The Republican journal., 1882-02-09
Oscar Wilde.

About the time that the London world went
into raptureS over the face, figure and toilets Of
Mrs. LangtrN, since known ''the Jersey
Lily and as IA professional beauty, Oscar Wilde
came into notice. At first he shone in the Dor
rowed light of Mrs Langtry's beauty, and was
ever posing at her feet, with lily in his hand.
He Wore his hair long, and an expression which
indicated that his soul was narrowed by feelings
too intense for utterancc-or that he had par
taken of green apples. He affected strange
CARDS, eccentric speech. and published volume
of poems. Soon he attracted a> much attention
from the public, in society, and occupied as
much space i'll the newspapers as the famous
beauty. He became, in fact the founder of
new school, known the aesthetics. Their
mission. a> Oscar has cNpresscdit it, is to promote
the beautiful; but their ideas of beauty differ
widely from those of most people, if we may
Judge from the costumes, etc. of the aesthetics
themselves The following clever rhymes de-
scribe very effectively the dress and manner Of
AN .KsrHETIC
Size was maiden Of mournfu mien,
Clad i'll garment of sad, sage green,
With peacOcks' feathers strangely bedight
Skimp was the skirt, and the sleeves full tight,
No frivolous gems that maiden wore
But fan in her taper hand she bore,
And on it was painted-so simple and neat
A suntloWer with all its petals complete,
Her face was weary and white and wan,
Her hair was the hue of the setting sun,
She did not smile She did not talk
She dropped like lily upon its stalk,
And what her musings none might guess
Her thoughts too CUTTER for words to
press!
Oscar is the son of Sir William Wilde who
was an eminent oruli>t, surgeon oculi>t TO Queen
IAN IKE,
ophthalmic and Aurai Hospital. Dublin, and
an eminent archHolog>t and author twice dis
tu9u>hcd by his election as President of the
Royal Irish Academy His mother, Lady Wilde.
was 4 poctt>~ and novelist. known to the world
as ''Spcrmza." He has enjoyed the highest
social and educational advantages and has,
above Indicated, been for the past tNo or three
Years the acknowledged leader in London
ci,ty of the aesthetics. Whether it occurred to
this Young man to avail himself of the notoriety
given him by the newspapers and 'Iramati>ts-
he is carcaturrd in the play of ''Patieucr,"
which had a great run i'll London and is now on
the Stage in th. country-to put money in his
purse BY an American lecture tour; or whether
his cgoti>m sent him forth to conquer the New
World. can only be cOniecurcd. At all events.
Oscar put himself in the hands of an agent and
crossed the brinN which strangely enough de-
clinrd to lash itself into fury for his cdtraton
landed in New York, and has ccturrd in that
and other cities The Washington Republic
says of him
There seems to BE- nothing more remarkable
about Oscar Wilde than an intense popularity
| which his admirers call genius. practica-minded
folks humbu@ with financial gain i'll yicW and
a remaining elias. con>llmmatr weakness and
folly. Possibly Mr.. Wilde'> >ingularity is part
" due I" nature partly to atfectation, and large
| N to profit M that weakness in human nature
which causes people to run after any new or
curious thing. In this instance the object of
curiosity. confined pretty much to people of
''~ocirty" procliNtics. i Young man, fairly
"nod-looking. Of gentle blood well educated
and with b wonderful turn for ~uavc and per
sul>vc talk. OF the greatest Importance to
that person himself is he fact that the attention
given him, which is very considerably the pro-
| duet Of u>tutr business methods on the part of
| the gentleman who acts a~ his manager in the
| occurring tour which he has begun in this coun-
| try promises 10 net him good dead Of money.
| The title of Mr.. Wildr'> lecture is The Eng
! li~h Renaissance" and is To matter and manner
" delivery the newspapers differ widely. though
| they substantially agree to the costume of the
| lecturer which i rs follows: An evening dress
coat. whit" Wai>roat black dor,kin knee
brrechr>, black silk stockings and patent Ieath-
cr SHOES tied with wide black ribbon and heavy
| BLACK ro>rttr~. The press generally has treated
Of our visitor with rdicur and eNaggrraton.
| 80 that it cannot always be determined whether
il assertions are facts or fancir>. Most of the
| papers have said thai hi, lnctur, i, made up
from scraps of the writings Of Ru>kn and
! others. and that il j, delivered in a sing Songv
and indi>tinct tone. But Jennie June. the we'll
| known correspondent, who attended the lecture
given in New York, wrote of it in the most
| complimentary WAY, and SAY, the lecturer com
| plrtcly won the >lmpathr> Of his large audi
cncc. The Baltimore sun. which never eN-
a@grrateS, also presents Mr.. Wilde in favor
able light 1t says that Ibis manner of speak
inc wa~ calm and di@niied, and his voice melodi-
! Gus and distinct" His lecture is simply Il plea
| for ART and the sun SAYS: 1T is an artistic com
| position. and a> it comes from Mr.. Wildc'S lips
sounds more like poetry than prose" 1t in
| cud-> 4 touch Of the barnry for his American
| hearers. The lecturer says: 1T is rather per-
| hap> to You that We would turn to complete and
| perfect this great movement of ours. for there
i something Hellenic in YOUR air and world.
something that has quicker breath of the Joy
and power Of Elizabcth's England about it than
our ancient civilization can give Us" The lee
| turrr concludes ~ follows
You have heard think a few of YOU. of two
| flowers connected with the aesthetic movement
| III England. sad Il assure YOU crroncOusly) to
| be the food Oi some aesthetic Young men, Well.
| Let me tell You that the reason we love the lily
ana the ~untloWer, in spite of what Mr.. Gilbert
| may tell YOU. is not for amy vegetable fashion at
all; 1t is because these two lovely flowers are in
| England the two most popular models of de-
| sign the most naturally adapted for decorative
| art-thc Taudv lconlnt beauty Of the one and
the precious lONrlmc>~ Of the other giving to the
artist the most entire and perfect joy. And 50
| with you let there he no flower in YOUR mt;l-
| doWS that does not Wreathr its tcndril> around
| your pillows, no little leaf in your Titan forests
That does not lend it. form to design, no curying
spray Of Wild rose or bli"r that does not live for
| eyer in craven arch or window Of marble. no
bird IN your ar that j. not giving the iridcscent
wonder Of it, color, the exquisite curves of its
| wings IN flight. to make more precious the
| precl0uSn">> OF simple adornmtnt. for the
''l'' ll''tt l'NF liltiI 'iNtlllllo HI NC't anu
| mountain are not the chosen music of liberty
| only. Other messages are there in the wonder
! u the wind swept heights and the majesty Of
| silent drrp-mc>>agrS that if YOU will listen to
| them Will give YOU the wonder of all new mag
inatiom, the treasure of all new beauty. We
spend our days. each One of us. in looking for
the secret Of life. Well the secret Of life is In
| art.
'rhc po>t Says that Mr.. Wilde'> lecture in
Boston, on the evening Of the 3lst ult, was
''onc of the most remarkable financial successes
known i'll that city for many months; and that
| paper, as we'll as the Herald, comments the lee
anec il body Of some fifty or sixty Harvard
| students. VIII" Were got up for the OCCASION
and who marched in procession to the front