The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-11-06
Thackeray and Fielding.
London Daily News.

Louuou iIdily NEWS.
While many much smaller men, persons in
fnitely little in fact, have lately been gorified
with monuments, Henry Fielding has been
neglected. That great and manly genius, that
unsurpassed master of his art, needs no memo
rial but his works and the affectionate regard
which every lover of letters bestows upon his
name But if there are to be moments, Field
ing should have one, and we are pleased TO
learn that bust of the novelist is to be ex-
ecuted (by Miss Thomas) and erected in the
Shire Hall at Taunton. Fielding was Somer-
set man, and it seems that the Taunton Shire
Hall is the pr taneum OF The country -
'Shire, lin the Case of Somerset, it seems that
we must notsay Mr.. Thackeray is said to have
wished that FEELING should be thus honored.
The genius OF Tbackeray was more melancho-
ly, more modern, more retined than that of
Fielding, but the two great writers had much
in common. Bolh were men of letters; both
wrote, not inspired by humor and knowledge
of men alone, but as scholars familiar with the
literature OF the past. Both had heard the
chimes at midnight. Both had hearts not un-
forgiving TO men like Tom Jones, whose love
of play and drink, TO be sure, they condemned,
but whose intirmties they regarded with
rather lenient eyes II does not seem that we
are growing too fine for Fielding He was, it
must be admitted, mans author, not
womans. We do not expe ladies to be very
fond of Miss Segrim, and the philosopher
Square, or TO chuckie over the fun of "Joseph
Andrews, which is perhaps the most bolster
onsly amusing book ever written Fielding IS
writer for men. An American student has said
that women now are the reading public, and
there is a good deal of trnJh in the remark.
They have more time at their disposal than
men, and they have generally read less in
their younger days, for they are dancing while
men are podding at The Universities through
Mill and Bacon, Aristotle and Thucy dldes.
Men read SO much iii the years of student
when they go down into the lists of the worlds
war they feel as if they could be moderately
happy without reading much more. But wom-
Gu take to serious reading rathe' lat T 10 life,
certainly in this country, as in America, are
among the chief Patrons of books. Thus we
might expect the fame of Fielding and his
vogue to laDguish, but they seem TO flourish
very well. His wor IS may be had IN the cheap
est possible editions, or may be reab with
awful ponp in the latest edition de lure. None
of the novelists wear vel. Some stupid
peop e think Scott s'slow,' - others are too dull
for Dickens; but all who read Fielding at all
admit and proclaim his ,Te-eminence the vigor
and delightful quality of his style, his force
his dathos, his honest genial thoughts about
life his knowledge of the world, his love OF
food women and brave men. HIS people are
still our friends, as much our friends as Col
ouel Nswcome is, or they butts we regard
as kindly as we do Captain Costigan. And
when is Thsckeray TO have monument, he
whose name comes naturally to our minds with
that pleasant English name OF Harry Field
ing?