The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-11-18
g ook NOTICE IS.

Li,sna re, the supreme I'm. art brings to lie and
light thong Ns and feelings which, until expressed lie
hidden In emit syo In the human heart and mind THIS
IA It's creative IA y, by virtue Of which true Ia lr
highest form 10 t.se full significance u tho name Of
poetry ART nloreove moves on its own axis, and Is
TO itself law" The pos. therefore, Is entitled To the
largest liberty in the choice OF hs theme aud OF the
point Of view from which he i,oks A IT, The business
OF tho critic IL 10 gnd what the point OF view Vs. and
thence 10 judge or objective trsstmentf the theme
The main purpose OF Is 10 exert and Spmmunicsse
power, not, according 20 vulgar, inadequate and OBJ
soete notion please What peses ces may diapiease
another 10 whatever organ Of the senscs It may appeal
Certain colors delight these eyes, but dead AMI fiat
10 those. per ume which exhiarstos Lucy makes
Emma faint Rosrn would shut his 70 John China
man music One man meat Va snothers poison You
liked wine night but prefer soda water this morning
Fashion. too, mobiles the tastes Miss Flora Mcfmsy
exclsms "how loyeyIn sye happens 70 be In vogue,
but "horid |" n II isn't Mrs Graudy herself used to
wear low necked dress and 70 talk like IN orange girl
when pretty Nell WAS Fascinating King Charles There
Ia, In short dspung about tastes, which differ not
only with different individuals but with tho ndi
vidual al different tmes Taste has ts universal la~s
which relate 10 the beautiful. and according 70 which
aesthetic judgment be formed. Nons can DO based
upon the tastes which relate only the agreeable and
circumstances But "a tbng Of beauty Ia Joy forever
and for alt
Ira poet selects biz heroes and hcrones FROM Greek
aud Roman Oriental antiquity. he Is bound to repre-
sent them In character The French used shsudiy 20
require that such heroes and hcrones should
the stage the costumes and drawing manners OF
fdnetea regime in France. and nsensibe TO the
shocking anachronsm OF Christian thought and scnt
ment from Pagan hps Mr. Swnburno Is right 70 defend
himself agams, the silly prejudice which makes wrter
personally responsible tor What dramatic truth compel
him to put In the mouths OF his charactsrs Byron had
20 contend with tie prejudice but entirely
ovcrtame IT. and TO cite quite another example, Gleason
~ well the readers OF his Pictorial viii die the
full belief that Ned Buntine long pirate ia the
Gulf where be lad the scenes OF many stories
We cannot pethctics grounds, censure Mr.. ssn-
burne for selecting Pagan gods and eoddcsses with Pagan
men and women bis principal characters A tile
complaint can DO urged against their costume smIy
because they little the beauties OF Mr Wheat
lcys Black Crook, about which the Rev. Mr. Sniyth ls
to tell the naked truth" to-day But must say
that having selected hess cbaracters he Ia guilty OF
the same aDacnrOnlHln that which VIC condemn in
tho French dramsista He consciously reflects upon
them the ncongruous light which streams tho
world from the Cross In this light their pskeoness
wh oh wouA be white wonder In purely Greek at
sports who, All al ose denounced " chamber
ing and wsntonncssn aud all unceanness" while the
nno passionate poetry which Mr. swinburno makes
them utter. Sounds like shrieking blasphemy. And
ways II - not only Lecausc Mr. 5ainburnes readers
living Ia Christ age but sso because Mr. Swim
burnc birseH Ike character IN Thcophiie Cant efs
hne. dc Naupn, might complain that be was born too
iso w moro than eighteen hundred years 10 do fui
dramatic Justice % re erotc energies Of ancient Pagan
SIN. h efforts unayaliug TO exclude from hs
Hggrcs "noblc and mud and antique" he describee
them % BE- tbs light hereded by the Star of bethlehem
superior a. no - II artistic power 10 the whole brood OF
recent English poeta aud poetasers lao Ia living In
modern England sad ! old Greece Italy; and
his strongest but feeble In comparison with
those OF ths old poets, "who." he says.
Outs'ng and outoys us
And cstullus makes mouths a SPEECH"
-cbeBing declares that "tbs attempt " draw sparks
from the ashes OF the pas. and fan them again INTO
universal flame Is . vain endeavor;" and MI Swim.
burnss failure illustrates Tho truth Of tho remark
On hstcr CAL II not estheuclI grounds. might
be justified 10 obccus 70 his choice OF subject and to
his tess his and snacto
ratic method Of r. s,ing IL BsAdes not fsw OF these
pages resemble the ntcrmineUlc old French ronances
which used 10 recount tie adventures OF Alexander the
Great a knight and made lin and hs conten
porsriss employ ts phrsSeology Of clostsr iifo and
camp iifo In the ago u chiv,iry and monascism- MI
swinborns would not hes!tse 70 give Venus nights
lodging In the coll OF nun And H. NOT only dlfuscs
sicxy coGster odor thu s,mosphersnround OF his
characters by introducing inconsE.ent but inevitable
Christian eloms but he also discolors bis pictures OF
ancient rasarlim By morbid ssntimenailiy aud an
exaggerated passion which belong erciusvsy 20 modern
Psganism. Th~s ssin PaganisIn enough 10 the world.
sct it, Manifestations in many respects peculiarly
49, f.rff.
and despair D.ysr dsayurod ~orks Excep. coin,
which spoke the language Of mbos rather than that
art, the greeks never represented Fury. This Mr..
swinDarps often fofges Ignoring tbs reposs which "a
tho cro~nins glory Of Greek ART Moreover, no
seems to forget hat Aphrodte VAS not tho only
deity " tho old Pantheon And bis studies o.
classical Pagan literature appear mostly 10 dsis
from the sayncou Or Psosius Arbter aud the Golden
Ass OF Apaelus works which illustrate tbs poly tLes.io
syssm society 10 s decrsssudo towards ths close %
tbs Roman empire. 10 that tbs hea,hsnism portrayed
by bin, altogether the robust hestLenisna Of
when tho world young Too mach Of u belongs 10
apsrod when had become unquo-tIonsby rvt,en, and
ID Ia tho more offensive the dim religious light which
he cannot Hinder Chussnlty from shedding his dzra
est pages.
Morilss contend hat there 10 latent doctrine 10 The
very chous b. On artist Of certain portion Of hfs
be nag,nstyoy represented "Be IL the providence ~
tho mimic world framed: we'll he mus, conduct
a. consr' cusly o. apconscoasly, sccordng 20 some
ph bsophy Of f H. makes his characters reason and
act :, different situations and IN modes cang for sp
probation reprobsion veil be 4, ia spite Of himself
good or Absd moral csaast" Mofsslr, therefore, Gill
be scs 10 st,ach 70 thpsuthorof sus yenss sr.spon.
s.tiy which merely sstbetieai critic mar not put
spon him they you'd ~ lrls cigpo~ed 70 accept bis
apology bst ne oGcrs mss, for men ami candy for
girls or MIX for babes However this psy be- We
pos echo The superaes criticism which his voiums has
evoked FROM he Brrsh yrcas The snsthsmss shich
have Dssr hurled II IA AMI which caused rs publisher %
rupyrsss bis edition " a. are M, esmss cri,c-u,,
bat merely Tbs barsDs q MIRA orundy's pscs. Zone.
body has td Ms cruniy that shs soos very tile
Is mighty Improper and slihsvsb ike snst Of thoss
vhs Elm Buy u for th2 very reason. ioes