The Portland daily press., 1881-10-21
Do We Want Essay1sts To-day
lCornhiu Maoazine1 /

We are too distracted, too hurried. The
town about which these essayists are always
talking meant limited society; 1T has now
become a vast chaos of distracted atoms,
whirled into momentary contact, but not Co
alescing into permanent groups. sensitive,
reserved Addison would go 10 his club in the
DAYS when club meant social gathering in
stead of an oppressive house of call for / 200
gentlemen, glaring mutual dstrust across
their newspaper. He had his recognized corr
ner at the coffee-house, where he could listen
undisturbed TO the gossip OF the regular fire.
quenters He would retire to his lodgings
with chosen friend, and gradually thaw un
der the influence of his bottle and his pipe OF
tobacco, till he poured out his little specula
tons TO his companion, or wrote them down
for an audience which he knew as a country
paIssn knows his congregation. He could
make little confidential jokes to the public, for
the public was only an enlarged circle of
friends AT the present day such a man. for
he was a man of taste and reflection, 6uds
society an intolerable bore. He gees into it TO
be one Of crowd assembled for a moment TO
be dispersed in a dozen different crowds TO-
morrow; hs is stuck down at dinner table be-
tween a couple OF sGriuger1 aud has not time
al twaddle, miles, indeed, be meets soms in
trepid talker who asks between the soup and
the FISH whether he believe in the equality OF
the sexes or the existence OF a Dsity He is
lucky If he can count upon meeting MS best
friends once in fOrGnight. He becomes IA
NOUS nos 10 ba the cherished comDanion OF
the day, but to u mobbed by crowd. He
may become a reclu g. nowhere more easily
than i'll London; but then he eau hardly wri
effective essays upon life; or he may throw
himself into Tome OF the countless move
ments" of the day, aud will have 10 DO ih TOO
deadly earnest for ,he pleasant Interchange OF
social persihage with sktllial blending OF
lively and Eevere. TIE lutte friendly circle
OF sympathetic bearers is broken up for good
or bad, dis olved into fragments and wbirled
into mad confusion; end the talker on paper
must change his zone as his audience Is dis
perSed Undoubtedly in some ways the pres
ent day is not merely favorable TO essay writ
ing. but very paradise for eeSayis'1. Our
MAGAZINES aad journals are full of excellent
performances But their character is radically
changed They are serious discussions OF i'm
pOrtaut questions, where a man pats a whole
system OF philoGnDby into a dtz5a pages. Or
else they differ from the Old-faIhiOnsd essay as
che address of a mob orator differs from
speech to an oIgddiZed assembly. The VII er
has not N his eve a little coterle OF recognized
authority, bu6 is competing with Couutless
rivals Co catch the ear OF that vague aud Ca
PRECIOUS parsonage, the general reader. Some
times tho general reader likes SLOW twaddle,
aud sometimes a spice OF scandal, but he IS
terribly apt TO take irony for a personal insult
and TO mistake delcAcy for iusipIhity. IL IS
true. indeed, that one Kind of authority bss
become more imposing than ever We are
greatly exercised i'll our minds by the claims
OF the scientific critic. but that only explains
Whv il is so much easier TO write about essay
writing than to write an essay ones self.