The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-31

Theocritus himself could have desired.
At the end of the week he had left him
nowhere. He completed his aesthetic ed
ucation under the wing of Theocritus,
who took him to no end of studios where
he soon picked up the phrases of the
school, to number of the five-o'clock
teas where the religion of higher culture
is observed, and where he met women
who were, Theocritus informed him, the
most beautiful of their sex, and in whose
presence Jack felt his breast heaye with
the thought, II am poet"
Cousin Maggie was quite forgotten.
As crowning glory, he was introduced
to the beautiful actress who was the star
of Theocritus' song; and though his first
moments wnen, he was introduced to her
behind the scenes were moments OF abject
misery, this feeling of nervousness soon
wore off, and he is now quite as rever-
ertially familiar with this goddess as The
ocritus himself, and feels no tremor in
waiting 10 do her homage as she passes
from the stage door to her carriage after
first night, through a perfect avenue of
young poets and painters.
When Jacks first volume, "Women
and Graves" appeared, it made a great
sensation; it was condemned by most
journals as unfit to be seen on any table,
was read by all young ladies who could
get hold of it, and Jack was formally
recognized as one of the aesthetic world.
In fact, he soon became famous, and no
aesthetic five-o'clock tea, no studio re-
union of artistic souls, no at-home in sa-
Ions where the beautiful is worshipped,
Is complete without the presence Of Jack
Harris.
His personal appearance too is greatly
altered. The honest stubbly beard he
fostered so long, and was 50 proud of,
has been inexorably shaved away, and
has left him an air Of exceeding youth
fulness. In compensation, however, he
has allowed his hair to grow very long
over his shoulders, to the disgust Of his
parents and the delight of his friends.
His attire is now characterized by fan
tastic originality, such as had been hith-
erto uninterrupted even by aesthetics. In
point of fact, he has come to be the ac-
knowledged leader Of the inspired youth
Of the period, as well as the chief author
ity on all matters of artistic taste and
culture generally. To hear him discours-
ing at the Acropolis Club on the true
feeling of Greek art, as evidenced in the
verse Of Sappho and the discoveries at
Olympia, or holding forth on the subtle
beauty Of the "Damnation de Faust"
you would have thought him great
Greek scholar and a promising pupil of
Berlioz. Yet, before he met Theocritus
Marlowe on that fateful evening, his
highest musical accomplishment was tap
ping out some comic air on the piano
with one finger; and in his classical at
tainments he resembled Shakespeare as
described by Ben Jonson.
At first, to do him justice, he was diff
dent in discoursing on these themes; but
he soon found that sort Of honorable
understanding gsubsisted among aesthetics,
by virtue of which no one ever ques-
toned the requirements Of another. So
Jack is now great Greek scholar, mu-
sician with theories on Wagner and the
true music Of the future, a philosopher
with stronger creed than Scllopen-
hauer's; his word is law on matters Of
early Italian art and the Renaissance,
though six months ago his idea of paint
ing was limited to the annual Academy
and the colored pictures Of the "Illus
trated London News" To crown all, he
is the most improper poet Of the hour
Moreover, he is very kind to Theocrltus
Marlowe. JUSTIN FL. MCCARTHY.
| THE END.