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The kindred ideas, that journalism cannot be taught in a school and that the literary art cannot be acquired or improved under the guidance of a master, are combatted by the experience of Guy de Maupassant. First employed as a government clerk, de Maupassant studied literature under Gustave Flaubert, at the Lyceum of Rouen, as an apprentice learns his trade from a master mechanic. "Talent," Flaubert used to say, paraphrasing Buffon's epigram, "is merely long patience," and so he kept his pupil steadily at work. "For seven years," says de Maupassant, in the preface to

"Pierre et Jean," "I wrote verses, I wrote stories, I wrote novels, I even wrote a detestable play. Of these nothing survives. The master read them all, and then, on the following Sunday at breakfast, he would give me his criticism, and inculcate, little by little, two or three principles that sum up his long and patient lessons. If one has any originality, the first thing requisite is to bring it out; if one has none, the first thing to be done is to acquire it.'

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There is no question that the marvellous excellence of literary skill which de Maupassant attained was due to his training as the pupil of the author of "Salambbô." That a young author cannot learn from the experience, or under the tuition, of an old one is an assertion too unreasonable for belief. Flaubert and his pupil believed that originality can be taught - originality in style, at least, that shall serve the purpose of originality in thought. The way to become original, according to the master, is described in the preface of "Pierre et Jean": Everything which one desires to express," says de Maupassant, "must be looked at with sufficient attention, and during a sufficiently long time, to discover in it some aspect which no one has as yet seen or described. In everything there is still some spot unexplored, because we are accustomed only to use our eyes with the recollection of what others before us have thought on the subject which we contemplate. The smallest object contains something unknown. Find it. To describe a fire that flames and a tree on a plain, look, keep looking, at that flame and that tree till, in your eyes, they have lost all resemblance to any other tree or any other fire. This is the way to become original.

'Having, besides, laid down this truth, that there are not in the whole world two grains of sand, two specks, two hands, or two noses exactly, alike," de Maupassant goes on, "he compelled me to describe, in a few phrases, a being or an object in such a manner as to particularize it clearly, and to distinguish it from all the other beings or all the same objects of the same race or the same species.

"When you pass,' he used to say, 'a grocer

seated at his shop-door, a janitor smoking his pipe, a stand of hackney coaches, show me that grocer and that janitor, their attitude, their whole physical appearance, embracing likewise, as indicated by the skilfulness of the picture, their whole moral nature, so that I cannot confound them with any other grocer or any other janitor; make me see, in one word, that a certain cab-horse does not resemble the fifty others that follow or precede it.'

"I have stated elsewhere his ideas of style," continues de Maupassant. "They are closely connected with the theory of observation which I have just explained. Whatever be the thing one wishes to say, there is only one noun to express it, only one verb to give it life, only one adjective to qualify it. Search, then, till that noun, that verb, that adjective, are discovered: never be content with 'very nearly'; never have recourse to tricks, however happy, or to buffooneries of language, to avoid a difficulty. There is no need of the strange, complicated, illimitable, Chinese vocabulary, which is imposed on us to-day under the name of artistic writing, in order to fix every shade of thought; but it is necessary to discern with the utmost lucidity all the modifications of the value of a word, according to the place it occupies. Let us have fewer nouns, verbs, and adjectives with almost incomprehensible meanings, and more varied phrases, differently constructed, ingeniously turned, full of sonority. and skilful rhythms. Let us endeavor to be excellent stylists rather than collectors of rare forms. It is, in fact, more difficult to handle the phrase at pleasure, to make it say everything (even that which it does not express), and to fill it with hidden meanings, and with secret suggestions which are not formulated, than to invent new expressions, or to search in the depths of old forgotten books all those which have passed out of use, and which, having lost all significance, are for us only dead words."

That Guy de Maupassant was something more than a skilful word-carpenter, the verdict of the literary world concedes. That the excellence of his style is the chief merit of his work, however, cannot be denied, and there can

hardly be any question that that excellence of style is due to the long and careful training which the young man was given by Flaubert. In his case, instruction in literary art improved native talents which might otherwise have failed There to attract the attention of the world. is no reason why any young writer should not benefit us much by instruction given by any competent master of the literary art.

As for journalism, it is absurd to say that the newspaper office must be the only successful school for would-be newspaper writers. Modern journalism has well-defined practices and principles that can be taught by one who knows them as well in a school of journalism as in the office of a daily paper. The trouble with the schools of journalism that have come into existence up to the present time is that they have not been practical, and that their conductors have not been themselves adequately trained in the methods of the modern newspaper world. It may be true that no amount of instruction can make a first-class author or journalist of one who has not natural talent for literary work; but, granting the possession of such talent, in some degree, instruction in literary art or in the principles of journalistic work cannot fail to benefit the pupil, and to give him a marked advantage over one whose talent has been developed only by experience without a guide.

If the teacher and critic can do no more for the student, he can, at least, correct the pet faults of language which every writer's work displays. There is no author living whose work would not be better if it were "edited " by some possibly commonplace literary hack, whose instruction has trained him to detect blemishes in literary style. The proof-reader, much-maligned as he is, fulfils a useful function in correcting glaring faults that authors, even though they may be famous, overlook; but the proof-reader, as a rule, is cautious and over-modest, and many improvements that his good judg ment would suggest he hesitates to make, or even to advise. Nearly every author has some persistent fault in style which mars the perfection of his work, and which any skilful editor

Should a story suitable only for some given time (as winter, summer, Christmas, etc.) be submitted to editors during, or near, the season only for which it is intended? Would not a winter story sent in April or July stand a small chance of acceptance, especially as some editors accept articles for but six months ahead? On the other hand, should it be necessary to send manuscript to six or eight editors, each requiring an average of a month to give his decision, the season would be over before the manuscript would be sold.

A. W.

[Ordinarily, there is no objection to sending a "timely " story or article to magazine editors when it is completed, regardless of the time of year. A magazine editor is as likely to accept a Christmas story in January as at any other time, provided it suits his purpose. The only rule to be observed is not to send a "timely ' story to a magazine editor two or three weeks, or even two or three months, before the season to which the manuscript applies, with the expectation of having it published the same year. Nearly all of the popular magazines are made up months in advance. With weekly journals and newspapers, precisely the same rule will not apply. Weekly papers are not made up so far in advance, and a "timely " manuscript sent in two or three months before the time when it should properly appear has some chance of publication then. As for daily papers, it is not usually wise to submit a "timely" manuscript till within a month or two of the day when it

should be published. Newspaper editors delay making up special issues as long as possible, and their systems of handling manuscripts are often so defective that it is not prudent to leave articles long in their hands unless they are accepted. -W. H. H.]

(1.) When the manuscript of a book has been finished and is ready for the press, and it is desired that some noted person shall write an introduction to be embodied in the volume, is it better to print a single copy and ask him to read it and write his introduction, or to expect him to take the extra trouble of reading the manuscript?

(2.) When a writer sends an article to a publisher with whom he has no acquaintance and has had no dealings, does he set his price on the article, or leave the publisher to determine its value?

H. E.

[(1.) If an author desires somebody to write an introduction to his book, his best plan will be to have the printer pull a set of galley proofs, as soon as the book is set in type, and send them to the person who is to write the introduction. (2.) Unless an author is able to dictate his own terms to publishers, he will do better, in dealing with a reputable publication, to let the editor fix the price to be paid for his contribution. -W. H. H.]

Is there any redress for a writer in case of a manuscript being returned a year after acceptance, the reason being “lack of space"?

P. MCA. C.

[If an editor has once accepted a manuscript offered for sale, particularly if it is a "timely " one, it ought to be possible always to make him pay for it, whether he uses it or not; but whether it is possible or not is quite another question. If, as is often understood, he accepts the manuscript "to be paid for on publication," he is not, of course, bound to pay for it until he publishes it, and that may never be The whole matter is one which might profitably be brought for definite settlement before the courts. The difficulty has always been that since the supply of manuscript exceeds the demand, authors are in the position of suppliants with editors, and if they are badly treated, they are unable, or do not think it wise, to sue. — W. H. H. ]

How and where can I obtain a position as

translator of German and French novels and short stories? C. D.

[The only way to obtain work as a translator of French and German novels and short stories is to write to publishers and ask for it, at the same time submitting either references or samples of work, or both. As a rule, there is little chance of securing work even in this way. Translators are abundant, and work for them is scarce and poorly paid. An advertisement in papers that reach publishers might possibly secure such work, but there would be only a small chance of it. w. H. H.]

Cannot a writer's preference for certain spelling (as, for instance, among the different forms of Shakespeare's name) be respected? Can some style of punctuation be preserved in the printing of an article? How far have different publishers rules in those matters? And are those rules to be invariably followed? C.

[Different publishers have different rules, making up what is called the office style, and, in each case, manuscripts are changed to conform in matters of spelling and punctuation with the style of the office in which they are being printed. The only way an author can preserve in print his pet peculiarities of style is by arranging with his editor that the printers shall follow copy exactly and in the case of most authors that would not be safe. Sometimes it is possible for an author to have certain words - like Shakespeare's name, for instance — spelled in his article as he thinks best, even if his ideas and the style of the office do not at all agree. A circle around a word or punctuation mark and a line leading to the injunction, "Follow copy," written in the margin, will sometimes be regarded.-w. H. H. ]

THE SCRAP BASKET.

While reading in THE WRITER for April, 1892, the article entitled "Shall Writers Combine," by John Bancroft, I determined to tell you my "tale of woe." In November, 1890, seeing the advertisement of the Welch-Fracker Company, I determined to put a book manuscript of humorous sketches, entitled "Mirandy and Dan'el," into their hands. If they thought it worth publication, I would see what arrange

ments could be made. I had written quite a number of these sketches for the Burlington Hawkeye. After the very flattering comments of the Welch-Fracker reader, I decided to allow publication. J. L. Waite, of the Hawkeye, wrote an able introduction for the forthcoming book. The proof was sent to me for correction, and the contract between us was that the book was to be out May 1, 1891, I to send check for the $300-one-half of the expense of publishing that day. I fulfilled my part of the agreement, but, alas for the honor of that firm the firm, money, manuscript - all have disappeared, and I am left without either. I took every precaution, and was referred to Hon Francis Sessions, of Ohio, and he wrote me that he had found the Welch-Fracker Company all right. But since his decease, I have been informed that before his death, he, too, found them unreliable. Yes, it is quite time there was some plan by which an author may save his money and manuscripts from such misfortune. Maria M. Van Derveer.

LONG BRANCH CITY, N. J.

May I venture to point out an error in your May number? One can so seldom correct the WRITER that one cannot forego the pleasure of doing so when it is possible. In explaining the difference between "pathos" and "bathos " you quote Webster's definition of the latter as 66 a ludicrous descent from the elevated to the mean in writing or speech." Now, that is one of Webster's unaccountable blunders- of which he has not a few. Bathos is not a "descent from the elevated to the mean"; it is rather the use of the mean where the elevated should be expected. This is apparent when it is considered that a composition may be nothing but one piece of bathos from beginning to end, without being "elevated" in any part. The