The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-02-09

&Rf<A4AH\C- 0G<4G 0&2 utN RAN1r0x&A& genius cf the fra. Addison of the last The St<sAsssv carried b perfection ever, form ot criticism and essay which had appeared in the xasisv. ls represented an imaginary clab consisting of several ideal types of character grouped round the central kesre of the ,Stnsafev. , There Is Sir Roges de Covcriy. the old. fashioned country gentleman: Sir Andres FEeepos;. representing ;he saoaeysd inter. est; Captain Sentry. speaking tor the army the Templar for the world of taste and learning. the clergy man for ph,los- ophy and theology. and Will Honeycomb, the elderly man of fashion. An these gave the .Seefsfe, unlimited cpportuni- ties for sanrir,ng the fcioles of the mos, varied classes of society. "The aim of standard of conduct in morals, manners. at and literature. Addison saw hos important place woman ~as destined to hll ln the formation of English taste and manners, and 90 large space iS devoted to reflections upon the manners of the fair seA The paper became very popular and was read in all parts of the country. IL may be safely said" Mir Coauhope justly observes, tha, to have provided society day after day, for more than two years, with species of enter talnment which nearly two centuries la,cr retains all its old power to interest and delight IS an achievement unique in the history of literature. Even apart from the exquisite at displayed in their group ing, the matter oi n.aay ot the essays m h@ Az tslA .sf descriptions Of contemporary manner>. the lnimitable series of sketches oi Sir Roger tie Coveriy, the criticisms m the papers on True and False Wit. and Mllton's Paradise Lost have scarcely less significance for ourselves than for the society for which they were immediately written
 lni-ii Cato, the greater part of whio h was written when he was abroad, was acted. and such was the state ot pubh, opinion and party feeling at the ume that Il was g,ea, success. Addison < contributions 10 the papers which sue oceded tse \ fs. Aifo, were numerous, and all that he wrote was in the interest oi higher taste and better morals. lie was throughout, his life exceedingly fort
 
 Politics es,rauged hlm from Swift and later even from a;eele, with whom he was holding bitter controversy al the tune of his death. Pope. too. was at one tune a warm friend and aided Addison m pre- pairing Cato iot the stage. writing tot 1t hls famous prologue. But shortly aftet an arrangement arose between them. due, rope claimed. 10 Addison's l" jealous temper" though the esac, occasion of it IS hard to determine
 h his concluding chapter Mir Court hope gives an excellent estimate of the genius of Addison The work of Ad- d,son consisted in building up pubic opinion which, n spite of its durable solidisy. seems. like the great Gothic cashedrals, to absorb into itself the lndi. vldnality of the architect" He showed tha, man mlgh, be moral wi,hou, be. coming prgg,sh puritan. and that nan might love pleasure without being rake. Purity of life and purity oi liter ature were placed m an attractive light He did much to mitigate the unIeason- able bitterness ot party strie. He ele. vated the popular l.'eal of woman. And all th,s he did m a language and style whose wit and humor. whose gcn,leness and playfulness. whose irony and satire. arc so graceful and ,o effective that they have been the emulation and despair of all succeeding writers lohnson's es,i- m dion of Add,son's style IS well known Whoever wishes" he says. ito a,,atn an English style. iamliar bul no, coatse and clcgan, but not ostenta,Ions, mus, give his days and nights 10 the volumes ot Addison. English prose as vehicle for social though, was ,n fact, the csea- ton of Addison It IS thls and the inim- table pictures of life and manners which the modern reader finds of chef value n Addlson's works Bu, when hls work is considered m every aspco, 0! importance. (. "a grateful pos'erI,y remembering what II owes 'o him. wiii continue to assign him the reputation he coveted l, vas sand oi Socrates thA, he brought philss- ophy down from heaven to inhabii among men, and shall be ambitious 10 have II sad of me that 1 have brough, philoso- phy out of closets and libraries, schools and colleges 10 dwell a, clubs and as,en plies. al tea-tablcs and cofee-houses