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the mountains for the unknown life of the United States that the children might have proper educational advantages. It was while Miss Davies was in high school that she began to write for magazines and to earn her living by her pen. Despairing of ever getting a good education in any other way, she ran away to college. She went with five dollars and no clear knowledge of how she was to obtain more. She chose the University of California, where she had a wonderfully full and adventurous year. In spite of heavy class work she found time to bombard the magazines and managed to earn enough bread and rent money to pull through the year. At the end of the Freshman year, she won two literary prizes. At once she abandoned her college course, and left for New York, where, as she puts it, "there were real grown-up writers, and one might perhaps learn by looking at them, how they got to be like that." Miss Davies' success was at once remarkable. Poems of hers began to appear in the different magazines, she attracted the attention of the critics; every poem that was published meant new friends. Now the Macmillans are publishing her first book.

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""Now don't misunderstand. Please! We're not presuming to dictate. Dear me, no! We have always felt that the writer should be free to express that which is in his ah heart. But in the last year we've been swamped with these drab, realistic stories. Strong, relentless things, you know, about dish-washers, with a lot of fine detail about the fuzz of grease on the rim of the pan. And then those drear and hopeless ones about fallen sisters who end it all in the East River. The East River must be choked up

Say

with 'em. Now, I know that life is real, life is earnest, and I'm not demanding a happy ending, exactly. But if you could that is --would you do you see your way at all clear to giving us a fairly cheerful story? Not necessarily Glad, but not so darned Russian, if you get me. Not pink, but not all gray, either. mauve !'" Guest. Edgar A. Guest, of the Detroit Free Press, whose poems are familiar to newspaper readers everywhere, began business life as a boy of thirteen shining sodawater glasses in a Detroit drug store. One of the customers at the soda fountain was a bookkeeper in the office of the Detroit Free Press. To him Eddie confided his ambition to be a reporter. In the summer of 1895 the Free Press needed a boy in the business department, and the bookkeeper pulled the wires, and Eddie got the job. Two years later he became an office boy in the editorial department. In course of time he became a reporter, and later was assigned to the Exchange desk. There he began writing verses, and later, during a year's experience as "crime reporter," he continued writing verse at odd times between fire alarms, and began "column" unpublishing it once a week in a der the heading, "Chaff." His work was so successful that after a time he was called upon to furnish a "column" every day, and that has been part of his day's work ever since. The first book of his verses was published in 1910, and as no publisher recognized the value of the manuscript it was printed privately. Since then several other books of Mr. Guest's verses have been made by regular publishers, and in less than twenty months one of them, "A Heap o' Livin," went through eight editions, totalling nearly 50,000 copies. The first edition of "Just Folks," published in September, 1917, copies.

was

15,000

Harris. Joel Chandler Harris always insisted that "it was just an accident" that he. came to write the "Uncle Remus" stories. For many years he refused to admit that the stories had any literary merit, or that he had any other relations with them than that of "compiler." "All I did," he said, "was to write out and put in print the stories I had heard all my life." "I understand," he wrote

to Mark Twain, "that my relations to Uncle Remus are similar to those which exist between an almanac-maker and the calendar": to which Mark promptly retorted: "You can argue yourself into the delusion that the prinIciple of life is in the stories themselves and not in their setting, but you will save labor by stopping with that solitary convert, for he is the only intelligent one you will bag. In reality the stories are only alligator pears one eats them merely for the sake of the dressing."

In 1898, writing to his schoolgirl daughters, Mr. Harris said: "As for myself, . . . I never have anything but the vaguest ideas of what I am going to write; but when I take my pen in hand, the rust clears away and the 'other fellow' takes charge. You know, all of us have two entities, or personalities. That is the reason you see and hear persons 'talking to themselves.' They are talking to the other fellow.' I have often asked my 'other fellow' where he gets all his information, and how he can remember, in the nick of time, things that I have forgotten long ago; but he never satisfies my curiosity. He is simply a spectator of my folly until I seize a pen, and then he comes forward and takes charge." About the same time he wrote to Mr. Burlingame of Scribner's, in connection with the "Minervy Ann" stories: "I am very fond of writing this dialect. It has a fluency all its own; it gives a new coloring to statement, and allows of a swift shading in narrative that can be reached in literary English only in the most painful and roundabout way."

How Mr. Harris got his "Uncle Remus' inspiration is indicated by H. E. Harman, in an article in the South Atlantic Quarterly. Mr. Harman says:

"In one of his stories of farm life in Georgia, Joel Chandler Harris tells of a wealthy planter who wanted a few acres of original woodland cleared near a village in which he lived. Labor was scarce, but he finally induced a thriftless fellow in the village to do the work a man who had always been honest, but a kind of dreamer and 'ne'er do well.'

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"After a few days the man came to his employer and frankly confessed that he could

not do the work, although he needed the money. Pressed for a reason he said that the first tree he started to cut down was hollow and occupied by two squirrels, who made violent complaint at the destruction of their. house. The next was the home of a chipmunk, with a large family, and the third was occupied by at least four pairs of jaybirds. "That piece of woodland is a peopled city, throbbing with life, busy from morning until night. It contains their homes and families, they have built and lived there for years and I have not the heart to destroy what belongs to these helpless creatures." And out of that incident, simple but impressive as it was, Mr. Harris drew inspiration for one of the most graphic pictures in all literature."

CURRENT LITERARY TOPICS.

The Longest Poem. Which is the longest poem? One generally regards "Paradise Lost" as pretty lengthy, and Thomson's "Seasons" and Cowper's "Task"; but these are short compared with Spenser's "Faerie Queene," which is easily the longest poem in existence, even as it stands, and had the author attained his object and reached the twenty-fourth book, no other poet would have been "in it." It is only a quarter of the original plan, yet the "Faerie Queene" is as long as the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid put together, twice as long as Dante's "Divina Commedia," and three times as long as "Paradise Lost" and Paradise Regained" in one. Tit-Bits.

To Overcome Self-consciousness in Writing. Self-consciousness in writing is chiefly expressed in the literary style adopted with emphasis on the "style." The great authors write simply and plainly. The schoolboy goes after the "flowery" stuff. He goes into all kinds of agony in trying to express his ideas in a form of elaborate prose-poetry. He scratches his head, inside and out, for high-flown adjectives, and hifalutin phrases. If he writes a letter in reply to your communication, he "takes his pen in hand to indite this epistle." If he sends a manuscript to the editor he spills the dictionary all over the page. Don't do it! It is the mark of the amateur. Good writing is not done that

way. Read Mark Twain, and see. If you have any of the symptoms mentioned, or in other words if you attempt to do "fine writing," you may know that you are more interested in the writing than in the subject matter, and this means that you are chiefly interested in yourself. Simplicity, directness, and brevity are the great requirements, with as many words of one syllable as possible. The truth is that good writing is primarily a matter of good thinking. That's why most would-be literary people fail. You can never become a writer by learning to juggle words. You can only write well by learning to assemble ideas, and to express them without straining to be "literary." Carl Easton Williams, in Physical Culture.

BOOK REVIEWS.

THE AMERICAN ANNUAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY, 1918. Edited by Percy Y. Howe. Illustrated. 296 pp. Cloth, $1.75. New York: George Murphy, Inc. 1918.

The numerous readers of THE WRITER who use cameras in connection with their literary work will be especially interested in this handsome book. It shows in text and pictures the latest advance made in up-todate photography, and teaches the photographic art in its highest development both by precept and by example. The letter-press includes practical articles on photographic methods by experienced photographers, treating of more than fifty subjects, the wide range of which is indicated by the titles, Lenses with Reference to Hand Camera Use, The Choice of a Camera for Illustration Purposes, A Practical Fixing Tank, Paramidophenol, Nudes, On the Finer Uses of the Camera, and Direct Positives. The pictures, of which there is a great profusion, including more than a score of fine inserts and many other full-page prints, are most artistic, and in themselves are well worth the cost of the book. Contributions for the next volume of the Annual should be forwarded to Percy Y. Howe, editor, 422 Park Hill avenue, Yonkers, N. Y.

A MANUAL OF PERSONAL HYGIENE. Proper living
upon a physiologic basis. By American authors.
Edited by Walter L. Pyle, M.D. Illustrated.
Seventh edition, revised and enlarged.
Cloth, $1.75, net. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders
Company. 1917.

555 pp.

The value of this book, setting forth plainly the best means of developing and maintaining physical and mental vigor, is attested by the fact that six new editions of it have been required since it was first published in 1900. Meanwhile, it has been improved by repeated revisions and additions, and it is now gen

erally recognized as a standard book, telling how to maintain good health. Writers especially, who lead sedentary lives, may profit by its suggestions and advice. It points out that many cases of illness are preventable, and shows how disease may be averted by hygienic living. Unlike many of the socalled "health-books," this book is written by recognized medical authorities, scientific men of wide reputation, who discuss the hygiene of the digestive apparatus, the skin and its appendages, the vocal and respiratory apparatus, the ear, the eye, the brain and the nervous system, physical exercise, body posture, domestic hygiene, food, and the hygiene of infancy. Every intelligent family ought to have a copy of the book.

A FOUNDATION COURSE IN SPANISH. By L. Sinagnan. 278 pp. Cloth. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1918. ELEMENTARY SPANISH GRAMMAR. By Aurelio M. Espinosa, Ph.D., and Clifford G. Allen. 367 pp. Cloth. New York: American Book Company.

1915.

Now that the study of German in American schools has been so generally discontinued, the study of Spanish has naturally taken its place, and, besides, a great many persons are learning Spanish by self-instruction. Both for school students and for those who are studying without instruction, either of these two books will be a valuable aid. "A Foundation Course in Spanish" was written originally for the students of the High School of Commerce of the City of New York, and aims to present the fundamental rules and principles of Spanish grammar in simple form, taking up only the essentials, but presenting with each principle adequate, abundant, and practical exercises for its thorough mastery. The book was perfected by classroom experience for two years with many pupils, and students Spanish will find in it a practical and helpful guide. Espinosa and Allen's "Elementary Spanish Grammar also aims to present in a clear and logical manner only the important principles of Spanish, furnishing enough material in grammar, texts, conversation, and composition for one year of college and two years of high school work. The exercises are practical, in the form of interesting dialogues concerning school, city, and country life, and ordinary business transactions. The book is made more interesting by half-tone illustrations of Spanish scenes.

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ing a fund for the relief of disabled soldiers and sailors, and sending 12,200 men to the front and now in this book he depicts graphically incidents that have come under his observation, showing both the war's tragic side and its lighter side. As might be expected, Mr. Lauder's book, though serious in purpose, is lightened by constant flashes of his kindly humor, giving it a flavor which, combined with the interest of the stories that ́he tells, makes it most entertaining reading. BOOKS RECEIVED:

WHAT MEN LIVE BY, and Other Stories.

By Leo

Tolstoy. 66 pp. Cloth, 25 cents. Boston: The

Stratford Company. 1918. SONG-FLAME. Poems. By Amy Sherman Bridgman. 145 pp. Cloth, $1.50, net. Boston: The Stratford Company. 1918.

THE HEART OF NAMI-SAN. A Story of War, Intrigue, and Love. By Kenjiro Tokutomi, "the Japanese Tolstoy ; translated, with introduction, by Isaac Goldberg. 374 pp. Cloth, $1.50, net. Boston The Stratford Company. 1918. THE STYLE BOOK OF THE DETROIT NEWS. Edited by A. L. Weeks. 92 pp. Cloth. Detroit The Evening News Association. 1918.

PRINTING FOR PROFIT. By Charles Francis. 404 pp. Cloth. New York: The Charles Francis Press. 1917.

WHY ITALY ENTERED INTO THE GREAT WAR (Perchè
L'Italia è Entrata Nella Grande Guerra). In Eng-
lish and Italian. By Luigi Carnovale.
Large octavo, cloth, $2.50, net.
American Publishing Company. 1917.

Chicago

673 pp. Italian

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THE AMAZING STORY OF THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. I. Henry Litchfield West. Bookman for December. Το THE YOUNG WRITERS OF AMERICA. Robert Nichols. Bookman for December.

GETTING TOGETHER. A reply to Mr. Nichols. Charles Hanson Towne. Bookman for December. THE CHILD IN THE WORLD. National Interpretations of Juvenile Literature. England, Alfred Noyes; France, Marguerite Carrière ; Holland, Hendrik Willem Van Loon; Scandinavia, Hanna Astrup Larsen; Spain, Carolina Marcial Dorado. Bookman for December.

MAETERLINCK'S WAR MOOD. Montrose J. Moses. Bookman for December.

THE FAILURE OF AMERICAN OPTIMISM. Yone Nuguchi. Bookman for December.

TRIBUTE TO JOYCE KILMER. Marsden Hartley. Poetry for December.

CHARLES DICKENS, THE HUMORIST OF MUSIC. William Roberts Tilford. Etude for December. DRAMATISTS, AGENTS, AND MANAGERS. Author (London) for December.

American

ANDREW D. WHITE. With portrait. Review of Reviews for December. JOHAN LUDVIG RUNEBERG, POET AND PATRIOT OF FINLAND. American Review of Reviews for December.

CONDENSING OFFICIAL REPORTS FOR THE PRESS. William Whitford. Phonographic Magazine for December.

LINKS IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE NEWSPaper. James Melvin Lee. Quill for October.

THE CENSORSHIP OF THE PRESS. Oswald Garrison Villard. Quill for October.

ADVENTURES OF JAMES HUNEKER AS A LITERARY STEEPLE-JACK. With portrait. Current Opinion for December.

FOURTEEN COMMANDMENTS ON How ΤΟ WRITE SCENARIOS. Robert E. MacAlarney. Current Opinion for December.

DAVID MCKAY, 1860-1918. With portrait. Publishers' Weekly for November 30.

RELATIONS OF PUBLISHER, AUTHOR, PRINTER. F. Horace Teall. Reprinted from the Inland Printer in the Publishers' Weekly for December 14.

FLOYD GIBBONS. With portrait. Randolph Edgar. Bellman for December 7.

THE DEATH OF EDMOND ROSTAND. December 14.

ROBERT NICHOLS. With portrait. Wright. Bellman for December 28.

Bellman for

Richardson

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If you

way. Read Mark Twain, and see. have any of the symptoms mentioned, or in other words if you attempt to do "fine writing," you may know that you are more interested in the writing than in the subject matter, and this means that you are chiefly interested in yourself. Simplicity, directness, and brevity are the great requirements, with as many words of one syllable as possible. The truth is that good writing is primarily a matter of good thinking. That's why most would-be literary people fail. You can never become a writer by learning to juggle words. You can only write well by learning to assemble ideas, and to express them without straining to be "literary." Carl Easton Williams, in Physical Culture.

BOOK REVIEWS.

THE AMERICAN ANNUAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY, 1918. Edited by Percy Y. Howe. Illustrated. 296 pp. Cloth, $1.75. New York: George Murphy, Inc. 1918.

The numerous readers of THE WRITER who use cameras in connection with their literary work will be especially interested in this handsome book. It shows in text and pictures the latest advance made in up-todate photography, and teaches the photographic art in its highest development both by precept and by example. The letter-press includes practical articles on photographic methods by experienced photographers, treating of more than fifty subjects, the wide range of which is indicated by the titles, Lenses with Reference to Hand Camera Use, The Choice of a Camera for Illustration Purposes, A Practical Fixing Tank, Paramidɔphenol, Nudes, On the Finer Uses of the Camera, and Direct Positives. The pictures, of which there is a great profusion, including more than a score of fine inserts and many other full-page prints, are most artistic, and in themselves are well worth the cost of the book. Contributions for the next volume of the Annual should be forwarded to Percy Y. Howe, editor, 422 Park Hill avenue, Yonkers, N. Y.

A MANUAL OF PERSONAL HYGIENE. Proper living
upon a physiologic basis. By American authors.
Edited by Walter L. Pyle, M.D. Illustrated.
Seventh edition, revised and enlarged.
Cloth, $1.75, net. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders
Company.

1917.

555 pp.

The value of this book, setting forth plainly the best means of developing and maintaining physical and mental vigor, is attested by the fact that six new editions of it have been required since it was first published in 1900. Meanwhile, it has been improved by repeated revisions and additions, and it is now gen

erally recognized as a standard book, telling how to maintain good health. Writers especially, who lead sedentary lives, may profit by its suggestions and advice. It points out that many cases of illness are preventable, and shows how disease may be averted by hygienic living. Unlike many of the socalled "health-books," this book is written by recognized medical authorities, scientific men of wide reputation, who discuss the hygiene of the digestive apparatus, the skin and its appendages, the vocal and respiratory apparatus, the ear, the eye, the brain and the nervous system, physical exercise, body posture, domestic hygiene, food, and the hygiene of infancy. Every intelligent family ought to have a copy of the book.

A FOUNDATION COURSE IN SPANISH. By L. Sinag

nan.

278 pp. Cloth. New York: The Macmillan

Company. 1918.

ELEMENTARY SPANISH GRAMMAR. By Aurelio M. Espinosa, Ph.D., and Clifford G. Allen. 367 pp. Cloth. New York: American Book Company.

1915.

Now that the study of German in American schools has been so generally discontinued, the study of Spanish has naturally taken its place, and, besides, a great many persons are learning Spanish by self-instruction. Both for school students and for those who are studying without instruction, either of these two books will be a valuable aid. "A Foundation Course in Spanish was written originally for the students of the High School of Commerce of the City of New York, and aims to present the fundamental rules and principles of Spanish grammar in simple form, taking up only the essentials, but presenting with each principle adequate, abundant, and practical exercises for its thorough mastery. The book was perfected by classroom experience for two years with many pupils, and students ot Spanish will find in it a practical and helpful guide. Espinosa and Allen's "Elementary Spanish Grammar " also aims to present in a clear and logical manner only the important principles of Spanish, furnishing enough material in grammar, texts, conversation, and composition for one year of college and two years of high school work. The exercises are practical, in the form of interesting dialogues concerning school, city, and country life, and ordinary business transactions. The book is made more interesting by half-tone illustrations of Spanish scenes.

A MINSTREL IN FRANCE. By Harry Lauder. 338 pp. Cloth, $2.00. New York: Hearst's International Library Company. 1918.

A book of lasting interest is Harry Lauder's account of his experiences in the war. He has rendered useful service singing to the soldiers, living with them in the trenches, touring England raising money and recruits, stirring enthusiasm by an extended series of patriotic addresses in the United States, rais

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