The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-11-21

tdlf apfll@AS5 lIUI sue auGt6lCo, a1l
suffer no ehsgrin st not meeting with
it at the hands OF an audience which
could not discriminate Tor itself. Thi:
would be the veriest nonsense. Iftas
press Il wToDg, snd the public IA.
| approved, the performer should con.
tent himself with knoAing that the
public had approved. While il is
true that persons are capable Of iudg
ing OF their own excellence, at least 2
certain modesiy is looked in @ per-
son when contradicting an opinion
regarding himself by one OF fair iu5g-
ment and wholly disinteresteG.
Il is Oftentimes stated By amateurs
when criticised. in fact an exception
is scarcely known, that they do not
consider themselves professionals, and
do not wish 10 be Judged as such.
hey overlook the very important
lac. that an amateur cen be criticised
as an amateur and g professional
judged by a test altogether different
Criticism, strange to say, can be ap
piled with Justice to ali gradza, be-
cause in all grades it takes into ques-
ton all the features and circum-
stances, and from a consideration |
OF these, deducts the degree of
excellence. If the professional test
were applied to amateurs, as they
would have one infer when they are
judged st ail-for to Judge does not
mean to speak we'll Only-iew would |
escape go thorough an overhsuling
that they would hardly dare appear
in public again. But they are judged
as amateurs, are encouraged and ap-
pear sgain and again, and if they
heed the voice of criticism, will give
evidence Of improvement with each
successive appearance. The imputa
zion of spleen or spite made by ANA.
tours on criticisms which they do not
ike, psrtskes of the nature OF cow
ardice, and even though it may be
true, a public would audiciously take
such IN impu,ation with q great
deal OF salt, particularly when it
comes from the individual criticised.
Nov, regarding the question of
criticism. Who has the right to die
tate what the standard OF judgment
shall be? No enc; not even a person
skilled thoroughly on the subject crili-
Cised, much less one who ia totally
ignorant of it, whatever his position
may be. at times one may witness
the remarkable exhibition OF the
editorial department of a newspaper
taking its local department to task
because, forsootb, the local gives q
fair and kindly criticism of an enter
which, while many liberal .;
persons and competent judges :.
agree with If, does not happen to
sui: the writer OF the editorial; and
yet, on reading both, one can readily
see that the person who writes the
fair and kindly criticism knows ten
times as much about the subject of the
criticism as the one who so freely
criliCises the Judgment of the critic.
Why, the very first element of the art
OF Judging l. then wanting-some '
knowledge Of the thing judged. 1t is i
true that persons who are foolish
enough to show, not only q lack OF
knowledge concerning the thing to be
Judged, but OF the art OF judging itself,
csnno! be made to sea that they ore
10 the wrong; yet this does not alter
he fact that such persons are totally
incapable Of doing the one or the
other. There are cases of individ
lals, such 81 are referred to above. 4
who run so wildly to extremes that :
you cannot avoid the conviction ths, u
hey imagine the judgment of deity tt
g theirs-that the very Judgment seat n
S to be found in their penetration; {
md it Is rare indeed when one can v
convince them Of the fsllacy of their Il
notions. Il
Dr.. johnson is the rsputed author d
If the pungent remark: "Veriiy, o
nan had better be a6use1 than let a
Ilone;" and while thugs exist as they Il
10, the remark is true. No higher t
can be paid a performer
han to criticise him, as it shows @
here was that in the performance I
which, whether good or bad, com d
handed attention; and as no per. a
ormer will assume perfection, he L
uCu-- 0AW dJ 9 10 llOC4 NJ SilOuRu W
Omit that some one may discern o
lie faults. If he desire tc improve, n
nd deserve to do so, be will, as be- a
ore stated. invite criticism. Critics u
re as liable to err as others, and as 0
liable 30 tell the truth; and it is not
wise, because a criticism does not
,lsass, TO take it for granted that it is 4
Untrue or unjust. Even performer 3
5 prone to overestimate his own
.biliiy, and his friends to encourage
lin in the false estimate. 1t is well
o heed a criticism, kindly or unkindly !
.iven, and 20 rezt assured that. if
lnkiBd or unjust, discerning public G
gill perceive the wrong and make 2
.mends by spplauding more than it
would have done had the injustice
lever been committed.