44 A Delicate Hint" Sin,—Is there really a Mr. Murphy who
could possibly be so unapprecia- tive of Janus, and did he really write the letter ? One wonders. Janus, one suspects, leads a double life, and either Janus or the Editor, in a moment of despondency and feeling the need for some sort of assurance, may well have evolved the letter himself ! Well, as far as I and my friends are concerned, he gets our unanimous, and, indeed, affectionate vote of complete confidence. Most of us, I think, open the Spectator at his page.
If there be a Mr. Murphy may I assure him that to do what Janus does, week after week, takes a great deal of scholarly ability, lively curiosity, and width of interest. Just as, in fiction, the art of the short story presents most trouble, so, journalistically, does the rounding off of the series of short paragraphs of the " diary " type. Let him, in fairness, look at similar attempts of others in daily and weekly journalism to see just how thin or banal their copy can become when compared to Janus's. Better still, perhaps, let him try it himself. He will, I venture to say, be astonished at how difficult it is and how hard it is to please oneself, never mind the reader.—Yours sincerely, A. G. McBstr4. Glasgow.
[A large number of other letters deprecating the suggestion that Janus should cease operations have been received.—Ed. Sped.]
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