north america-2- 第70部分

　attain　any　home　popularity。　　I　do　not　know　how　far　English　authors　may　be　aware　of　the　fact；　but　it　is　undoubtedly　a　fact　that　their　influence　as　authors　is　greater　on　the　other　side　of　the　Atlantic　than　on　this　one。　　It　is　there　that　they　have　their　most　numerous　school　of　pupils。　　It　is　there　that　they　are　recognized　as　teachers　by　hundreds　of　thousands。　　It　is　of　these　thirty　millions　that　they　should　think；　at　any　rate　in　part；　when　they　discuss　within　their　own　hearts　that　question　which　all　authors　do　discuss；　whether　that　which　they　write　shall　in　itself　be　good　or　bad；　be　true　or　false。　　A　writer　in　England　may　not；　perhaps；　think　very　much　of　this　with　reference　to　some　trifle　of　which　his　English　publisher　proposes　to　sell　some　seven　or　eight　hundred　copies。　　But　he　begins　to　feel　that　he　should　have　thought　of　it　when　he　learns　that　twenty　or　thirty　thousand　copies　of　the　same　have　been　scattered　through　the　length　and　breadth　of　the　United　States。　　The　English　author　should　feel　that　he　writes　for　the　widest　circle　of　readers　ever　yet　obtained　by　the　literature　of　any　country。　　He　provides　not　only　for　his　own　country　and　for　the　States；　but　for　the　readers　who　are　rising　by　millions　in　the　British　colonies。　Canada　is　supplied　chiefly　from　the　presses　of　Boston；　New　York；　and　Philadelphia；　but　she　is　supplied　with　the　works　of　the　mother　country。　　India；　as　I　take　it；　gets　all　her　books　direct　from　London；　as　do　the　West　Indies。　　Whether　or　no　the　Australian　colonies　have　as　yet　learned　to　reprint　our　books　I　have　never　learned；　but　I　presume　that　they　cannot　do　so　as　cheaply　as　they　can　import　them。　　London　with　us；　and　the　three　cities　which　I　have　named　on　the　other　side　of　the　Atlantic；　are　the　places　at　which　this　literature　is　manufactured；　but　the　demand　in　the　Western　hemisphere　is　becoming　more　brisk　than　that　which　the　Old　World　creates。　　There　are；　I　have　no　doubt；　more　books　printed　in　London　than　in　all　America　put　together。　　A　greater　extent　of　letter…press　is　put　up　in　London　than　in　the　three　publishing　cities　of　the　States；　but　the　number　of　copies　issued　by　the　American　publishers　is　so　much　greater　than　those　which　ours　put　forth　that　the　greater　bulk　of　literature　is　with　them。　　If　this　be　so；　the　demand　with　them　is　of　course　greater　than　it　is　with　us。　I　have　spoken　here　of　the　privilege　which　an　English　author　enjoys　by　reason　of　the　ever…widening　circle　of　readers　to　whom　he　writes。　I　should　have　said　the　writers　of　English　literature；　seeing　that　the　privilege　is　of　course　shared　by　the　American　writer。　　I　profess　my　belief　that　in　the　States　an　English　author　has　an　advantage　over　one　of　that　country　merely　in　the　fact　of　his　being　English；　as　a　French　milliner　has　undoubtedly　an　advantage　in　her　nationality；　let　her　merits　or　demerits　as　a　milliner　be　what　they　may。　　I　think　that　English　books　are　better　liked　because　they　are　English。　　But　I　do　not　know　that　there　is　any　feeling　with　us　either　for　or　against　an　author　because　he　is　American。　　I　believe　that　Longfellow　stands　in　our　judgment　exactly　where　he　would　have　stood　had　he　been　a　tutor　at　a　college　in　Oxford　instead　of　a　Professor　at　Cambridge　in　Massachusetts。　　Prescott　is　read　among　us　as　a　historian　without　any　reference　as　to　his　nationality；　and　by　many；　as　I　take　it；　in　absolute　ignorance　of　his　nationality。　　Hawthorne；　the　novelist；　is　quite　as　well　known　in　England　as　he　is　in　his　own　country。　　But　I　do　not　know　that　to　either　of　these　three　is　awarded　any　favor　or　is　denied　any　justice　because　he　is　an　American。　　Washington　Irving　published　many　of　his　works　in　this　country；　receiving　very　large　sums　for　them　from　Mr。　Murray；　and　I　fancy　that　in　dealing　with　his　publisher　he　found　neither　advantage　nor　disadvantage　in　his　nationality；　that　is；　of　course；　advantage　or　disadvantage　as　respected　the　light　in　which　his　works　would　be　regarded。　　It　must　be　admitted　that　there　is　no　jealousy　in　the　States　against　English　authors。　　I　think　that　there　is　a　feeling　in　their　favor；　but　no　one　can　at　any　rate　allege　that　there　is　a　feeling　against　them：　I　think　I　may　also　assert　on　the　part　of　my　own　country　that　there　is　no　jealousy　here　against　American　authors。　　As　regards　the　tastes　of　the　people；　the　works　of　each　country　flow　freely　through　the　other。　That　is　as　it　should　be。　　But　when　we　come　to　the　mode　of　supply；　things　are　not　exactly　as　they　should　be；　and　I　do　not　believe　that　any　one　will　contradict　me　when　I　say　that　the　fault　is　with　the　Americans。　I　presume　that　all　my　readers　know　the　meaning　of　the　word　copyright。　　A　man's　copyright　is　right　in　his　copy；　is　that　amount　of　legal　possession　in　the　production　of　his　brains　which　has　been　secured　to　him　by　the　law　of　his　own　country　and　of　others。　　Unless　an　author　were　secured　by　such　law；　his　writings　would　be　of　but　little　pecuniary　value　to　him；　as　the　right　of　printing　and　selling　them　would　be　open　to　all　the　world。　　In　England　and　in　America；　and　as　I　conceive　in　all　countries　possessing　a　literature；　there　is　such　a　law；　securing　to　authors　and　to　their　heirs；　for　a　term　of　years；　the　exclusive　right　over　their　own　productions。　　That　this　should　be　so　in　England；　as　regards　English　authors；　appears　to　be　so　much　a　matter　of　course　that　the　copyright　of　an　author　seems　to　be　as　naturally　his　own　as　a　gentleman's　deposit　at　his　bank；　or　his　little　investment　in　the　three　per　cents。　　The　right　of　an　author　to　the　value　of　his　own　productions　in　other　countries　than　his　own　is　not　so　much　a　matter　of　course；　but　nevertheless；　if　such　productions　have　any　value　in　other　countries；　that　value　should　belong　to　him。　　This　has　been　felt　to　be　the　case　between　England　and　France；　and　an　international　copyright　now　exists。　　The　fact　that　the　languages　of　England　and　France　are　different；　makes　the　matter　one　of　comparatively　small　moment。　　But　it　has　been　found　to　be　for　the　honor　and　profit　of　the　two　countries　that　there　should　be　such　a　law；　and　an　international　copyright　does　exist。　　But　if　such　an　arrangement　be　needed　between　two　such　countries　as　France　and　Englandbetween　two　countries　which　do　not　speak　the　same　language；　or　share　the　same　literaturehow　much　more　necessary　must　it　be　between　England　and　the　United　States！　　The　literature　of　the　one　country　is　the　literature　of　the　other。　　The　poem　that　is　popular　in　London　will　certainly　be　popular　in　New　York。　　The　novel　that　is　effective　among　American　ladies　will　be　equally　so　with　those　of　England。　　There　can　be　no　doubt　as　to　the　importance　of　having　or　of　not　having　a　law　of　copyright　between　the　two　countries。　　The　only　question　can　be　as　to　the　expediency　and　the　justice。　　At　present　there　is　no　international　copyright　between　England　and　the　United　States；　and　there　is　none　because　the　States　have　declined　to　sanction　any　such　law。　　It　is　known　by　all　who　are　concerned　in　the　matter　on　either　side　of　the　water　that　as　far　as　Great　Britain　is　concerned　such　a　law　would　meet　with　no　impediment。　Therefore　it　is　to　be　presumed　that　the　legislators　of　the　States　think　it　expedient　and　just　to　dispense　with　any　such　law。　　I　have　said　that　there　can　be　no　doubt　as　to　the　importance　of　the　question；　seeing　that　the　price　of　English　literature　in　the　States　must　be　most　materially　affected　by　it。　　Without　such　law　the　Americans　are　enabled　to　import　English　literature　without　paying　for　it。　　It　is　open　to　any　American　publisher　to　reprint　any　work　from　an　English　copy；　and　to　sell　his　reprints　without　any　permission　obtained　from　the　English　author　or　from　the　English　publisher。　　The　absolute　material　which　the　American　publisher　sells；　he　takes；　or　can　take；　for　nothing。　　The　paper；　ink；　and　composition　he　supplies　in　the　ordinary　way　of　business；　but　the　very　matter　which　he　professes　to　sellof　the　book　which　is　the　object　of　his　tradehe　is　enabled　to　possess　himself　of　for　nothing。　　If　you；　my　reader；　be　a　popular　author；　an　American　publisher　will　take　the　choicest　work　of　your　brain；　and　make　dollars　out　of　it；　selling　thousands　of　copies　of　it　in　his　country；　whereas　you　can　perhaps　only　sell　hundreds　of　it　in　your　own；　and　will　either　give　you　nothing　for　that　he　takes；　or　else　will　explain　to　you　that　he　need　give　you　nothing；　and　that　in　paying　you　he　subjects　himself　to　the　danger　of　seeing　the　property　which　he　has　bought　taken　again　from　him　by　other　persons。　　If　this　be　so；　that　question　whether　or　no　there　shall　be　a　law　of　international　copyright　between　the　two　countries　cannot　be　unimportant。　But　it　may　be　inexpedient　that　there　shall　be　such　a　law。　　It　may　be　considered　well　that；　as　the　influx　of　English　books　into　America　is　much　greater　than　the　influx　of　American　books　back　to　England；　the　right　of　obtaining　such　books　for　nothing　should　be　reserved；　although　the　country　in　doing　so　robs　its　own　authors　of　the　advantage　which　should　accrue　to　them　from　the　English　market。　　It　might　perhaps　be　thought　anything　but　smart　to　surrender　such　an　advantage　by　the　passing　of　an　international　copyright　bill。　　There　are　not　many　trades　in　which　the　tradesman　can　get　the　chief　of　his　goods　for　nothing；　and　it　may　be　thought　that　the　advantage　arising　to　the　States　from　such　an　arrangement　of　circumstances　should　not　be　abandoned。　　But　how　then　about　the　justice？　　It　would　seem　that　the　less　said　upon　that　subject　the　better。　　I　have　heard　no　one　say　that　an　author's　property　in　his　own　works　should　not；　in　accordance　with　justice；　be　insured　to　him　in　the　one　country　as　well　as　in　the　other。　　I　have　seen　no　defense　of　the　present　position　of　affairs；　on　the　score　of　justice。　　The　price　of　books　would　be　enhanced　by　an　international　copyright　law；　and　it　is　well　that　books　should　be　cheap。　　That　is　the　only　argument　used。　　So　would　mutton　be　cheap　if　it　could　be　taken　out　of　a　butcher's　shop　for　nothing。　But　I　absolutely　deny　the　expediency　of　the　present　position　of　the　subject；　looking　simply　to　the　material　advantage　of　the　American　people　in　the　matter；　and　throwing　aside　altogether　that　question　of　justice。　　I　must　here；　however；　explain　that　I　bring　no　charge　whatsoever　against　the　American　publishers。　　The　English　author　is　a　victim　in　their　hands；　but　it　is　by　no　means　their　fault　that　he　is　so。　　As　a　rule；　th