Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-06-16
Our Literary Men.

valuable and comprehensive manual OF
English and American literature, but
to those who make literature profes
sion. 1t suggests to us to inquire into
the state of authorship among us and
into some of the influences which effect
it.
Although there has been large in
crease i'll the number of American
authors of late years, we do not think
that there has been corresponding
Improvement III the character of
American literary works. The best
works which are produced are written
| by men who reached the zenith Of their
fame nearly generation ago. Bryant,
! Longtellow Emerson, Whittier, Lowell,
Holmes, and even Mrs. Stowe, can not
be said TO have been brought up under
the same influences which have sur
rounded and enyeloped the present
generation of American authors In
these elder writer's we have more depth
and sincerity, as well as more learning
and polish, than in any of those of II
later date. Our younger men appear
to be altogether occupied with subjects
! which derive their Importance from the
\ circumstances OF the time, and as
another Isaac Disraeli) has said,
they who draw. their inspiration from
the hour, must not complain if with
that hour they pass away.
The present generation of Americans
are living out Of perspective. They
have not in view the everlasting ends
Of living. They push for wealth as
though the object OF life was to get
rich. Everybody lives in the present
moment unmindfnl of the past and
thoughtless of the future. The intensity
Of the life in our Great cities, where
our literary men mostly gather, is such
that few escape its enSrossing intlu-
cnce. 1t is whirlpool which sucks
then in and overwhelms them with its
multitudinous Influences, demands,
and compensatioms. Men are thus
mastered by their circumstances, and
instead Of following the bent Of their
own genius. and pursuing paths in
which success is possible, they accept
the ta>AS which are set for them, and
become servants where they ought to
bc mas tcrS.
Strange a> II may appear. the in
dIviIualIty of our literary men is en-
dan1ered by their connection with the
press. The paper, in America, as well
a in England. have become, like the
great parties ia the government. rep
rcsentative, and are loaded down with
responsibilities, re;icences, and pre-
objections, and all manner Of literary
ietters from which literary men should
be entirely free. I'VE talk Of the free
dom Of the press now-a-days," says the
London Times, "but the liberty of the
/ press is limited to the privilege Of
abusing antagonists. To those immcd'-
atcly concerned, this much-boasted
liberty is sheer and absolute servltude
The Journalist is at every turn weighted
with the traditions of the past and the
policy of the present. From the line of
action thus marked out for him. our
journalist will not be permitted to stir
one inch; and il in moment OF i'm
pulslvely independent originality he
ventures to lnterpolate single bit of
sentiment of his own, that sentiment
Will be reIporselessly eliminated by Il
discreet editor." We do not present
this as Il true picture of the American
press, which, from the greater diversity
Of public opinion. has not settled into
such narrow grooves, but still allows
some verge to individuality aad in
tellectual cccentricity. But it is
distinct, growing, and threatening
tendency, inimical to the production
of the best literature.
To the press must also be attributed
the writing Of books by fragments,
which has of late years become the
common and usual method. Few
men, says an able writer, from whom
we quote, ''haye the time, the patience,
and the confidence in their own abili-
ties necessary to enable them to sit
down AMI in cold blood, Il will write
great book They prefer to throw out
as rapidly as possible whatever
thoughts have occurred to them; and
attack the world not by the heavy
artillery Of folios and quartos, but by
constantly pclting it with small shot
through the pages Of periodicals. After
few years of such practice Il man Is
startled to find how yoluminous an
author he has already become. Un-
luckily, writing OF this class can seldom
be calculated for long endurance,
and both in treatment and in subject
matter is scarcely fit to be collected
into whole. However, the experiment
is in many ways tempting. A writer
is naturally unwilling to leave so much
good work to repose in the undisturbed
storehouses of bygone periodical liter
ature, he makes a selection of such
fragments as appear to have an endur-
ing interest: he ties up his literary
fagot, and casts it out upon the world
to take its chance among more solid
materials"
AS a rule, remarks Prof. Seely, in a
recent lecture, good books are written
in German. The Germans appear to
be the only civilized people not as yet
taken off their feet by the Hood like
current of the nineteenth century.
They still keep their balance and work
with patient and plodding persever-
ance. Our fine nervous sensibility
which is the source of our intellectual
power, is too flexible and versatile
We must cultivate the phlegmstic tenn
permanent OF our Saxon ancestors, and
learn to undertake great tasks with
becoming boldness, and pursue then