kely to prove of interest for American readers. He found he was
hardly in a position to give an impartial answer to the inquiry, as
the book was one of _his own_, for several editions of which the
American public had already shown a hearty appreciation.

These are but incidental examples of one kind of appreciation that has
been accorded to American literary work, which may be complimentary
but can hardly be called satisfactory. I refer to them not because
they can be considered as any legitimate extenuation of similar
American misdeeds, for I do not admit that in questions of equity, the
_tu quoque_ forms any argument or defence. They are worth mentioning
only for the sake of emphasizing to our English friends, what they
have not fairly appreciated, that there are at least two sides to the
evil of the present state of things, and that the demoralization
produced by it has not been confined to our side of the Atlantic.
These instances of misappropriation are not of course fairly
representative of the English publishing or literary fraternity, any
more than similar American instances, which have formed the text of
various English homilies, can be accepted as indicating the standard
of literary and trade morality with us. We Americans simply say for
ourselves that the evils and demoralizing tendencies of the lack of
international agreements are fully recognized by us, and that while
certain conditions of manufacturing have heretofore formed a
troublesome obstacle in the way of the establishing of such agreement,
we are glad to believe that this obstacle is now in a fair way of
being overcome. In the meantime, we claim that, in the absence of law,
our American publishers, especially those of the present generation,
have, of their own free will, given to English authors a large part of
the advantage that a law would have secured to them, and have done
this without any corresponding advantage of protection for
themselves.

We are also fully appreciative of the credit due to such of the
English houses as (in the face of perhaps greater difficulties) have
made similar efforts to do justice to American authors.

One of the not least important results to be looked for from
international copyright is a more effective co-operation in their work
on the part of the publishers of the two great English-speaking
nations. They will find their interest and profit in working together,
and the very great extension that may be expected i