The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-19
A LECTURE ON LITERATURE.
Views of Prof. Nj. B. Anderson on the
Question of Reading the Old Poets.
The Books That Should Be Read-Growth of
Interest in the Works of CHANGER and
WordsWorth-The Modern Novel.

Prof. Melville B. Anderson. of Knox College,
lectured last night before Plymouth Institute,
his subject being 'Shall We Read the Old
Poets?" The lecture was one of exceeding inter
est. "Of true poetry" he said, there can never
be too much. The market may be glutted with
books of verse, but we may be sure that the
human race, when it shall have learned to COM
mand its spiritual, as now its physical re-
sorrces-when it shall have become much
superior TO US intellectually as we are to re-
mote ancestors materially-will rejoice not less,
but more, than now in the ideal AS culture
tends to emphasize individual traits-to develop
more numerous distinct types of characteristic
need will be felt for more and more distinct
kinds of poetry. How common is the observa-
tion that what pals upon the taste of one is the
very bread of life to another; nay. what leaves
a given individual cold in one mood may, in an
other, set his soul ahame. There will always be
more moods, more characters, more tastes. than
kinds of poetry to satisfy them And then, as
human experience widens, varies, grows more
complex, the exceptional experiences re-
corded by the great poets must be bet
ter understood and more widely responded to.
For centuries to come men will be glad to
take refuge from the miseries of life in the ideal,
and to battle their bruised hearts In the healing
the time will ever come when the newspaper,
science political economy, or any intellectual or
social interest shall quite take the place OF those
stores of wisdom touched with emotion which
the choice spirits of the past have spent their
lives in accommodating for US. Poetry, as 1t is the
most accessible of all the arts. the nearest to
mems business and bosoms, the most universal
so it is the one whose products are surest OF
preservation. So long, then, as this world is a
place
Where youth grows PALE and spectrethin, and dies;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
And leaden-eyed despars;
Where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
Or new love pine at them beyond tomorrow
so long will men be fain to embark with much
wandering Odysseus upon the blue Medlter
ranean, to quite lose and forget themselves with
Wilhelm Meister upon the lmitless ocean which
we call Shakespeare, to walk in Fairy Land with
Spenser to visit Lost Paradise with Milton, to
accompany Virgil and Dante upon their gloomy
pilgrimage, or Chaucer upon his merry one; to
be taught the secrets of the human soul by
Browning, the rewards of friendship by Tenny-
son. and to learn from Faust the supreme bliss
that lies in unselfsh devotion to helpful aims.
A pleasant discussion followed the lecture.
Professor Anderson explained that he had been
reading the English poets for the last five years
in a professional way, as teacher OF English
literature
Mr.. McCuloch-Don't you think careful
reading of Wards English Poets" would be,
In ITSELF an euucdtlOn OF the very DoSb klilUs
Professor Anderson-Wards English Poets
is a collection of elegant extracts. They cannot
take the place of complete work. Poems that
should be read entire are mutilated. The ex-
tracts are made with great Judgment, out In
the case of longer poems the book does not serve.
One advantage, however, Is that you have the
best things picked out for YOU
Mr. McCulloch-Is Wordsworth being read now
as much as twenty years agos
Professor Anderson-I doubt whether he is
- L.
is being read more and more. think, though,
that thoughtful people will always read Words
worth.
Miss Kate Merrill should say Wordsworth
is being read more than Chaucer
Mr. McCulloch-So think. There is not a
day of my life passes that do not find myself
repeating aloud something from Wordsworth
with love.
Professor Anderson-Every one should have
his poet. There is, / believe, some poet who ID
akin to every human soul.
Miss Merrill-Still, don't think Wordsworth
is read as much as he was twenty years ago.
Professor Anderson to Mr.. McCulloch-Do
you read Wordsworth's Excursion? Are there
not dreary, sandy wastes in it which you pass
overl
Mr.. McCulloch--Yes, as there are in the
Chronicles. which represent barren period of
the Jewish mind
Miss Merrill think there were devotees of
Wordsworth twenty years ago. and while now
he may be more generally reau, III IS not Win the
worship of twenty years ago.
Mr. McCuoch-A study of Wordsworth would
60 hand in hand with study of nature-with
Huxley and Darwin. He was the interpreter of
nature
Professor Andersou-I yield to no one in my
admiration for Wordsworth. but l have never
had time to read his Excursion through There
were dreary wastes that repealed me.
Mr. McCulloch--What about the modern
novel;
Professor Anderson do not know much
about it. but do not feel that novel reading is a
waste of time. Howells and James bring me
into closer sympathy with human nature, into
a closer interest with the lives of men. We dis
cover each others hndrances, struggles and
troubles. These sympathetic analysts OF human
hearts show US in part what is resisted as we'll
as done. Swlnburne seems to be the
most musical master of English [ have read,
melodious and harmonious. l have found pas
sages in Spenser and Shelley that to my ear were
musical and perfect Swinburne is always So,
but as for the thought in Swinburne you may
frequently search a long time without finding it.
Mr. McCulloch-Howells and James analyZe
the most embarrassing and unimportant lives
people to know whom you would hardly 60
across the street. In George Eliot we pick out
characters and they are as dear to us as if they
were of our own blood. We go through Howells
and James either to despise the characters to
be utterly Indifferent.
Professor Anderson--I prefer to limit this to
MT. dOWeliS. Livery character mas SOmetHluS
to give us. Among commonplace people--and
we are among the commonplace-we will find a
great deal of comfort in reading analyses of
character very much like our own-of struggles
and conditions like those in which one habitually
dwells Howells does this not only with insight
but with aympathy. l watching "Lemuel
Bankers" evolution with intense interest. l was
once | think somewhat like him myself.
Mr. McCulloch-I notice Lemue went to the
Friendly Inn. took some interest in him for
that reason.
Miss Nichoson-Which are better. the natural
characters of Howells or the artificial ones of
George Elliott e.
Mr.. McCulloch-I think those of George Eliot
A Lady-Howels is very unsatisfactory to
me- ] think he makes piece of man and
then fails to finish HIM.
Mr. McCulloch-Silas Lapham had a great
deal of honest stuff twisted into him. did not
get tired of him.
A Voice-Why are not ''The Bostonians' readl
Professor Anderson-A gentleman connected