Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-01
CONTEMPORARY CRITICISM AND THE Es-
INMATES OF LITERARY INTIMATEs.

Some one has said that the literary
worker must die to be justly estimated,
and another, in the heat of temper, that
literary fame follows, but seldom runs
with men. So far as the American
men of letters are concerned this is not
true. We have, as rule, recognized home
literary talent contemporaneous with its
manifestations. There are cases, probably,
where genius remains hidden beneath
bushel, but this is merely the fault of the
reading public in America. But if we
consider the estimate Of general literary
workers by their especial intimates,
it will be found that they receive COM
paratively little honor, and are held in no
high esteem by those daily associated with
them. This is largely the result of ply
steal causes, the outcome of jealousy fire.
quantly, but often of the inability to sep
arate by just Judgment the personal from
the mental or intellectual quality. Init
mates seldom justly estimate mu-
tual ability in these days. II we
except few shining lights, whose ef-
falgence is worldwide, and around which
are drawn select circles of friends, we
will find that the great mass of literary
workers, in this country at least, find their
admirers among those who have never met
them. And it was so to some extent, but
not so greatly, at the beginning of the GEN.
tury. Patmore tells us that Hazlitt, brill
liant as he was, just as he sought to be,
and critical as he was admitted to
be, was familiar with the accomplished
Leigh Hunt, whose remarkable social quail
tiles gathered about him circle of admir-.
,ers whose admiration took on the offensive
form of adulation, and who thus over
looked the loftier qualities of his character.
But Hazlitt could not prevent himself see-
ing in Hunts writings the failing of the
author, the secret workings and results of
Hunts personal feelings 1t was therefore
simply impossible for Hazlitt to properly
estimate Hunts literary abilities. In this
day it seems to be all but impossible to
prevent giving personal color to our esti.
mates of literary intimates. We find it
most difficult to assume the judicial attitude
that gives birth to true criticism. We
either allow our personal esteem for the
man or woman, our admiration fer personal
traits of character, to blind us to errors of
style and reasoning, or permit our knowi-
edge of frailties, weaknesses and personal
faults and errors of the writer to interpose
between him and just estimate of his
work. In other words, it is among those
who know him not, and to whom he stands
in an impersonal relation, that the literary
worker, as rule, will find Just Judgment
as to his ability. These remarks are the
result OF long observation of criticism in the
American literary field of literary men by
their associates. We have long noted that
local estimate Of literary work is, as
rule, inadequate and very often con-
temptious and cruel It would seem that
all that is needed to lower the intellectual
quality in contemporary judgment is to
breathe the same atmosphere with it, the
result being that we permit our personal
feelings to blend with and give color to
ourliterary estimates. Inthiscountry, where
public men are SO familiarity known, this
has grown to be positive evil, and about
Che only way the cultured can escape it is
"a withdraw themselves largely from the