The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-06-22
WRITERS AND READERS.
New York Graphic.

We all remember that young gentleman in Punch
who, when questioned about certain new book
replied in supercilous establishment, "Why, don't
read poetry write it J"
There is good deal to make one think that that
is the view of the writing fraternity generally for
they don't always read even those things that mo
genteman's library should be without" and |
heard a reading man say the other day that among
no other equally intelligent class of people had he
ever encountered so much ignorance of the classics
of our language as among the best literary people
of New York. Nevertheless they do read, and Pve
taken some pains to find out what. One person to
whom my reading gentleman's remark eminently
would not apply is William Winter.
Mr.. Winter has been known TO remark, in those
gently melancholy tones so characteristic of him.
that he seemed TO be the only person this CONT
nent who knew cared anything about English
literature By English literature he always means
something that was done before any of us were
born. He is apt to be somewhat bitterly critical
of his contemporaries, unless he knows them and
likes them. His standby in reading is Shakespeare
and where other people only talk about having
read him in the past, or intending to read him in
the future he really does read and reread him day
after day. For light literature he takes BOswells
johnson. The one of the men of the day that he
used to really care for, and to swear by, was
Matthew Arnold. He admired both his prose and
his poetry, but particularly the poetry but of late
years. in fact since his first visit to England he has
not talked much about Arnold, or seemed to take
much interest in him. He has read Browning, and
always said he envied him "Men and Women" as q
title, but now he grubs principally among his old
Eliza bethan dramatists. The only new book he
has praised this year is John Paul's "Vagrom
Verse;" which John Gilbert sent him, and which
he received with favor. He does not read the
newspapers newspaper man though he be) and his
bette nOire is Henry James. He shows up like q
newspaper man in that, if in nothing else. He has
not liked him any better since James gave Henry
Irvings "Faust" such particularly able laying
out in the Century, reversing all of w. WIS decis-
ions.
This same John Paul, G. H. Webb, whom have
mentioned makes rather a singular selection of a
favorite novelist, for professional humorist. 1t is
no other than George Eliot He does not go in for
all the heavy classics but he is well read in English
poetry, and keeps up with the better order of
temporaneous production. He says he likes Brown
ing immensely when he understands him, and
respects him when he doesn't. Though he, too,
had his genesis q newspaper man, he differs from
the profession at large in liking Howells' novels,
particularly "April Hopes" Hardy is another
tavorite. From all this it will be inferred he is
good deal of novel reader.
To take them as their names come up, Henry
James ought to be well grounded in standard liter
AZURE. In that highly rarefed family atmosphere
in which he in Boston grew up, he was fed on the
orthodox intellectual food from Chaucer down to
Pope, and from Bacon to Burke and he had q fair
appetite for them then, his old friends say, but
think he has dropped q great many of the authors
he knew then from the list of his acquaintance
now. He Is fastidious reader; that seems to be
one of the principal reasons why he is not great