Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-05-22
For the Edgefield Advertiser.
Clifford Troun-

For the Edgefeld Advertiser. <
+ Clifford Troup. -
Mr.. .EDIgoR: An article appeared over.
fthe signatuirFe oe'paulsH. Hayne. in the
g TriiWeeklg ooa1rte9," published ats
IRome, Georgia, in the.issue. ofthe 26th.
+ April ult., purporting tobe criticism
| OF "Clifford Troup''-a Novel by Mrs.
Maria j.. Westmoreland, Of ATLANTA.
Georgia.
We have never'read communication
so full of literary impudence,. egotism
and injustice. He begins his article by
attacking the entire literature of the
South. "The South" says he, can not
boast of possessing an influential litera
ture or an organized Literary Guild"
The fact is, that the South has Overcome
hundred authors who compare fayorably
with those of any country. Her litera-
-rture is chaste, refined, elegant, andinfu-
ential. One of the chief reasons oftheir
great merit and success, is that they have
notwritten for money, but from love
Of their labor. Her periodicals have al
ways been distinguished for'their purity
ofstyle and honest devotion to principle.
The speeches of her Statesmen, equal
those of England s. greatest orators, and
are greatly superior to those of States
men Of the North.
The editors of the newspapers and pc
riodicals of the South, he asserts, are not
fiji to analyse or decide the intellectual
status of a work that in consequence Of
such gross ignorance and incompetency
on the part of Editors there are "no def
mite standards of taste,' or "truthfnl
authoritative organs of critical opinion :"
TO this sweeping assertion he makes but
one exception--the< Baltimore Souther7,
Magazine, edited byfWm Hand Brown.
| He gravely states that "these thoughts
have been suggested by the gushing and
iuconsiderate eulogies lately outpoured
by the Georgia press, Tor considerable
portion of the Georgia press,) upon such
performance as Clifford Troup." He
tells US the only way to remedy these
great evils is to form Literary G,lild,"
to which tho literary productions of the
South are to be submitted for approval
or rejection. From this charmed circle
he has excludedthe Hon. A. IT. Stephens,
of the Atlanta Sum Col. James Gardner,
of the Augusta Co7,stitationalist, Col.
John Forsytha of the Mobile Register,
the members of the Georgia press. and
in fact the intelligent press OF the South.
We are therefore led to conclude that
this mutual admiration society is to be
composed of the discriminating William
Hand Browne. and the modest Paul II
Hayne.
The reason assigned for his attack upon
the Literature of the South, and upon
the Editors of Southern Periodicals and
Newspapers, is too superficial to be be-
lieved IF our memory serves us Alright,
he published in 1872, hook styled "Be-
eends and Lyrics 1t may be the Edit
ors Of the South failed to appreciate those
splendid Legends" and soul-stirring
Lyrics" If they came into The world
still-born, and have gravitated to dusty
book-shelves of second-class book stores,
it is no fault of the author Of "Cli1ford
Troup.";' And we fear he makes her
works the medium Of venting his long
pent-up spleen for an imaginary literary
neglect. For the benefit Of those who
have not read his beautiful poetry, will
take the liberty of quoting verse from
the Poem, Midnight"
1.-The Moon, ghost of her sweet self,
And wading- through a watery cloud
(Which wraps her lustrc like shroud)
Creens up the gray, funereal sky,
-Wearily! how wearily"
We have seen the moon described as
"palc-facod'' inconstant," horned" !"
but never before as ga ghost of her
sweet self" We have never heard that
the moon is "sweet;" nor that she has
legs, and is in the habit Of "wading
through a watery cloud;" nor that the
moon at midnight could creep upa gray
sky These are fair specimens Of the
original fancies of the Rhymster Laureate
of the Palmetto State.
The critlcisA. OF William Hand Browne
is endorsed by Paul II. Hayne, and in
serted in his communication. He char
acterizes him as one "in whose discrimi-
nation, scholarship, and genius, above
all in whose passionate patriotism, and
desire for Southern intellectual advance
ment, our people cannot but feel the
warmest confdcnce!"
William Hand Browne says he would
be guilty of a suppression of the truth,
if he were to give his readers to suppose
that lie had read "Clifford Troup;" he
read few pages and glanced at tile rest.
would suggest to this excessively con-
scientious critic, that in presuming to
state the merits of Il book that he con-
fesscdly had not read, his conclusions
are nothing more or less than 4 sugges-
ton of what is false.
This President Of the Browne, Hayne
Guild, can not bestow time enough 10
read work that has already passed
through five editions; that has received
the seal of approval from tho best intel
lects North and South. Still he has daring
inpudence enough to criticise and con-
denim it. This is what his friend Hayne
calls genius suppose, and thus to treat
Southern author is convincing proof
of his desire for Southern intellectual
culture. Does he by such unjust and
discourteous conduct hope to win and
retain the warm confidence of the people
Of the South? He may n.islead moon
struck rhymstcr by such criticisms, but
sensible men every where will simply
write him down an impudent, egotistical
pyeteinler.