The New York herald., 1876-03-20
OUR AUTHORS.
swINToN ON CENTURY OF AMERICAN LrTERA-
rIrpE

swINToN ON CENTURY OF AMERICAN LITElA-
TURE.
Last night Mr.. John Swinton lecturcd to tocraby
largo audience in Turn Hall "One Hundred Years
OF American Literature" The lecture given
under the auspices Of the German Freidcnker
Bund (Freethnkers' Society," At the outset the
lecturer professed his inability TO deal properly
with the subject in hour Ho would,
then, step from mountain peak to mountain
peak OF the matter in hand briefly sketching the
scenery as 1t appeared American literature was, he
stated generally short lived and the names in II des
tined to last were lew. To state the case fairly, we
had really only had hfty years OF literature. He
would ask what had contributed during that period
to the worlds literature and what the
value OF itS DO We make good or even
fair show among the other nations OF the earthi
One of nations highest gories is the greatness Of ita
literature We have not had a Shakespeare Homer,
la Goethc Dante, Noltaire or Victor Hugo. The
reason Tor this is simple. No OF the highest
genius has ever been duplicated. We have had three
periods OF litcraure-the pro Revolutionary the Revo-
utonary until 1870, and that from 1870 TO the
present time. The first OF these produced
an almost exclusively theological literature, the
great and solitary figure OF which is Jonathan
Edwards This literature was tho outgrowth OF the
Puritanical feeling imported into this country from
England, where mighty religious uphcaval was going
forward when the Purtans left her shores IL Is
entirely forgotten. The Revolutionary period
markabe for great and powerful political literature.
Among the Of writer's who contributed TO form Il
three figures stand out observation-disclosures Frank
lin, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine OF these
FRANKLIN MATERIALIsrc ~ TENDENCY;
Jefferson deep and asute thinker and scholar In
the best OF the word Pane the most widely
read the most energetic and the greatest Of all toe
by the people whom he served. or the poets OF the
Revolution il was said the lecturer, hardly necessary
TO speakthey had all been forgotten, as they richly
deserved TO be.
The interval between 1850 and 1920 was sngularly
barren IL was the period from the iater date to the
present time which had given our place In the
worlds literature such is Tho lecturer thought
that position very notable In that pcriod we
have had two literary generations In the hrst, we
have the genial manly figures of Washington Irving
and fcnimoro Cooper-lrving, Americas forcmos
literary SON. until his death IN 1860; Cooper who gave
the nrst impulse namboyaut literature, and who has
had swarm OF imtators. In the Same period wo
have had group OF poets, prominent among whom
contributed the first noble poem that American
literature ever in his "Thanaopsis.n Longtellowi
most remarkable pootical work is his "iawatha" 10
longing TO the second period VIC have Lowell Bomei
and Bayard Taylor In tho same pceod VIC have erour
OF hisorans--Bancroft Prescott, Motley of natural
lists Silliman Maury Bowditch and Agassz The dis
tinctyc features of each OF these writcrs briefly
but clearly and sharply defined The lecturer next
stated that in speculative philosophy showed in
this period TO great disadvantage as compared with
the rest Of the world our humorous literature was
tooraby widc in it's range and peculiarly American in
character The rroat representatives OF this
class were Aricmus Ward, Mark Twain and Bret Harte
II was very singular thing that during tho whole of
this period VIC had noi produced great political
writer OF wOmans part IN our literature there was not
much to say, except TIM women had produced novels
by tho thousand rhosirama was another weak point
IN our literary panoply, inasmnch had not pro-
duccd single great drama Next were passed in
rcNleN tuohc WfitcIH Wito speaker termed
Edgar Allan Poe. Hawthorne Ralph Waldo Emerson
anu Walt Whitman 10 would be dIficut 10 exarrcratq
The mastery picture OF Emerson drawn by Mr. SWIM
ton. Walt whitman Jared quite well at his hands,
although nc began his criique OF him by saying that
some thought the poet an imbcco and others cloud
compelling genius BY far the largest measure of notice
was gwen in the lecture to the two last mentioned
authors, and II real treat 10 listen TO tho
skiliu and beautiful dellneation Of their characters
purposes ana influence. The lc concluded with
the following hrm statement 1--WE have contributed
M R nrss c'ass name 70 systematic philosophy or meta,
lhyscs We nave had able historians, but tho best Of
lhcm nave wrought on existing methods, ard none has
fVeh US anything novel or original in historical law;
we have produced scientific writer Of the highest
constructive order; we have had no writer Of fiction
elnh 10 some elsewhere THAT might be named;
We have had great dramatist we have had no poot
woo has gwen Us my single monumental work yea
recognized rs such by tho World; but at a point be-
low the highest can In kycry department OF ltcra-
turc, make excellent diApay of looks such as no
man overlook without losing much that he shall
not elsewhere nnd.p