The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-06-03
Conscience and Courtesy in Criticism

the work OF cllqueS and schools, or 80
much the Office Of inen who have chrou.
ic habit Of finding fault, or so coarse in
its personalities, or so incompetent in It's
judgments through haste and insufficient
examination, that it is rarely instructive
either to the authors reviewed or to the
public. The average column of book no.
tices in daily paper is quite vAlueless
by necessity. 1t is impossible that the
reviewer read the books he is expected
by the publisher to notice, aud so he
gives his crude and unconsidered dica
concerning them, going through his pile
in single morning, and helping to make
or mar the reputation Of their authors,
apparently without dreaming how tender
the interests are which he handles SO
carelessly. He seems to forget that all
the influence Of the journal for which he
works stands behind his hastil y.wTitten
words, and that sensitive men and wom-
en are to be warmed or withered by them.
Just a little more conscience, or a more
candid consultation OF sach as he may
nave, would teach him that he has 10
moral right to give publicly an opinion
of book of which he knows nothing
| In so small matter as noticing book
| before competent examination Of it, the
chances are that he will msead the pub
ic and do Injustice to those who nearly
always have some claim to the good opin-
ion of the reading world Publishers cx-
pect impossibilities of the daily press, and
are largely responsible for what is known
as 'the book notice : but the daily press
ought to declare its independence, AMI
absolutely refuse to notice any book which
has not been thoroughly read The best
and richest of the city press has aIread ?
done this; (; but the country press keeps
up its columns of book notices every
week, written by editors who never have
time to look beyond the preface.
In England, criticism is probably more
the work of partisanship than it is here.
The interests OF parties in church and
state, and Of cliques and schools of litera-
ry art, seem to determine everything. 1t
appears to be perfectly understood that
everything written by the members Of Il
certain clique will be condemned, and If
possible killed, by the combined efforts Of
another clique, and rice rerSa. Crit.
cism is simply mode of fighting. Mr.,
Blank, belonging to certain literary
clique, writes volume Of verses and
prints it. He sends advance copies to
his friends, who write their laudatons OF
it, and communicate them to sympathet.
ic journals and magazines, So when it is
published, the critiques appear almost
simultaneously, and the public is captured
by the stratagem. The condemnation
come too late to kill the book, and the
clever intriguers have their laugh over
the result. 1t is not harsh to say that
all criticism born of this spirit is not only
intrinsically valueless, but without con
science. The supreme wish to do right
and to mete out simple justice to author
ship is wanting. The praise is as value
less as the blame.
The old and fierce personalities of
English criticism, which so aroused thu
ire Of Byron, and crushed the spirit Of
some of his less puguacious cotempora
ries, have. in measure, passed away &,
but really nothing better in the grand re.
suit has taken their place. Men stan !
together for mutual protection, fully
aware that they have rothing to expect
Of justice aud fair dealing by any other
means. We do not know why it is that
the ordinary courtesies OF life are denied
to authors more than to painters or sculp
tors and architects, except, perhaps, that
painters and scul ulptors and architects are
not Judged by their own co-laborers in
art. We presume that these, and that
singers and actors would fare badly, it
all the criticisms upon themwere written
by their professional brethren aud this
fact suggests the animus Of those who
criticise current literature. Itseems i'm
possible to get candid and conscientious
Judgment of a literary man until after he
is dead, and out Of the way of all envy
ings and jealousies and competitions. 1t
seems impossible also, until this event oc-
curs to separate man from his works,
and to judge them as they stand. There
is no good reason, however, for the per-
sonal filings dealt out to authors whose
only sin has been a conscientious wish to
deserve well of the public, except what
is to be found in the meanest qualiti oi
human nature. The lack of personal,
gentlemanly courtesy in current criticism
is Disgrace to the critical columns Of
our newspapers and magazines.
The majority of those who write al c
sensitive to high degree, and could not
possibly be notable writers were they
otherwise. They do the best they can
and that which they do is the record ot
the highest civilization and culture ol
their country and period. They publish
trembling to think that what they pub
lish is to he pouuced upon and picked Il
} pieces like prey. Their best thoughts ans
best work are rot only treated withou
respect, but they find themselves ma
, ligned, cheapened, maliciously character
lied, or snmmarily condemned. All thi'
they are obliged to bear in silence, ol
! suffer the reputation of being thin-skinneC
and quarrelsome. There is no redres:
and defense. They have published ;
: book, in which they have incorporated
the results of life OF labor and though
and suffering, with the hope of doiu!
good, and of aiding something to the lit
: erary wealth OF their country and the.
2 have in so doing committed sin whic'
h, places them at the mercy Of every ma
| who holds periodical press at his com
t mand 1t is said that the greatest liter
r airy woman living fed her country at tn
y conclusion Of tina. which is perhaps he
e greatest work, in order to be beyond tn
t reading of the criticisms which the boo
: would call forth. The woman was wis
v 1t was not the criticism that she feared
y it was the malevolence aud injustice ,
!, its spirit, to which she would not subjec
her seusiblities.
frhnrn IL kuf ana atmosphara in ~ hie