Weston weekly leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 1878-189?, 1880-10-02
SOCIAL CULTURE.

WESTON, Sept. 9th, 1850.
EDS. LEADER A rose by any other name
would smell just as sweet. in fact it would
yield up its fragrance without Il name, that is
II it is good healthy rose. The quality of
literary juice in any bit of writing is not in
the name, and too often there is none in the
piece. Sometimes one anticipates a pleasing
literary flavor from n production in which he
sees the names of Milton and the Bard of
Avon and poets consecrated and apothesized
in the minds of the great and the little, the
rich and the poor the good and the bad; but
after perusing the article, he experiences an
tinaccountahle acidulous sensation altogether
surprising. think one may be innocent of
any literary lying" in describing his psychic
logical condition after reading an aesthetic
homly an LITERARY lying" clothed in an essay
on poetry and poetic culture.
1t often happens that much more harm than
| good comes from telling people how little they
really know, not only of poetry but of every
thing else. 1t is not everyone who takes
pleasure in discovering the dimnutive amount
of information with which his neighbors i'll
tellcct is adorned
Moral courage is well but even IL should be
exercised with the innocuity of the dove.
| There occasions when even truth had ret
ter be not too obtrusye, and when its divine
attributes strengthened more by silence
than proclamation.
Close familiarity and c"rrect appreciation of
the poets and the canons of their art may be
the exclusive province of few choice spirits;
but the comparative enjoyment OF the truths,
generalizatious, lights and shades, sublime
flights of fancy. powerful dclineations of char
acter and all the elements that constitute the
poetic grandeur is the property of us all.
To suggest that persons of mediocre minda
and limited scholarship should not taste Of the
waters Of literary excellence, until after they
have proclaimed the narrow confines of thcil
) culture is more characteristic of cgotism thar
: sound Judgment and perhaps moral courage
There seems to be disposition among som,
to throw cloak of mystery and ulEe essar,
profundity over the masterpieces OF poetic lit
|. erdture especially.
o Is it enlighted neral courage to alarm un
rre,entious readers from cult, ating Brown
ing, because they have not first Laid hare tn
t bosom of their unintelli.ence and crying out
|. Behold how ignorant ! am: Sc" MY mora
: courage; take q view Of my intellectual dwarf
ishness, ere | shall presume To rur!mung wit
8 the poets Of every age and cline"
Few will successfully maintain that we car
:. not put moral courage INTO too much exercise
Even the Master declared that his time ha
not vet come IL disgust is engendered il
DR. stead of pleasure and profit to one another b
he learning the ailments of our neighbor, it
u better to draw the mantle Of secrecy over then
nc a modest claim tn any virtue or corlmentlab
accomplishment, stimulates others to emula
in the same direction. People who take pri,
as IN telling their own ignorance or who claim
,d De the embodiment Of knowledge are equal
. objectionable If not obnoxious to persons
- culture and refinement. The middle course
~ the safest and most reasonable rule of couduc
PORCUrINE.