Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-01

world. There is no country which, in the
same period of time, has produced SO much
of genuine talent and deserving ability,
and has made it manifest in the current
literature of the day and in the higher
walks of intellectual culture, and there is
no country where the writers, essayists,
draDlstists, poets and novelists, to say
nothing of that large class of workers in
the field of journalism, are so mercilessly
judged by prejudice and by their person
atty. rather than by their literary labors.
II is indeed national characteristic which
at once attracts the attention of foreigners,
who seldom fail to comment upon the ex-
ceeding severity, not to say injustice, of
our estimates of our literary ismiliars. 1t
is, however, true, for all this, that real abil-
ity in America receives quick recognition,
and there is probably 10 country to-day
where its reward ia larger OF speedier, de.
spite the indignities it is forced TO endure
from the assaults of its intimates. And
this leads us naturally to remark that we
need greater generosity in criticism gener-
ally, and a higher sense Of justice in our
estimate Of the literary workers, Dr.. Hol-
land, in one of his caustic essays, speaks of
:" the indeoencies of criticism in America.
What he would say were he alive now, and
to read some of the journals that aspire to
be witty, and to pretend to analyze styles,
it would be interesting to know. The
major part of criticism of writers among
their own, consists Of reference TO their
personality rather than their productions.
They are put upon the rack which impugns
the motive, and while the critic turns the
torturing roller he closes his eyes to the
merit of the work and the soundness of its
reason, as he mercilessly cracks the joints of
the author. Criticism should aim to arrive
at just Judgment of the art or literary
production, and the personality of its
author should form no part of the estimate.
The kindly and accomplished scholar we
have quoted held that it calls not only for
fine intellectual gifts, but discriminating
Judicial mind, a catholicity of sympathy
and broad good will that will enable
man TO handle his materials with.
out prejudice and lead him to
work with the wish to find, and the pur-
pose to exhibit all of worshiness it posses
SEES. 1t will be found an amusing and an
instructive task for the reader to take the
newspaper and magazine estimates Of liter
airy labor of the day and place them
side by side, and note "the ludic.
rous contrarities of opinion" The char.
acter criticism of literary work and
workers in the home field can be pre-
dicted to nicely in these days, if the
name of the journal is but given, 60 certain.
ly are the many swayed by personal preju-
dices and the personal estimate of the au.
thor on the part of the critic ; or, as the
one already named and who suffered under
the system, phrased it, our critics reveal
not the characteristics of the work criti-
cised, but those of the critics themselves.
OF course, there are a few journals here
and there upon which conscientious work
is done, whereas the good doctor in his
indignation put it, though at greater length
neither the cram Of the ignoramus, the
spleen of the dyspectio, the pitiful wit of the
pirate who preys on all that come his way,
the partisan of clique nor the grumble of
the mere fault finder is heard. We need
more such journals to cultivate higher or
der Of contemporary estimates, more con-
science in and a juster conception of the
duty of criticism.