Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-03-07
Professors of Literature.

The following is from an article on
the above subject in ''Ihe Old Cabi-
net" of ScriJner for March
Now that the talk is about colleges,
may not an outsider express surprise
that in one department OF study the
colleges with rare ex.eptions) fail to
engage the services of experts. En-
gllsh literature is supposed to be a
matter of considerable Importance in
the intellectual training Of young
persons; every college has u chair of
bellies letters, or English literature, or
rhetoric, or modern and unclasSic lit.
erature of some kind, and yet how
many of the colleges in this country
have professors in these chairs who
know what literature Is when they see
it ?-three Or four colleges perhaps
but not many more---so far as the pub
lie can be sure Of
There are plenty OF men in such po.
sitlons who have all the dates at their
fingers ends who have systems, and
theories, and what amount of insight
and real knowledge the gods may al
low. They can publish hand-books Of
English literature very bad oneS) /;
they can lecture on aesthetics, on liter.
ary periods, on the influence of so and
so on something or other, or on some
body or other ; but in reality they do
not know what they are talking about.
They are comparatively few people, at
best, who do know what literature is
when they see 1t; generally such peo-
pie prove their insight and ability
either by writing criticisms on litera-
ture (like Sainte, Beuve), or by making
literature Qike Longfellow), CT both
Qike LOVELY.
We saw q letter written not long
ago from young fellow out West, OF
literary promise and ambition, to an
Eastern man, asking him which Of
three Eastern colleges named he would
advise him to enter. Two of these
colleges were old and famous iustitu-
tions the third was new. The per
son questioned did not venture to aC
he 1o;id ahar 0t VlN one onnee~ institution
with reference to the new college he
said that 50 long as certain profes-
sor, whom he named, remained there,
this would be good place for his
young Western friend. The prote ssor
to whom reference was made is q
teacher of literature, who meet all the
requirements 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 faculty. 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 literature.
The effect ofsuch an influence upon
young people can hardly be overestl-
mated. The history Of literature-as
of all the other arts-is the record Of
causes and effects of character like
this. We do not underrate the ele-
ment If 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 outgrowths OF circumstan-
ces (; and the circumstances of a good
and an inspiring teacher has always
been one OF the most fortunate and
most productive. If it is answ cred
lat the turning cut Of genluses' is
not the only function OF an institution
Of learning, then it may be replied
that the teacher best calculated to
awaken dormant genius is also the one
best calculated TO correct and cultl-
yate the taste and elevate the mental
tone of the most ordinary member OF
his class.