To expect the most prominent men in_ the musical world, whose time is fully oceupied, to worry over the business and legal affairs of their less fortunate brethren is unreasonable, and advice on such subjects is of little use unless it is given by an expert.  THER AUTHOR. What is wanted is that a representative of a responsible office, acquainted with business routine, who understands the requirements and views of composers and has their confidence, should be available for consultation at stated hours. The office of the Incorporated Society of Authors is always available for that purpose, whether it is supported by a musical sub-committee or not, and its exceptional knowledge of copyright law could be utilised by the musical community. They would then find themselves able to give expression to their wishes in a collective way, as they ought to be given at the present time, so that their rights, as a body, could neither be played with nor ignored. Perhaps the most practical step would be for the leading composers again to come together, and asking the Society once more to elect the musical sub-committee to joinina body as members. They would by this means not only strengthen the position of themselves and other members of their profession, but they would possess a united strength which they do not now. ALGERNON SIDNEY. $< —e_____ REVIEWS AND REVIEWERS. ae T seems as if it were becoming the fashion for women writers to attack the reviewers. We have been made acquainted with Miss Marie Corelli’s opinion of the latter folk: they are venial or incompetent, or both. Last year in a weekly paper appeared a series of articles in which the novelist who hides her identity under the pseudonym of “ Rita,” to quote the title, “exposes critics.’ Even more aggressive is Lady Florence Dixie, who has delivered herself of an onslaught in the March number of Zhe Author on what she calls “The Reviewing Sham.” Lady Florence Dixie asks if it is not time that reviewing should cease, inasmuch as it is a sham. She assures us half the books noticed are never read, “being merely skimmed through, quoted from, condemned or praised, at the whim of the reviewer.” She tells of a bundle of books sent her for review, which she returned, having neither time nor inclination to read them: ‘To have read conscientiously through each and pro- nounced an honest opinion of the contents would have taken me three hundred and sixty-five days instead of three hundred and sixty-five minutes, which is about the usual time allotted by the ordinary reviewer to the same number of books.” 245 _ Now, in the name of Truth—with a capital T, just out of her well—how has she made this calculation? Is it based upon fact? or is it a guess inspired by prejudice? And who, in her opinion is the ordinary reviewer? Is it Mr. Andrew Lang, or Mr. M. H. Spielmann, or the writer of notices for a small provincial newspaper ? Really I cannot help thinking we have some right to expect further disclosures. But Lady Florence Dixie excels herself when she continues : “I am not blaming the ordinary reviewer. ‘This personage reviews for cash.” How true! But why stop here? Why not tell us that the novelist writes novels for money, and the dramatist plays, and that the poet and even the poetess write verses without being averse to the receipt of mundane reward? But perhaps Lady Florence Dixie would prefer that only those who possess a competence should be permitted to pursue the literary calling. Does the reviewer ‘“‘scamp” books? I am inclined to think the man who writes for a high-class paper does not do so. This is an age of specialists, and books are sent to writers versed in the different subjects. A book on Dickens is sent to an authority on the life and writings of that novelist, who does not require to read every line of the volume to discover its merits and defects. Much old material will be included, and he will naturally pass by the letters and quotations with which he is familiar. Remember, too, the reviewer's business is with books. He reads quickly : some would say with incredible rapidity. It is a matter of training. The child spells his words, the lad reads a word at a glance, the critic sentences. In the case of novels the reviewer, by long practice, detects “padding” and can quickly arrive at the conclusion whether or no the book be worthy of serious consideration. If the book be valuable it will not be ignored. He has to peruse so much trash that a story above the average is read with avidity. It is an axiom that the reviewer is anxious to discover and proclaim talent, if only for the selfish reason that it redounds to his credit. He has the advantage over the publisher’s reader that it is not his business to consider whether it will sell. “Rita” complains, and with justice, of the reviewer who fills the space allotted to him with a list of misprints. ‘The man who does this irritates the reader, for he is so occupied with the compilation of the catalogue of trifling errors that he forgets to say anything worth hearing about the book. I think this class of reviewing is dying, as I trust is that which devotes itself chiefly to falling foul of the author’s preface to the exclusion of a discussion of the merits of the work.  246 Belated criticism is another of “ Rita’s” griev- ances. But all books cannot be noticed at once, if for no other reason than that of the limitations of space; and, if a review have any value, it will secure the desired effect even a month or two after the issue of the work. I have said, ‘if a review have any value,” because “ Rita” holds it valueless. “Does it not stand to reason that an author is quite aware of his own merits as of his own limita- tions ?”’ she asks. Well, I think there are few who will agree with her Some readers are excellent judges of their books, but as a guide for my reading I would rather follow the critic than the author. But ‘ Rita’ goes on to tell us that the author could never be laudatory, because the book written that seemed as perfect in accomplishment as it seemed in inspiration would never be written by any possessor of genius, “ for genius means that sublime discontent with achievement which praise cannot satisfy or blame discourage.” I fear I do not number any geniuses among my friends, but when any writer has proved he is the possessor of genius I will be guided by him as to the merits of his books. In the meantime I will pin my faith to the critics, as, I think, most readers will do. Much has been said concerning the effect of advertisements upon the reviewing columns. “Rita” assures us that an editor who receives a large and steady income from a firm of publishers takes good care that the books issued by that firm are tenderly handled by his staff. Perhaps there may be such editors. My experience as a reviewer is comparatively small, but so far I can say I have never been asked to judge a book gently because the publisher’s advertisement appeared in the paper, nor have I ever been handed a book to “cut up”; and, though I number among my acquaintance many critics, I cannot find one who has met with either practice. Reviewers are no longer, if indeed they ever were, the men who have failed in literature and art. ‘To attack reviewers is practically to indite the entire literary calling, for to-day the majority of writers are critics. There is the great man of letters who steps down into the arena to praise some book that has delighted him; there is the author-reviewer, who maybe is only an occasional critic ; and there is the journalist-reviewer. But there are few who live by reviewing alone. There- fore, when I read the attack of an author upon critics, I always want to know what papers he has been reading, Take the quarterlies, the best class of monthlies and weeklies: Zhe Mortnightly, Contemporary, Nineteenth Century, Speaker, Spec- tator, etc.; the great dailies: Z%mes, Chroniele, Telegraph, News, Morning Post, Standard. It is difficult to find fault with the vast majority of - aims. THE AUTHOR. reviews in these organs. An individual critic may be too easily pleased or too severe, but he writes to the best of his judgment. Those who complain forget that the literary editors would not tolerate dishonest reviewers on their staff. They will not send a book to a critic, who is a personal friend or enemy of the author, nor will they hand a work to a man who is notoriously out of sympathy with its Of course, when a man on a minor journal has to take all literature for his field, there may be cause for complaint ; for, though he may be an excellent judge of some class of work, he may not be able to form an opinion of any value concern- ing another. But, just as one does not derive one’s opinion of current fiction from the novels of Mr. or Miss Dash, so it is distinctly unfair to point to “ The Blankshire Herald” as a typical critical journal. I believe, however, that criticism is more honest in England than in any other country in the world, and the critic less likely to give expression to personal dislike of the author. Reviewers, being human, have likes and dislikes for different schools of writings, as every man of letters has his literary prejudices. To expect a reviewer to have tastes so catholic as to be in sympathy with all works of literature is to ask for the unattainable. Lewis MELvVILLE. 1+ “ K NEW BOOK FOR AUTHORS AND PRINTERS.* —_— R. HOWARD COLLINS has certainly done | \ this job extraordinarily well—so well, that there is really nothing to be said about it except to recommend his book unconditionally to all authors and printers, journalists and typists, proof-readers and compositors. In the matter of technical treatises authors have been half spoiled and half starved. Dictionaries, encyclopedias and gazetteers have been heaped on them ; imper- tinences about style and grammar come in a con- stant stream from people who cannot write to people who can ; but a codification of typographic usage has hitherto been lacking, except in Mr. — Hart’s little pamphlet, which was not in the general market. As to the ordinary school text- books of English composition (some of them * « Author and Printer: A Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctorsof the Press, Compositors, and Typists.”” With full list of abbreviations. An attempt to codify the best typographical practices of the present day. By F. Howard Collins, author of “ An Epitome of the Synthetic Philosophy of Herbert Spencer.’ (London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, New York, and Toronto: Henry Frowde, 1905).  THE AUTHOR. 247 actually in use at the universities), and the catch- penny guides to correct punctuation and the like, most of them would set every purchaser ridicu- lously and disastrously wrong if it were humanly possible to remember—or indeed in any real sense tc read—their ignorant and arid lessons. What was wanted was a man with literary faculty enough to write a bearable book, with judgment and common sense enough to hold the balance between usage and logic, with that rather special technical sense which enables a man to see the importance of apparently little and dry tidinesses, with an en- lightenéd appetite for socially useful work, and with means and leisure to devote himself to it. In short, a man in a million. Fortunately, he has been found; and his name is Howard Collins. The book is well planned technically. It is not a heavy shelf book of reference, useless to nomadic authors. It weighs only fifteen ounces, fits in the jacxet pocket, and yet contains éver four hundred well packed pages, more legible without spectacles than most dictionaries. In form it is a dictionary and literary encyclopedia, set in double columns. If you write “beleiveable,” and it strikes you as not looking all you expected, you turn the word up and find “believable—nof -able.”’ If you are in a difficulty about punctuation, or do not know how to mark corrections in your proof, you turn up Proofs or Punctuation, as the case may be, and find as many rules on these subjects as anyone can safely claim authority for. There are blank pages at the end of each letter to supply new references, or make good omissions, if you can find any. The price is five shillings. It is impossible to give a complete list of all the headings under which the references fall, for Mr. Collins has employed that elusive gift of the born indexer, an imaginative divination, often apparently whimsical, of the puzzles presented by the prepara- tion of books for the press, so that he helps you not only in your rational difficulties (which experience soon provides for), but in those addleheadednesses which often paralyze an author without rhyme or reason, Just as Roget’s Thesaurus is valuable because Roget was an oddity, so is Mr. Collins, too, in that sense, an oddity who knows that the right station for a lifebuoy is not always the most obvious place for falling into the water. As I began writing for the printer thirty years ago, [have not approached Mr. Collins’s book in the spirit of a learner; yet the first thing my eye lit on was something I had never noticed before: namely, that I have never in my life spelt M‘Gregor according to usage, always using the apostrophe instead of the turned comma, which, it appears, is right in O'Neill. I say “according to usage”, because in this, as in many other matters, there is neither right nor wrong. If there were, I could have argued the case out for myself. Usage in printing is like etiquette: it is mostly a matter af usage, not of morals or manners. The thing to be done is not important ; but it is highly impor- tant that everybody should do it, and be able to depend on everybody else doing it in the same way. In matters where reason enters, Mr. Collins does not hesitate to vote with the reasonable minority against the thoughtless majority. Take for example the usage as to whether inverted commas should follow or precede stops. In a sentence in which a quotation occurs there can be no question that it is simply a logical error to place stops belonging to the main sentence within the quotation marks instead of after them. But the contrary usage is so common that I have hardly ever had my copy accurately followed in this respect. Mr. Collins prescribes the correct way, following the careful usage of the few and not the thoughtless usage of the many. I do not praise Mr. Collins’s rules because they are invariably my own. ‘They are not. Every writer of dramatic dialogue soon finds that usages founded on the art of the essayist and historian defeat his attempts to convey a vivid impression of excited speech: for instance, that a torrent of questions and explanations cannot be represented by the stately series of separate sentences into which an inquiry into the characteristics of Marcus Aurelius can be broken. Yet even here I find that on the points at issue, Mr. Collins qualifies his rule so as to provide for me. Then again, every author with an eye for the appearance of a page of type (if any such there be) must by this time have several artistic quarrels with usages which have grown up during the period of desolating Philis- tinism which separates Caslon from Morris. Ever since Morris awakened our artistic con- science to the fact that a book has to be looked at as well as read, and that the most enchanting poem or absorbing story in the world may be made into a disgusting spectacle by vile manufacture and base materials, or, even more effectually, by elaborate and costly snobbishness, certain typo- graphical practices which are rational enough (however unnecessary), have become less and less bearable. Jor instance, inverted commas and apostrophes are so ruinous to the appearance of a printed page that people with cultivated eyes will finally refuse to buy editions in which The Merchant of Venice is printed ‘he Merchant of Venice’’; and don’ts and won’ts and haven’ts and: didn’ts (all quite harmless, pretty, and characteristic without the apostrophe) are peppered all over the page. Since Morris’s death the finest books produced in England, as far as I know, are the Ashendene Press books of Mr. Hornby, and the Doves Press books of Cobden Sanderson and Emery Walker.  248 But why did the Doves Press begin with a Latin Text to shew the noble type it designed on the lines of Jensen? And why did it go on to the Doves Bible now in progress ? No doubt because Latin and Scripture do not require the pepper pot. Mr. Collins leavesall this out of account. He even prints his title page in at least six different types, an outrage for which Morris would have slain him where he stood. But whilst I note the omission I do not blame it : on the contrary, I highly applaud the judgment and resolution with which Mr. Collins has resisted the enormous temptation to give a helping hand to pet reforms under the pretext of codifying usage. But he has not made the necessary rule an excuse for countenancing the slipshod abandonment of old usages, which are both handsome and correct. He insists on the use of z instead of s in the termination ize. He points out that £ should follow the pounds figure instead of preceding it. Both these usages are traditional as well as correct. Yet Mr. Collins is human enough to commit one crime. The blood-curdling vulgarism of pro- gramme for program is expressly prescribed by him. I must really send him a telegramme containing an appropriate epigramme on the point. G. B.S. 0 —— 0 CORRESPONDENCE. —1-—~— Tar ExtRAVAGANT DINNER. Srr,—It may be remembered how, in the spring of 1899, considerable dissatisfaction was expressed inthe columns of Zhe Author anent what was then regarded as the excessive cost of tickets for the Society’s annual dinner. I imagine such objec- tions will be renewed more forcibly, and with even greater reason, this year, when the coming of age of our popular combine is to be celebrated. It certainly seems to me, as it may occur to some fellow-members, that for so noteworthy an event reduction rather than increase in price would have been desirable. Thus the great army of scribes to whom half a guinea, with trimmings, is a distinct consideration might find it both con- venient and comfortable to attend in force so pleasant a function. I fear the price for many must prove prohibitive. Is it too late to hope that the cry of the less affluent penman be heard and suitably answered ? Authors’ Club, S.W. —— 9 —— Oup Birp. WantTED—— ! Sir,—When reading 7he Author I have often been struck by the want of something, which THE AUTHOR. may have occurred to other readers, though I have never seen any allusion made to it. We have the most interesting ‘“ Paris Notes,” from time to time we have the “ American Notes,” or “Cape Notes,” and latterly there have been the equally interesting ‘‘ Notes from Spain ;” but how does it come to pass that there are never any “Notes from Germany”? We surely owe a debt of gratitude to Germany for her literature, as well as for her deep scientific and philosophic research, and it is a matter of some surprise that no allusion should ever be made in the pages of The Author to the productions of modern German literature. Is there no member of the Society who could con- tribute a monthly paper on the subject, similar to. the French and Spanish papers which we already have? One of our highest aims should surely be to become more international—wider in our views. and opinions, and two of the strongest forces. towards the attainment of this end must ever be science and art. These know no limitations of race, and although literature—expressing itself as. it does through the medium of language—must be at a slight disadvantage in comparison with the other arts, yet in these days of rapid trans- lations even that barrier has been practically removed. There is one other form of literature upon which a competent paper would surely be welcome, though probably far more difficult to obtain, and that is the literature of modern Japan; not the old romances or living impressionist lyrics to which, for instance, B. H. Chamberlain and Lafeadio Hearn allude, and which they sometimes quote, but the war literature, the expression of the sentiments of an artistic people, with whom loyalty is nothing short of a religion. This were surely worth having, could we but obtain a reliable account of it, since in no other way can we, who have slowly evolved our civilization through centuries of experiment and failure, hope in the remotest degree to. enter into the feelings of a nation new-born from medigvalism, a child-prodigy amongst the grey- beards of the west—a true people of the Rising Sun. And by this entering into the heart and thought, the very soul of other nations, we join in and help to advance that great work for which so many are striving nowadays, the unifying of the nations. Not only every international congress, arbitration, or commission of enquiry, not alone — every welcome to some foreign soverign, shall help 5 2 towards this end, but—though more silently, it may be even more efficiently—the deepening of individual interest in the thoughts and ideals of other nations, the realisation of the deep underlying unity which is ours by virtue of a common humanity. M. Twycross. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Author, Vol. 15 Issue 08 (May 1905) Subject The topic of the resource <em>The Author</em>, Vol. 15 Issue 08 (May 1905) Type The nature or genre of the resource Publication Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1905-05-01-The-Author-15-8 publications The Author