New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-17
MR.. LOWELL on FIELDING.
From The London Daily Meas: SEPT. ..

The Hon" j. Russell Lowell, the United
etsIes Minister visited Taunton YESTERDAY icr the p
nose OF m yelling memorial bust 10 the hoNeISI
Ing whica been placed in the SHIRE Han OF that
town. In doing so, he said 49,. e.. = ,,,oai M
timate OF Fielding could one add ANYTHING Oh vaue
what has been already sid ~ o3pete pc s IN
there were recognized sclnuard IL cIluolSih ds ~
apoibeearies' measures, so that by addbg gram Vi
1ial9" ~ 49,, 90 could make the balance maniicsty
even in the eyes OF all men, II might be worth Wie 10
SWeigb HANNIBAL" but each OF us stamps his own
eSitS and warrants the lmpaTt atty OF his own scales
periIaps the experiment may be wisely f0egoue Lei IL
sice mere TO generally the reasons Tor WnIcH VIC
se hch yalue on this man, whose bust we unVel 10
day 81 zee we together not 10 Juugt' oV oy
10 commemorate, perhaps IL wOuiu og ehous. 70 ma,
Ol to-day ceremony that fcidns " as @
Sf genius; for it Is hardly once III century So
that "a whole country caches so rare AUG shy
of the patiye fauna ana FcSnr was somei6ing
that a county is so neky bur rlGUIng was % thai
more than TINS ~ Is uoo tx ~, 30 h.
he marks an epoch. and that We date rom MIN tne De
MOI wiihont reason that Byron. expanding mint gwen
somewhere by Fielding himself, called nm rue pIose
ffal knowledge Of literature whcn no senueinans heau
s6oud be without; he knew 1t as craftsman knows the
me eEic In verse ceased 10 be rected III the
inarhe.-plaees it had been an anaenronls,mi;
saved Arios1o; of dicton. Tasso and Of style
Milton; and that since @ion every epic nd oeee e5
as The Colunbiad OF JOc Barlow and the "Charle-
magne OF Lucien EOnaparte are TO Us. lie saw that
The novel of actual life replace it, and he set him
self deliberately latter having convinced hnset cxpef
inentally in Pars0n Adams" mat ne ceulu cIetle
characTt r. to produce epic the lower and more
neiehboIy level OF prose. However opinions may dler
as to merits OF Iom JOnee tley are unan,
NOUS as 10 harmony of design and masterlness OF
structure. Fielding then was net merely, IN my Jnqs
men at least original writer but an originator lie
mas the merit whatever il may be, " lnVehuhs tAe
realistic novel; as It Is called 40 MOI mean 70 say tna'
there had stories profcesedy OF real IRE before
Gil Bias is such, not to mention others bat before
Feldng it seems that the real life formed rather
the background than the substance anu tht tho
characters are. after all, merely piaIers, VINO
tScnseiyes Feidiug Us "a novelist drew nature
aud not from artificial life. When read '.Gh Bias
able story tel eT, and describes and want
to hear What going to happen But III Fielding wall
10 ace what peOo!e going to 40 and ana can
halt guess what Will happcp because Know tlen' ana
what they are, aud what tAey are key 10 uo; ne5
persuade Tor example that 40 not hnoW the SOUND
OF squire Westerns" voice. Fielding ana not, and
could not ideaze, his object being exact uh. but be
realized the actual truta around him as none ha1 uOhc
heiar ana few since As creator OF characters thai
octuafed by a motive power within themselves, aud
thai are livngly real 10 become our familiar ac'
4dams is excellent and mas had Numerous progeny
but think that lie Is Inferior III orl@ualty IN
NOME ana action to squire Western" who Is ihdOel
one of the most simple and perfect creations OF Ge"u
Ii he has been less often copied tuah larson AutlS
may il oil be because he Is more finished work Of art
ana therefore more difficult to copy ,.
need mol eXpatlate tue simple felicity ana c9urte
ous ease of FiedlDgs sly e the uno0rslye temab
clothing OF thought as clear as Il IS profound On me
good nature OF his saiIe, IN when ne iviuos one o.
Cbaucer; or on the subtle gravity OF MS irony more
delicate than that OF swli ana tnfTeiort PeTnaPs ey1
because more obviously intentional In Jonathan WA
DIdl's" death aud the epitaph upon his tomb. Where
IL seems most casual and inadycrtent II often
cuts deepest. as when esquire Western" 1mpa-
tient of "ParsOn supplies" intervention. says
70 MIN " Art not in pulpit now. when art got up
there then never mind what dOst say" l must not
forget TO say word of his dialogue watch except where
he wishes show of ais attainnsnts IN classical crtl-
cism as in some chapters OF "Amea Is altogether so
admirable spirited and CHARACTERISTIC that II make Us
wonder at his failure dramatist. We read Field
ipgs character clearly in his books for II NOT com
p eyes SIt ~ aress inadyertenes He was lovingly
thonxh;fnl husband tender father, good brother.
usefuI and sagaclous magistrate. lie courageous,
gentle thoroughly OF his own dignity gen
femau aud a5e TO make tnat dignity respected Ii we
seek for n single chalac erfstic which than any
other wonlG sum him up should say that 1t his
absolute manness-a manliness III its type Englsh from
ton 10 Oe Ii is eminertly hitting therefore, that the re-
production of his features which am about TO unVc
should be from the hand OF woman. Letne close with
O quotation which u favOrte with Fielding;
Vernm nh pura intent IN carn1ine ron eco paGcS
Ofendar uaculis. quas aut incuila Iudit
parum caylt natura-