SUBMERGED RENOWN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8543, 25 March 1908, Page 3

SUBMERGED RENOWN.

There died recently in America Miss Mary Holmes, a writer with an enormous vogue among the masses, but whose name was scarcely known to lovers of literature. Shortly after her death Mark Twain furnished the world with a phrase which is very applicable in such cases — "submerged renown." The phrase was coined by Stevenson and Mark Twain as they sat talking one day in Washington Square, New York, and was fitted to one Davis, whom Stevenson had discovered to be the most widely read author in the United States. When asked by Stevenson to name the writer of widest fame in the States, Mark thought of himself, but modesty forbade him to say what ho thought. Stevenson understood, and told him to save his delicacy for another time. Stevenson then told him how, in a book shop at Albury he had seen a long row of small but neatly-bound books, bearing such titles as "Davis' Selected Speeches," "Davis' Selected Poetry," all compilations with brief and useful introductions by Davis. When he enquired of the shopman who Davis was, the answer was, "An author whose books have to have freight trains to carry them, not baskets." Nobody who was anybody had heard of Davis, his name was never mentioned in print, not even in advertisement, for advertisement and popularity among educated people were of no use to him. "You never see one of Davis' books floating on top of the United States; but put on your diving armour and get yourself lowered away down and down till you strike the dense region, the sunless region of eternal drudgery and starvation wages —there you'll find them by the million. The man that gets that market, his fortune is made, his bread and butter are safe, for those people will never go back on him." On the surface of tho population a man's reputation, however great, was always mortal, and could always be killed if critics adopted the right methods. "But it is a different matter with the submerged reputation—down in the deep water. Once a favourite there, always a favourite; once beloved, always beloved ; once respected, always respected, honoured, and believed irii" Down in the depths they never know what winds of criticism are blowing above. "Their idol may bo painted clay up there at the surface, and fade and waste and crumble and blow away, there being much weather there, but down below he is gold and adamant and indestructible."