12
TALE ALUMNI wHEKLY
pe SEs
Pali Se te
THE BOOK SHELF.
(Condueted by ALBERT LEE, "91.]
It is sometimes gratifying to the
humble toiler in the field of letters to
reflect that there are some in his craft
who push the railroad president and
the bank director pretty closely in the
great eternal race after $ $ $ $. Some
figures relative to what may be earned
nowadays by the writer whose work
pleases the public have come to my
notice, and it has occurred to me that
a brief mention of them might persuade
a small portion of half of each gradu-
ating class at Yale to turn away from
law and embrace literature.
It is said that Conan Doyle has re-
ceived $225 per thousand words for his
latest story, now in the hands of the
publishers, and it was said that he was
paid $2,000 for the last of the ‘“‘Sherlock
Holmes” tales. The latter was not over
three or four thousand words in length,
so that within recent years, at least,
this probably is the highest price ever
paid to a purely literary man for the
product of his pen.
For the serial rights alone of “Sir
George’ Tressiday’’ the Century gave
$18,000, which is far and away the high-
est price ever paid by a magazine
simply for the use of a novel in ‘its
columns. Years ago Robert Bonner
paid Henry Ward Beecher $25,000 for
his novel, ‘“‘Norwood.” But this was @
- freak -price and was paid simply for
Beecher’s name, and had no relation to
the intrinsic worth of the story. It
cost $10,000 for McClure’s to secure the
serial rights of. Kipling’s ‘last novel,
“Captains Courageous,’’ and that was
for this country alone.
Kipling is now said to receive over
$200 per thousand words, for his stories;
Mrs. Burnett frequently receives $150
per thousand words for her literary ef-
forts; and there are a number of oth-
ers, notably Mr. Howells, who are paid
$100 per thousand for practically ev-
erything they write.
In the way of special figures, the
Century was among the first to set
the pace in high prices, paying Grant a
thousand dollars apiece for four articles
which he contributed to that magazine.
Many years ago, however, Robert Bon-
rer .paid...Dickens | $5,000. for. a; short
story called ‘‘Hunted Down.’’. The Cen-
tury gave John Hay and John Nicolay
$50,000 for their ‘‘Life of Lincoln,” but
this was a case of a vornered market.
In the preparation of special works,
such as encyclopedias and dictionaries,
the amount of money consumed is often
something enormous. But in the field
of pure literature, it is probable that
Charles: Dudley Warner’s ‘“‘Library of
the World’s Best Literature,’ now in
course of publication, has cost more
than. any single work ever produced.
The special articles of Mr. Warner’s
Library, written by eminent literary
men of America and Hurope, have alone
required nearly $50,000, and probably
the immediate editorial work has taken
as much more. As this Library is to
contain over three hundred articles
written by literary specialists, all of
whom are in a position to command
their own prices, it is not difficult to
see that the outlay required for edi-
torial matter alone will be something
prodigious.
A story of equal interest, if the reli-
able figures could be obtained, might
be written concerning the profits of
publishers on books whose sales have
run up into the hundreds of thousands.
But the publisher has always. been re-
garded as in the possession of a good
thing, while the idea.~has been persist-
ently disseminated that authors as a
class have been ill-paid and ill-treated.
The items cited, however, indicate that,
whatever may have been the case in
the past, literature nowadays is a pro-
fession that pays, and sometimes well
pays.
“ Equality.”
It is announced that Mr. Edward Bel-
lamy, who has not published any book
since he brought out ‘‘Looking Back-
ward” many years ago, is about to ap-
pear in print again. His new book is
to be on similar lines to his earlier
work and will be entitled ‘‘Equality.”’
It will probably appear in the latter
part of April. Publication will be
simultaneous in the United States,
Great Britain, France, Germany, Swit-
zerland, Belgium, Spain, Italy and oth-
er countries. It is of interest to recall
that over 400,000 copies of ‘Looking
Backward” have been sold in this
country alone. The book has been
translated into the language of almost
every civilized country, and its total
gale is almost beyond computation.
Quite recently the demand for litera-
ture dealing with sociological ques-
tions has led to the printing of a quar-
ter of a million of copies for sale at a
low price in England.
/
‘York University. ee
_ The culminating. event of the conven-...
tion was the banquet that was given at
‘The Story of Extinct Civiliza-
tion.” :
“The Story of Extinct Civilization,”
by Robert E. Anderson, is the latest
addition to D. Appleton & Co.’s “i-
brary of Useful Stories.” It telis
briefly and concisely of the origin and
of the races of mankind and gives brief
histories of those early peoples—the
Chaldeaus, Babylonians, Thocuccicuss,:
Persians and Egyptians—of whose his- .
tory but little was accurately knOwn. —
The author gives =
many facts in few words, and has mah- |.
until recent times.
aged to enclose a vast amount of infor--
mation within a small compass.
Prof. A. J. George of the
High School has just issued through D.
C. Heath & Co., of Boston another lit-_
tle book on an English classical sub-
ject—“Carlyle’s Essay on Burns.” |The
essay is very well written and it Is
; preceded by a preface which. adds
greatly to the interest of his subject.
we
i
ZETA PSI CONVENTION,
Filtieth Anniversary of the Founding
of the Fraternity.
The semi-centennial convention of the
Zeta Psi fraternity was held in New
York city April 23 and 24, at the Hotel
Imperial. The Friday morning session
was taken up wilth receiving reports
and credentials from the various chap-
ters. During the afternoon unfinished
business was disposed of and the sev-
eral committees appointed. Friday
evening an informal dinner was given
at the Hotel St. Denis. Francis Law-
ton of Brown presided. Toasts were
responded to by the Rev. George S._
Mott, D. D., John B. Yates Sommetfs,
Judge John W. Bennett of New York
University and R. T. W. Duke of the
University of Virginia. Covers were
laid -for 342. | :
Saturday morning the regular busi-
ness of the convention was transacted,
and at the afternoon session the fol-
lowing officers were elected for the en-
suing year: Colonel Francis S. Keese,
Rutgers; Charles E. Ronaldson, Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania; Thomas Ives
Chatfield, ’°93 Yale University; Walter
A. Weed, Jr., Williams; Albert Bucha-
nan, Cornell; Marshall S&S.
Brown, and Israel C. Pierson, New
Newton —
Brown, —
Prof. Whitney’s Great Work
~ Mnally Completed.
EVENTEEN years ago work was first begun upon what isnow 7he Century
Dictionary and Cyclopedia. Between 1888 and 1891 a portion was published in
six volumes. Although a large part of the matter in these volumes was ency-
clopedic in its nature, they were published under the simple title of ‘‘ The
Century Dictionary,” the full title being reserved for the completed work.
In 1894 an additional portion appeared under the title of ‘‘ The Century
Cyclopedia of Names.” The matter in this was entirely encyclopedic... This portion
alone contained in the neighborhood of 50,000 titles, as large a number as is to be
found in any of the well-known encyclopedias. |
The full work, now published in its final and perfected form, contains all that was
in ‘‘The Century Dictionary,” as well as all that was in ‘‘ The Century Cyclopedia of
Names,” but thoroughly revised, and with much additional and later material added,
including a full complement of maps. The appearance of the ten-volume edition, there-
fore, matks the consummation of seventeen years of work, and is the culmination of
what must undoubtedly be regarded as the greatest literary enterprise ever undertaken.
Lawyers, physicians, clergymen, editors, teachers, and business men
everywhere have borne enthusiastic and willing testimony to the surpass-
ing merit of The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. Here for instance
ate the names and signatures of a few of our leading college presidents,
each of whom owns, uses and recommends The Century :
Delmonico’s in the evening. In cele-
bration of the fiftieth anniversary this
was made the greatest affair of the
kind ever given by the Fraternity. Del-
egates were present from every one or
the 20 chapters.
Dr. F. LeRoy Satterlee of New York
University presided. The semi-centen-
nial oration was delivered by the Rev.
Charles H. Eaton, D. D., LL.D., of
Tufts College. The Hon. William H.
McElroy of Union College presented the
semi-centennial poem, and Marshall 8.
Brown, of Brown, gave a sketch of the
history of the Fraternity. The date of
the origin has now been fixed upon as
June i, 1847, at the University of New
York. The three founders, John B.
Yates Sommers, John M. Skillman and
William H. Dayton, were present, as
was also the oldest living member, Wil-
liam H. Carter, D. D., LL.D., arch dea-
con of the Middle diocese of Florida.
Active chapters are established at the
following universities and colleges: New
York University, Williams, Rutgers,
University of Pennsylvania, Colby,
Brown, Tufts, Lafayette, University of
North Carolina, University of Michi-
gan, Bowdoin, University of Virginia,
Cornell, University of California, Uni-
versity of Toronto, Columbia, McGill,
Case,- School of Applied Science, Yale
and Leland Stanford University. The
living membership has just passed the
4,000 mark.
Mr. McElroy, as toastmaster, intro-
duced the following speakers: William
Pepper, ex-provost of the University
of Pennsylvania; Nelson Dingley, Jr.,
of Colby University, chairman of Ways
and Means Committee; Rev. William
H. Carter, LL.D., University of New
York; Joseph Mains, Jr., also of Uni-
versity of New York; Colonel Henry
Waker, commander of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery Company of Bos-
ton; C: C. Harrison, provost of Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania; Elisha Dyer,
Governor-elect of Rhode Island, and Dr.
Bridgman of New York. An appropri-_
iate musical programme was rendered
during the evening. The colors of En-
gland and the United States were ap-
propriately draped about the hall, sym-
bolizing the international character of
the Fraternity. A_ silver Medallion
Suitably engraved was distributed to
those present.
Yale, which is almost the youngest,
was most largely represented among
the visiting chapters. Williams was
next in numbers, being represented by
the entire undergraduate members.
The official delegates from Yale were
F. P. Garvan, ’97; Henry Sillcocks, ’98,
and Robert Gould, ’98. The ceremonies
which were the most successful ever
held by the organization, wound up
with the installation of the new officers. |
and find it exceedingly useful and valuable,
eWKNAH? / Flarvard.
oO tie 5 - Vale. :
Syt- am Columbia.
Johns H. opkins.
Juno c Stam
wl
ee
President Dwight states - ‘I make much use of The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
I assure you of my appreciation of the work.”
Similarly President Eliot states : ‘‘ The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia ts a lime-sav-
ing convenience. Constant use of it has taught me to value tt very highly, and in this new
edition you have certainly added greatly to its merits.”
Chicago.
University of M. ich.
University of Cal.
Agi
Com. of Education.
All the leading American institutions of learning, as well as those of Oxford and
Cambridge, England, acknowledge the authority, The Century.. It has been adopted
y the various departments at Washington, and by all of the important Congressional
Gommittees. In the Supreme Court of the United States and in all other American
courts it has become ‘‘a reference tribunal of the last resort.”
No one who has owned and used The Century Dictionary and Cyclo-
Phenomenal pedia would ever again be without it. Those who use it never fail
Success. to voice its praises. Its success has been phenomenal. It may be
added in no stereotyped sense that no live professional or business man, Scientist,
‘artist, teacher, or student can afford to be without a set, for it affords the readiest and
most satisfactory means of getting at facts. In the school or home it is the most power-
ful auxiliary in the education of youth. It is an aid to personal progress. It is the
great ‘‘ question-answerer”’—the shortest path into the whole realm of fact and: knowl-
edge. It is the best of reference works, and contains in essence more than all others
combined.
If you do not possess a set of The Century Dictionary and Cyclo-
pedia, address us and we will send your name to one of the few clubs that
are still being formed, each member of which secures a set At A re-
duction of over 40 per cent. and has the privilege of paying
for it in small monthly payments.
THE CENTURY CO. (Dept. 2), New York.
(es Kindly mention the Yale Alumni Weekly. nt
