8
THE BOOK SHELF.
[Conducted by ALBERT LEE, ’91.]
It is only within recent years that
literature has been generally recog-
nized as a profession for which one
must serve just as hard an appren-
ticeship and make just as serious a
preparation as thousands of young
men are constantly making in their
ambition to become lawyers, doctors,
artists or civil engineers. I doubt if I
am even now fully warranted in stat-
ing that it has been generally so rec-
ognized; for I dare say that any Yale
Senior of the present day who should
announce that, upon leaving College
he was going to study literature as a
profession would be sneered at clan-
destinely by a great number of his
fellows, if not openly ridiculed by
many.
A very general opinion has prevail-
ed that literature is a vocation that
may be embarked upon when every
other resource has failed. ‘“T’ll write
for the magazines,” glibly says the
young man who finds himself by a
sudden defection of fortune forced to
look to his own efforts for the com-
forts that have hitherto been provided
for him. He never says:‘“‘T’ll open a
law office,” or “TI’ll practice medicine.”’
Both would demand years of study
and preparation and, in addition, the
State would require some proof of ca-
pacity in the form of a diploma or
certificate. But nothing of this kind
is necessary for him who wishes to
practice literature,—and that is where
the pitfall lies. Yet, when you come
to consider the matter, the literary
man must earn his diploma as well
as any of his professional brethren;
and his examiners, the reading pub-
lic, form a stricter and a more nearly
impartial tribunal than either’ the
County Medical Association or the
Board of Regents.
The absolute necessity for long and
patient preparation before one can be °
YALE ALUMNI
a I
qualified to pursue the profession of
literature is clearly brought out by
Mr. Arlo Bates in his “Talks on Writ-
ing English” (Boston: Houghton, Mif-
flin & Company), and any man who
has the slightest idea of writing, eith-
er for his livelihood or for the mere
love of the art, will do well to study
these essays carefully. There is much
in them, of course, that is didactic and
technical, but nothing that is not ini+
portant and interesting. I assume
that every intelligent reader has more
or less of a desire to know the meth-
ods by which good writing is done,
just as we all have a certain curiosity
concerning the production of a vol-
canic eruption or an earthquake in a
melo-drama. Mr. Bates takes you be-
hind the scenes of ‘iterature ald
shows you just what. kind of work
must be performed in order that you
may be qualified to practice the pro-
fession of literature; but the mete
reading of his essays will no more
qualify you to write than the stage
manager’s explanation of how the
earthquake is produced would make
you capable of properly carrying out
the illusion yourself. You have got
to “know the business,’’ and the only
way to “know the business” of liter-
ature is to follow some course of study
as is suggested by Mr. Bates. fe
But entirely aside from the techni-
cal and practical value of these pa-
pers to the student, many of then
will prove of very decided interest to
the general reacer. They will enable
him to know why he likes a well-
written, well-constructed book,—and
there is a good deal of satisfaction to
be derived from that. As the essays
were originally delivered in the form
of lectures to the Lowell Free Classes,
it is only natural that a great many
points should have been made and
brought out by Mr. Bates for the ben-
efit and entertainment of non-profes-
sional listeners, and the one thing we
should particularly thank him for is
his championage of the idiom, which
he says is to the race what style is to
the man.
An idiom “is the crystalli-
zation in verbal forms of peculiarities
of race temperament,—perhaps even —
of race eccentricities.’’ And then he
|
Wee KRLY
gives illustrations. Further along
there is a little dissertation on tak-
ing notes, which will prove valuable
reading even to those of us whose
Writing is restricted to epistolary cor-
respondence,—for how many persons
think it is necessary to make memo-
randa’? It have heard more than one
Say that they preferred to train their
memories,—an expensive education,
you may rest assured.
Another pleasing book of essays is
Prof. Brander Matthews’ ‘Aspects of
Fiction’ (New York: Harper & Bros.)
Which, although treating of literature
from an entirely different standpoint,
contains many statements corrobora-
tive of what Mr. Bates has been ex-
pounding. For instance, in discussing
the successof ‘“‘Trilby,’’ Professor Mat-
thews praises Du Maurier’s gift of
Story-telling, but criticises his work
from the standpoint of literature, ac-
counting for the short-comings on the
ground that the artist-author had not
“studied fiction as an art diligently
from his youth up.” The introductory
essay on “American Literature’ may
be characterized as patriotic. There
is plenty of good advice in it for the
young American writer: ‘“A fit motto
for an American author might be, ‘I
go to Cosmopolis’—I go to see the best
the world has to offer, the best being
none too good for American use; I
go as a visitor, and I return always a
loyal citizen of my own country.”
We have also received: ‘“‘The Gray
Man,’ by S.°R. Crockett, (New York:
Harper & Brothers); ‘A Primer of
“College Football,’ by W. H. Lewis,
(New York: Harper & Brothers);
“William Henry Seward,” by Thorn-
ton Kirkland Lothrop, (American
Statesmen Series; Boston: Houghton,:
Mifflin & Co.); “Judith and  MHolo-
fernes,’’ a poem, by Thomas Bailey
Aldrich, (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin &
Co.)
—_++
At a recent meeting of the Faculty
of Cornell University, the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Architecture
was abolished, and the degree of
Bach2lor of Architecture was adopted
instead. Cornell is the first Amer-
ican University to confer this degree.
Tighe. Lane, Wheeler & Farnham,
Attorneys at Law,
109-112 Manhattan Building,
St. Paul, Minn. ©
JOHN W. LANE.
CHARLES W. FARNHAM.
AMBROSE TIGHE.
HowakD WHEELER.
Report of University Co-opera-
live Society.
The regular annual meeting of the
directors of the Yale Co-operative Cor-
poration was held in the Superinten-
dent’s office last week. After the elec-
tion of Greenway, 1900, Hine, M. &.,
and Alsop, ’98S., to fill vacancies in
the Board, the Superintendent’s re-
port was presented and accepted. The
report is as follows:
RESOURCES.
Merchandise on hand, per inven-
BUNT ae eg aS ee, ik igs ot oa $5,189 18
Consigned stock on hand.......... 944 2
Office furniture and fixtures...... 239 35
Accounts receivable......... secec- 606 93
OS DI es ss ec Sok shines enecess 199 27
$7,179 26
LIABILITIES.
Accounts payable including all
CONSIQTIMENTS....0. sescecce covers ,074 43
ING capited SbOCK. .inccce. sccecieee 4,504 82
Capital stock at last report........ 3,140 72
I TOR Gece be sobs he cw oes $1,364 10
Total cash business ’95-6............ $32,136 32
Total cash business ’94-5............ 28,389 26
PROTCARG ii. ocd Os hoa se yt oo en ee . $3,747 06
Comparing the cash sales of 1892,
just four years ago, from the begin-
ning of the term to November ist of
the same year, with the cash sales of
this year for the same length of time,
it is seen that they have doubled. In
1892 they were somewhat over $5,000,
this year over $10,000.
The membership last year was 6831,
about one-third of the entire Univer-
sity, and it is expected that there will
be also a large increase in this figure
during the present year. Wesley G.
Vincent, ’96, is still in charge.
ee
The annual Gun Club shoot between
Yale, Harvard and Princeton will be
held at Soldiers’ Field, Cambridge, on
November 6th.
ee ge ten nt tintin eerie pnt Srl aati
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A Story of Old Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay
A NEW HISTORICAL NOVEL.
S. of Dale.)
By F. J. STIMSON, (J.
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f
’
LAMSON, WOLFFE AND COMPANY.
Boston. London. New York.