The paper has a strong staff of editors and reporters. It does not employ half as many writers as some of the leading American journals, but I venture to assert that its salary list, that is to say, the amount paid for original articles, news gathering, and novels, is perhaps greater than that of any other journal in the world. It has an editor-inchief who "touches" $25,000 annually. There are two managing editors, one for news, the other for contributions, and their salaries are $9,000 and $10,500. There are twenty-five or thirty reporters, and beside these, we have to count the novel writers. At least two, sometimes three or four, romances appear during the course of the year. There is one gentleman regularly attached to the paper who writes two novels every twelve months. His salary is $20,000, and he has the privilege of having his romances reprinted in book form. In this way he gathers in an additional $15,000 or so annually. Another writer who receives a very large salary is H. Escoffier, who writes more of the "Thomas Grimm" articles than any other person. It seems to me he is much better known as "Thomas Grimm" than he is by his own name, and yet he has published some very popular novels. His salary on the paper is $12,000, and he is allowed an annual vacation of four weeks.

The other day a distinguished American editor asked me what was the cause of the great success of this little newspaper. I answered him that I thought it owed its circulation and influence to two or three causes. In the first place, I doubt if there is another newspaper anywhere that is so well handled by the business department. The business manager has so perfected the machinery of his department that he has a representative of Le Petit Journal in every village, town, and city in France, and in all the European capitals. In order to reach places outside of Paris before other newspapers, he sends the paper to press at 9 o'clock in the evening. This enables him to catch all trains going out after 10 o'clock. It is, however, a morning journal, and the city edition does not go to press earlier than its contemporaries. The present chief proprietor is M. Molinari, inventor of the printing press bearing his name. He is the business brains of the institution. He claims, or did the week before I came away, a circulation of 980,000 daily. About three months ago I asked my friend and confrere, M. Perevier, managing editor of the Figaro, if he believed this claim to be correct. He replied that among Paris editors the circulation of the Petit Journal was believed to be in excess of 800,000 copies, and he had no reason to suppose

that the claim made by M. Molinari was exaggerated. The annual profits are said to be no less than $800,000.- Henry Haynie, in the Chicago Herald.

GETTING INTO PRINT.

While we are on these delicate matters, I would also respectfully suggest that a letter sent as an avant-courier by a total stranger, requesting to know how much the editor pays a page, is not, as a rule, an epistle of recommendation as regards the promised manuscript. To send a story "by the author of" a great many other stories, which, ten to one, the editor never heard of, or to add to the writer's name "contributor to" the Sunday Spy, the Saturday Sledge-hammer, or some other periodical little known to fame, is also a bad plan. It is something like putting A. S. S. after one's name, which, in default of the initials of some really learned or well-thought-of society, had better be omitted.

Unless he has really nothing else to write about, let the man who has a passion to appear in print avoid "recollections of travel." Another subject to be avoided is translations. It is quite remarkable how, at a time when there is nothing extraordinary in the possession of half a dozen languages, people continue to plume themselves upon their knowledge of French and German. To make a translation interesting requires not only a good subject, but one that recommends itself to the taste of English readers, and an intelligent as well as accomplished adapter, who can free himself from trammels (the style of progression of most translations being that of jumping in sacks). But even when all is done, and done well, a translation is generally but a poor thing.

As a general rule, the best thing to which a young writer can apply his wits is a description of some personal experience of his own. The more remarkable it is, of course, the better, since the less he will have to rely upon excellence of treatment to make it interesting. It is far easier to describe than to imagine, to recall an incident to memory than to invent one.

I would impress also another thing upon the neophyte in story-telling: that he must have a story to tell. It is no use for him to write aimlessly and trust to "inspiration," as he wildly calls it, to provide him with interesting material. The mistake of the young fictionist is to narrate a series of adventures, at the end of each of which all interest ceases, and he has to begin to weave his web

again, when perhaps his flies escape, and never give him another chance of catching them. He makes very hard work for the reader, who has no momentum to carry him up the next hill.

The personal introduction of the writer into his story is also much to be deprecated; it will take all he knows to give vraisemblance to his little drama, and he should be careful not to endanger it by showing his head before the curtain.

The placing the scene of a story in a foreign land is always disadvantageous, It may be mere ignorance which causes untravelled readers to prefer stories of their own land, but such is the fact. They feel the same want of reality in stories of foreign countries as in a fairy tale. All editors know this, and look askance at such productions. This is still more true of the historical story.

Genius has been described as "an infinite capacity for taking pains," and even without genius an aspirant to literary honors is likely to be successful precisely in proportion to the care and attention he gives to every portion of the work he has set himself to do. The best motto, indeed, for the disciple of literature is, "Take pains," and not the more frequently inculcated maxim, "Try again." Perseverance is in most cases a necessity; but all the perseverance in the world, and even all the taking pains, are useless unless the aspirant has some natural gift. - James Payn, in The Forum for January.

A MAGAZINE EDITOR'S ADVICE.

In reply to the question, "Are personal introductions helpful to young authors?" an editor of one of the great magazines said to me the other day: "There is no fallacy so great as the idea that because an editor is introduced to an aspiring contributor he will be more favorably inclined toward his work. I speak, of course, only of my own case, but I believe the experience of others in my unhappy walk of life is about the same. If I were giving advice to a young author whose success I had much at heart, I should say: Prepare your manuscript and have it copied by a typewriter, and in reading it over you will have almost the same sensation which comes from reading proof. Cold print, or cold typewriting, for that matter, is a wonderful help in getting a correct view of your work. If your corrections are many or complicated, have it copied afresh, and send it to the magazine which to your mind it is best fitted for. Don't go to a friend who knows the editor, and get a letter of introduction; it will bore the friend, the editor,

and eventually yourself. If you suggest the value of a 'friend at court,' remember that the editor has met this scheme a thousand times. It means that you ask him to make an exception of your case against his judgment, and this annoys him to begin with. I have become something of a cynic, I fear, because I never make an acquaintance without saying to myself, Some day this man or a friend of his will want me to 'consider favorably' a manuscript. I always feel that I make ten enemies a day, but I confess I do not see why an editor should be put in an embarrassing position any more than any other business man, who cannot possibly accept all things offered to him, even if the would-be sellers have some personal acquaintance with him."

Continuing in the same strain, this editor said to me: "It is the opportunity of displaying one's cleverness to one's friends that is mainly attractive to the would-be author; if it were not so, he would write because he had something definite to say, and his satisfaction would exist in writing and publishing it, and not in the glory it might bring him among his small circle of friends. Editors are like readers; they are attracted when they are interested, and the moral of this should be, therefore: Begin your story in the first paragraph, clothe your plot only with the words which help to tell the tale, attempt no by-play, — only great writers can do this, -and be sure the interest of the subject will last until the end, or you waste your paper. A great deal is said nowadays about magazines having enough material in the safe to last for years. I think there is a great deal of humbug about this statement, for if an editor admits this, he must admit that much of this overstock is of little or no value; but let this be as it may, you never heard of an editor refusing a really good story, or an article on a subject which is fresh and of public interest, because his safe is full of manuscripts. The more good contributions offered, the higher becomes the standard, that is the only result."- William J. Bok, in New York Graphic.

WHY LITERARY MEN BREAK DOWN.

A capital mistake which most writers make is in the indifference which they have to replenish their stock. A merchant who does not "lay in" new goods twice a year at least soon fails in business, but we know scores of so-called literary men who keep on grinding out copy with never a thought of the requirements of their engine, the brain. One' of two things a writer must do: He must either

read or circulate: 'twere better if he were to do both. If he does neither, he will surely "break down, - he may grow fat, and be heartier in body than ever before, but his ability to produce with his brain will be gone. He has run out of stock, poor fool!

You may search history through, and you'll not find a great author who "broke down." Mr. Shakespeare did n't break down; he replenished his mind both by reading and by circulation. Charles Dickens did n't break; he was not a reader, but he was a circulator; night after night he traversed London, studying human nature. Father Prout was a reader, but no circulator; in the study of literature he found that food and refreshment which his magnificent brain required. Victor Hugo did n't break; he improved with age. The big men have achieved bigness by conducting their intellectual affairs on sensible, practical principles. The fire that is constantly replenished will not go out until it is put out.

The veteran journalist in America to-day is livelier, and brighter, and fuller of happier conceits than ever before. Mr. Dana is a reader; he studies art, sculpture, music; he enjoys sports of every kind; he keeps his mind refreshed and well fed. Richard H. Stoddard is our oldest poet, and we're not sure that he is n't the best. His work is better now than ever before; no breaking down there, and why? Because constant communion with books keeps his mind full, and healthy, and active. The so-called literary men who 'gad and prattle about the waning intellectual powers of age are either those who have neglected or abused their gifts. With these creatures we have no patience, nor shall we have any dealings; but to every young and ambitious author we give this golden advice: Disregarding all croakers, pay diligent heed to the replenishment of your minds; lay in stock constantly; read ten pages of what somebody else has written to every one you yourself write. Abide by this advice, and, though you live to be as old as Methuselah, you will never break or falter. —Eugene Field, in the Chicago News.

COLLOQUIAL ENGLISH.

We have still to consider what place colloquial English should hold in books and other written compositions.

That the written language of almost all children and of the great majority of young people differs widely from their spoken language, and not at all for the better,-everybody knows. Everybody

knows, too, everybody, at least, who knows the history of the language, that a difference almost as great, but dissimilar in origin and in characteristics, once existed between the English generally talked and that written by the few to be read by the few. The living language was used in plays that were to be performed before a mixed audience, in poems that were read aloud, in translations of the Bible, and in a few books like "Pilgrim's Progress," written by uneducated men, and aimed at the popular conscience; but the great majority of authors, expecting to be read by scholars only, used scholastic rather than popular words and constructions.

When, however, the reading public came to include many persons of both sexes who were far from being scholars, writers naturally adapted themselves to the tastes of the majority. Goldsmith and Sterne, Corbett and Franklin carried on the good work begun by the writers of the age of Queen Anne; and the stream of tendency in written as in spoken work now sets toward colloquial rather than literary or oratorical English. The reading public has, indeed, so little taste for the pompous or the pedantic that writers who have a weakness for either try to make amends by dropping into slang now and then.

This disposition to copy in books the faults as well as the merits of the English of conversation is an unfortunate one, for in work which has been carefully prepared for the press vulgarisms which are common in conversation, and may be pardoned in hastily-written private letters, have no excuse. A style can be rapid without being slovenly, plain without being low, and idiomatic without being provincial.

The language of books should, then, be in the main the language of conversation. An author who undertakes to write as he talks should be careful to avoid the faults and defects of conversation, while retaining its excellences. In the effort to be natural he should not suffer himself to be incorrect or vulgar; in his disdain of the arts of rhetoric he should not be betrayed into slipshod English; but his purpose should be to write as he talks in his best moments, -a purpose not easy to carry out, as every one who has tried is painfully aware, but worth all the trouble it costs. To write as we talk in our best moments is to write simply, naturally, sincerely; to subordinate manner to matter, sound to sense; to abjure exaggeration in every form, intellectual or emotional. Thus, and thus only, will what we write be the exact and complete reproduction of what we think and feel in our sanest and most fruitful moments. Professor A. S. Hill, in Harper's Magazine for January.

THE AUTHOR is published the fifteenth day of every month. It will be sent, post-paid, ONE YEAR for ONE DOLLAR. All subscriptions, whenever they may be received, must begin with the number for January 15, and be for one year.

All checks and money orders should be made payable to William H. Hills.

The American News Company, of New York, and the New England News Company, of Boston, are wholesale agents for THE AUTHOR. It may be ordered from any newsdealer, or directly, by mail, from the publisher.

THE AUTHOR is kept on sale by Damrell & Upham (Old Corner Bookstore), Boston; Brentano Bros., New York, Washington, and Chicago; George F. Wharton, New Orleans; John Wanamaker, Philadelphia; and the principal newsdealers in other cities.

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Contributions not used will be returned, if a stamped and addressed envelope is enclosed.

Suggestions for the improvement of THE AUTHOR, from any source, will always be welcome.

The articles, "Getting Into Print," by James Payn, in the January Forum, and “Colloquial English," by Professor A. S. Hill, in the January Harper's, are especially worth reading by every writer.

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The department of Queries in THE AUTHOR is put into the hands of the readers of the magazine. The more questions and answers there are sent in, the more useful and interesting the department will be.

Friends of THE WRITER and THE AUTHOR may help the magazines greatly by sending to the publisher the names of people who would be interested in them, or, better yet, by doing a little missionary work, and urging them to subscribe.

Articles printed in THE AUTHOR without credit are written for the magazine. The style of quoted articles is made to conform with the general style of THE AUTHOR, and they are frequently condensed. When simple extracts are given, their wording is not changed.

THE PLAN OF "THE AUTHOR."

This first number of THE AUTHOR, like most first numbers, is only a beginning. That there is room for improvement the conductor of the magazine well understands, and he hopes that improvement will be shown in future issues. Suggestions and criticisms from all who see the magazine are invited, and will be carefully considered. The subscribers of THE AUTHOR are requested to regard themselves as active members of an advisory editorial board.

The plan of THE AUTHOR is to supplement THE WRITER with a mid-month issue, which shall contain matter for the admission of which the present plan of THE WRITER does not provide. THE AUTHOR will print both original and quoted articles on literary topics, and will devote a good deal of space to recording the news of the literary world. Especial care will be taken to make both its extracts and its

abstracts as pithy and as pointed as possible, and nothing will be printed in the magazine that is not deemed helpful and suggestive to those who are engaged in literary work. The magazine is small at the start, but no advertisements will be printed in it, excepting upon the cover pages; and by the use of type smaller than that used in THE WRITER it is possible to print legibly in its sixteen pages almost as much reading matter as an issue of THE WRITER Contains. It is hoped, too, that the magazine will grow, as THE WRITER did, during the first year of its existence. Subscribers can accomplish this end, and so benefit both themselves and the magazine, by extending its circulation when they can.

In addition to the departments given in this number of THE AUTHOR, other useful features have been planned, and will be introduced in later issues of the magazine. THE AUTHOR and THE WRITER will be kept wholly separate and distinct, but those who become subscribers for them both will practically get a semi-monthly magazine covering every department of literary work. Already enough subscriptions have been received to make the permanent success of the enterprise assured. The publisher has a large new subscription-book, however, and, with the names already entered, there is plenty of room for more.

No. 8. Some one says in THE WRITER: "Keep on hand photographers' paste, which is always ready for use." So far I have been unable to find any that must not first be steeped in hot water before it is ready for use. Please tell me the kind to get.

NEW YORK, N. Y.

M. L. H.

No. 9 Who is the author of the story entitled "Bolus Hankus"? Under this queer title a short story was published, which I thought the most clever bit of romantic art I had ever seen in the language. As a model of elements of interest, I should consider it worth study. DENVER, Colo.

C. H. F.

- Can you tell me the author of the lines

No. 10. beginning:

"The wintry winds blew bitter keen

Across the wide and dreary waste"?

Where can I procure the work containing the quotation, and what will it cost? MASONTOWN, Penn.

A. H. S.

No. 11. How is the black typewriter record ink made? What kind of ribbon is used? How is the