The Red Cloud chief., 1877-03-15
Professors Of Literature.


may not an outsider express surprise
that in one department of study the
colleges, with rare exceptions. fail to
engage the services of experts. English
literature is supposed to be a matter of
considerable importance in the intel
lectual training Of young persons; ev-
cry college has q chair of bellies. lettres,
Or English literature, or rhetoric, or
modern and u~nclassical literature of
some kind; and yet how many colleges
in this country have professors in these
chairs who know what literature is
when they see itP Three or four col
leges, perhaps; but not many more, 50
far as the public q be sure of.
There r plenty of men in such po-
sitions who have the dates at their fin
gers ends; who have systems and theO-
ries, and what amount of insight and
real knowledge the gods may allow.
They can publish hand-books of Eng
lish literature very poor ones; they
can lecture on aesthetics, on literary Pc
RODS, on tho influence Of so and so on
something or other, or on somebody or
other; but in reality they do not know
what they are talking about. There
are comparative ely few people, at best,
who do know what literature is when
they see it; generally such people prove
their insight and ability either by writ
ing criticisms on literature, like Sainte-
Beuve; o. by making literature, like
Longfellow; or both, like Lowell.
We saw a letter written not long ago
from a young fellow out West, of liter
airy promise and ambition, tO an East
ern man, asking him which of three
Eastern colleges named he would ad-
wise him to enter. Two of these col.
leges were old, the third was new. The
person questioned did not venture to
advise in favor of any n institution
he told what he knew about each; but
with reference to the new college he
said that 50 long as a certain professor,
whom he named, remained there, this
would be a good place for his young
Western friend. The professor to
whom reference was made Is Q teacher
of literature, who meets all the require
ments mentioned above. He knows
what the thing is when he sees it, He
can criticise it. He can make it He
has the enthusiasm of the creative fac
ulty. He stirs up the young men
about him not only to keen appreciation
Of literature, both old and new; but he
impels them to accomplishment in lit
eratura
The effect of such an influence upon
young people can hardly be overesti-
mated. The history of literature, as of
all the other arts, is the record of Eau.
ses and effects of q character like this.
We do not underrate the element of
individual genius. But when we read
closely the history of any art, we find
that the men who are popularity cited
as exceptions to all rules are, after all,
in . sense, the mere legitimate out
growths of circumstances; and the cir
cumstance Of q good and IN inspiring
teacher has always been one of the
most fortunate and most productive.
If it is answered that the turning out
of g~eniuses" 10 not the only function of
an institution of learning, then it may
be replied that the teacher best calcu-
lated to awaken dormant genius is also
the one best calculated to correct and
cultivate the taste, and elevate the mem
tai tone of the most ordinary member
of his class.-ScSibner for March,