Life — March 4, 1915 — page 45: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Neither ever saw a human being before! A boy of three is cast on a desert island—all that’s left of a ship’s company. On the opposite side of the island a baby girl is cast up. Both grow up—neither knows of the other. How they survive—how they meet—what they think—throws a light on how our prehistoric ancestors may have lived—a vivid picture of instinct and need for love. The title of this story is ‘* Primordial,” and it is one of many stories—stories that writers like Rex Beach, Booth Tarkington, Robert W. Chambers and others say are some of the best stories ever written by an American author. Today the writer of these stories is old, broken and penniless. You can help the genius who wrote these stories to come into his own and you can get a new set of his books FREE PR years he had been a sailor before the mast, and then when he was 36 years old, came the impulse to write. had an education in the regular sense, but he had to write. He never He had within him so strong an impulse that he was forced to write. He wrote his first story on the washtub of a dreary little room while his wife watched him with discouraged eyes. It was written on the back of circulars which he was to distribute at $1.00 a day. At once he was famous. His storics began to appear everywhere. wrote the greatest sea stories that ever have He been put on paper—laughing, stirring, tragic—glorious—mean—stories of sailing vessels—square-riggers in the old days—in the American coastwise service and in strange ports— stories of the steam monsters and storics—human—unique—of the long steel beasts of the deep--the Dreadnought that crumbles before the slim and deadly torpedo. Stories of mutiny—of good fights—of rescuc— of shipwreck—stories of brutality—of crimes and shanghai—stories of cour- age and wild daring—storics wild as a hurricane—sea storics laughing as the sea at peace. But stories of the sea and battle are not all that he wrote, fancies play about all conditions of life. Read his love storics. The story of the man whose sweetheart is led astray, who had every feature of his face changed by a surgeon, then shanghaied her betrayer as a sailor on a ship and got a slow and terrible revenge. And there are stories of love and of sweet and tender women. And there is a beautiful and pathetic story, “The Closing of the Circuit,” of a boy born blind, whose father brought him up so he thought all the rest of the world blind also, How he learned otherwise, makes a dramatic tale full of tender charm. Yet—to-day—Morgan Robertson is old and poor—for his stories appeared in the days before magazines paid big prices to authors—and though he got much fame—he got very little money. And fame is a poor substitute for beefsteak! His Two big magazines—Metropolitan and McClure’s—have joined forces to give this writer the reward and recognition due him What They Say of His Stories Indeed, my dear Sir, you are a first- rate seaman—one can see that with half- aneye. JOSEPH CONRAD. His stories are bully—his sea is foamy and his men have hair on their chests. BOOTH TARKINGTON. If you do not tell us soon what hap- pens to Captain Bilke, I will have nervous prostration, RICHARD HARDING DAVIS. Morgan Robertson has written some of the best sea stories of our generation. GEORGE HORACE LORIMER. (Editor, Saturday Evening Post.) What surprises. me so is how. the author gets under the skins of the blue- jackets and knows how they feel. ‘ADMIRAL BOB” EVANS. The very ocean ought to rise up and ‘ow to Morgan Robertson for his faithful raiture of itself and its people. RUPERT HUGHES. eae trail of the sea serpent is over them all. nS“ WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS. It will give me great satisfaction to offer you my subscription. ROBERT W. CHAMBERS. The ablest writer of sea stories in this country, and. sincerely hope that your venture will help him to gain that recog- nition of his work which is rightfully his REX BEACH. ‘The magic and thrill of the sea, that bring back to us the day-dreams of boy: FINLEY PETER DUNNE. (Mr. Dooley.) I know of no American writer more entitled to preservation in volumes. His whole life vibrates with experience and drama. ROBERT H. DAVIS, of Munsey’s. HERE IS OUR OFFER We will send a handsome autogra: bertson’s it works ‘S volumes without charge=we will pey for then wre will pep the cont of getting them to you—and we will pay a royalty to Mr. Robertson—if you will pay for one year’s if ht mm tle in- stellments, Send only 10c. now. You will receive at once the set of books and the firn copies of Metropolitan and MeClure’s. You then send us Soc. a month forvevessnontha: And Goat oe Hyon prefer te pay ell at once send only $3.25 with ord 35,00 Toe beaut fal all eather bading UPersonal checks” accented) (Canadias and foreten postage extra. Mawaeines =” tray be seat to Ube caateae W downed I you are at prevent a salacriber tebe Rungazine your subscription will be entended.) sewipn | METROPOLITAN : 432 Fourth Ave.sN. Y. Enter my subscription for jetropolitan one year and one year, and send Roberson'e Woe ken Aw volumes, Irgpald by you. “Teiclone ie, and ayrce to send you Sea month for seven® months to pay f subscription.” The books are mine, Free, |" {°F ™ = Name... Street... City and Sute. Mail this coupon today. comichooks.qen