Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-08-05
LITERATURE.

One of the minor regrets which the
observer Of contemporary literature
must feel in view of the fact that he will
probably not be alive q hundred years
hence is that be cannot know what is
to become Of all cstimable books which
the press is now pouring out If he IS
himself an author, he knows that his
own books must at least perish in the
second glacial epoch; and he cannot
help the forcboding that much besides
which is excellent and much which IS
beautiful will be lost before that time in
the mere excess of beauty and excel
lence The greatest excellence and the
greatest beauty are still perhaps rs rare
as in the past but we think that the
literary average is in some ways higher
than it ever was More honest and
faithful and skiliul work is done, and
more Of it, The penetrating spirit Of
democracy has found its expression in
the very quality OF literature; the old
oligarchic republic Of letters is passing;
already we have olimpses Of the Com
mune. If the reader has noted the opti-
mstic tone Of these essays he Will con
ceiye thai We are not wholly dismayed
ut the prospect. and that we find con-
ISOLATION in recognizing what seems good
now. when the difficult business Of fore
casting its future perpleXes and saddens.
Our chief concern is that we cannot
recognize all the rood there is in All the
books that come to Us: but if the public
viii keep our secret we will confess
that we believe this will have very little
TO do wiki their destiny The tittest, in
literature rs IN everything else, will sur
viyc. as it has always done; and for all
our confident air 10 saying this is well
and that is i'll, we understand perfectly
that we are not dealing final doom. We
are saying what Our experience OF liter
allure and Of life has persuaded us is the
truth; but these books are also the eX-
preston Of literature and Of life, and
we will confess again, if again the pub
lie will keep our secret. that sometimes
the crudest expression in that sort seems
better than the finest comment upon it.
We have sometimes suspected thar more
thinking, more feeling certainly goes
10 the creation of q poor novel than to
the production OF brilliant criticism;
and if any novel OF or time fails to live
hundred years, win any censure of it
liyep Who can endure to read old re-
views? One can hardly read them if
they are in praise Of ones own books,
1t Is not, then, with Il wholly imperson-
al pang, dearly beloved brothers im-
mortas. that we sit here in our study
sorrowlully regarding your multitude,
and misglyng which of YOU shall sur
yiyc. You cannot all, that is certain;
and more and more pensiyely we per-
ccye that ii is not absolutely for lis to
say which; but 70 use what patience
we may if the poets. the historians,
the noyeists, the essaylsls, are not
able to keep their number within
bounds 1t is vain, mt any rate, to
preach Malthusiauism to them, and we
willingly reinqush to the reader the
problem of their future. it, as seems very
likely they should multiply rather than
decrease. 1t is already quite impossi-
bile TO do more than touch contempora-
~ literature at a few points, to speak of
what seems characteristic. or what
seems promising; but the author neg
lected or overlooked need not despair
Tor that reason, if he will reflect that
criticism can neither make nor unmake
authors that there have not been
greater books since criticism became an
art than there were before; that IN fact
the greatest books seem to have come
much earlier - w. D. Howeiis, IN Harp
e,'S Naga@mc for AagHst