, 1876-01-30

Mr. Ryan, John Henderson, Hasb, Lewis 4 Co.
BAYARD TAYLOR.
l1ls Lecture Oh Literature rs IN
4Art.s'
Literature, according to 31r. Bayard T aylor, is
au art, aud fow are they who are qualified to be-
como authors. Whoever may differ with Mr.
Taylor as to his first proposition, certainly no
ono ia prepared to deny that he is qualified by
nature and education to discuss' literature from
this standpoint The audience which greeted
him last evening 3. tho Union Park Congrega-
tional Church, though not large, Was evidently
composed of intelligent, thinking people as was
shown by t he close attention paid to the speaker
throughout tho entire lecture.
In beginning nr. Taylor said that there wezo
timas for diversion and indulgence in all kinds
Of pleasure, but there we're also times when
laughter failed to cheer, and when men sought
that employment which should most instruct
and elevate their minds. II the present was not
one Of the aforementioned epochs, then he mis-
took a1l the signs and tokens. It WAS simplya
manifestation OF natural Law that people should
Bcek exercise and change. The more tcnse!J the
string was drawn, the moro 1t would rebound.
People had Of late years found delight In COM
positions, tho fun Of which was of the grotesquo
ordor such the Ietters Of Nasbg, the articles Of
Artemua Ward. etc. The number OF persons who
1eadtho best authors Was larger in 1860 than now-
This, however, must not be attributed to any
mental deterioration of tho race. 1t should be
remembered that since then wholc genera-
ton had gone to battle, and in the sharper ex-
citements Of war. had lost the taste for the re-
fnemenss Of literature During the past i've
years had been seen, Us never before, the rlso OF
popular taste for the poorest c!ass of all liter
ary effort This taste las found it's highest ex-
ponent in Bret Harte in whose Writings hunor
rested on its true foundatiou-pathos. Other
authors dealt in the comic alone, as witness Mark
Twain, who seldom failed to provoke laughter.
Lowest of ali WAS the newspaper Jester, who
raneacked tho hoiest and most sacred subjects
to find theme for his absurdieles. He seized
upon everything from the transit OF fenns TO
the overturnlng OF !. cart, to add to h's frau
reputation and to increuse the vltlated relish Of
his readers. Tho times OF suffering and death
wore turned into ltsdicrous situations, and be
chuckled at the misfortunes that brought sor-
row into the household.
Eut the injury done by this c!:es Of writer's
was in inverse proportion to its success. Il
it were not that tie mind tired Of
tn1s unnatural picturine, there would be no end
to it. There was, fortunately, large and in
crossing number who we're willing to change to
sober themes, nnd to listen to words that arc
destined to live more than al ephemcral exist
ence.
Tie speaker, in discussing the question before
him. wond select only those instances which
were roadlest to hand and easiest understood.
In comparing England with America, Waas
were tho chief points Of difference: In En-
gland there was found precision running into
formality. Hero there WAS looseness tending
to rulgaritE:. Tne ENGLISH writer n PAUSED oe-
had an excessive readiness in writing upon any
theme Yet the injury Of the latter system VAS
not permanent. The careeRs hAhl. OF orators
in making their bombastic ungra,nmatical stump
speeches wherein was
Gods great gift Of sFcech abused,
had sngulariy slight effect upon the vast in
difference Of the putlic. II aa A:henian orator
were to make M error IN pronunciation, the
whole audience world rise up against hin. 1es
how frequently we're gross errors made bE our
public speakers. Many speaker had spoken
OF government instead OF government" and
made . Thousand like mistakes. Perhaps not
more than oue speaker in ten pronounced tue
small letters in his Words Even in New En-
gland it was not uncommon to hear persons talk
ing of the "isaoo Of q noospapor."
But it was Of speech as the body OF thought
that the lecturer intended to discuss. 4 mnn
who wrote had not the temptation to wander OF
from his subject that speaker had. let.
though ordinary writing MAS comparatively
easy, it vas hard for man to produce Logical
brilliant writing. Ptoli1ity Was one OF the
Of fiction was generally in inverse proportion to
their length. French novels we're frequently IN
three to nine volumes, while those or Japan
contained az many as Jag. People we're all
too much touched With tho form of thought
too much boundless prairie and boundiess Eea-
Yet Abraham Lincoln, who aaid that 1t would BE-
in him to claim q knowledge Of the
English language. wrote On q single page OF
fooIscap his memorable speech ut Gettysburg.
Teuier, tho Swedish poet, said: "Iho obscure1y
uttered is obscurely thought
Tue frat law OF utterauce was Intelligent, CO.
hezeut thought, and that must bo acquired by
constant effort. Literature lad an exact like
ness to all kindred arts. 4 speaker or writer
must study words as tho painter
Of thought required the hardest work.
What young man, having merely natural liking
for painting, would dare to take I'D pallet. and
expect that his production would be accepted b5
the Academy? What young lad5, without KNOW
ing music, would attempt 10 act as planlst as a
public couccrt: Yet, when one came to lite1a-
ture ono found general idea prevailing that
any one could entcr tho field successfully. 4
young lady OF naturally warm impulses coutided
her crude thoughts to verse, and expected them
10 be published 10 magazine. Even older peo-
pie had the some misconception; anu manv ns1-
thoss had rece1red verses sent them by gentle
men Of mature years, retired from business,
who thought they had capacity Tor
writing poetry. and there was aomstllng dole
full almost troglcal, in the c2se5 OF young people
who, having had their effusions printed in
local paper, expected to step ut once into ever
lasting renown By means Of the muse Liter
atu1e was an art in the broadest aenee. The
original element OF genius, it was true, was born
the same as correct sight; bus it must be
trained, Burns was a remarkable instance OF
an untutored poet but his earlier poems were
chanled to tunes already existing: and thus &C
auired shape and melody.
Luther concluded hlB memorable address to
the Diet of Worms .. follows: 'Here stand.
I cannot do otherwise. God heip me, Amen !"
Suppoang he had said: '' The position TINT
have taken am determined to nsintain!' How
Weas would have been the phrase. But Art
eteDped in at the right moment, aud said, "Let
rs have no words but those which all men can
admire" .
The composition it WAS necessary 70 consider
carefully TWO points. the oes!nnins ana
the ending, There was Parlsian prorerb