The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-01

able to humbug. For the most part they
seem to be women in whom the religious
instinct is strong. whose old religious
beliefs have been shattered by modern dis
cussion. They like it because 1t Is nonsense,
mystery, iugglery, and a tumble OF phi
losophical distractions which they arc pow
erlesS to reduce to order.
The men in the business strike us as made
up Of arrant humbugs and superficial fell
lows whom anything like abstract Thought
drives substantially crazy. But they have
succeeded In inducing thousands to take
them seriously as profound philosophers.
-------
The British Literary Fund Centenary.
The BANQUET of tho Royal Literary Fund,
which was held in London on May IA, was
interesting, both on account Of the speeches
delivered and because the feast comment
GRATED the hundredth anniversary Of a useful
| institution. From detailed report Of the
proceedings we learn that the Prince Of
WALES, who presided, gave history OF the
fund, while the achievements and prospects
OF the literary profession were discussed
from very different points Of view by the
Bishop OF Ripon and Mr.. JOHN MORLEY.
In his account OF the origin Of this fund,
the Chairman omitted an incident OF much
more interest to Americans than the fact
that his grandfather, the Duke Of KENT, had
once occupied the chair. DAVID WILLIAMS,
the man who brought about the foundation
of the fund in 1890, had mooted 1t seventeen
years before to q club of which BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN was a member. FRANKLIN did
not look with approval on the suggestion
and expressed the opinion that the public
would not respond to an appeal for aid to
men Of letters who had failed to earn live
llhood in their calling. His view seemed to
be that failures in literature had no more
claim upon the public than failures In the
practice OF medicine or at the bar. To
which the obvious answer Is that in the
medical and legal professions pecuniary
success Is upon the whole a fair test of merit,
whereas the highest literary achievements,
which may tax for many years the powers
OF the finest intellect, like the Paradise
Lost" may be by nature unadapted to secur-
ing instant and widespread popularity and
large pecunary returns. The ultimate es-
Enlistment of the Royal Literary Fund
was promoted less by W1L11AMs's argu-
ments than by the fate Of a man named
FLOWER. Greek scholar, who had per-
formed the unremunerative task OF translat-
ing some OF P1ATo's works into English, and
who, having been imprisoned for debt, died
OF grief and shame at the indignity.
The specific purpose OF the fund Is not to
encourage persons lacking the proper quail
flcations to adopt literature for a vocation,
but to assist those who have actually per-
formed valuable labor of a kind unlikely
to be richly recompensed by publishers.
1t does not follow that the administrators Of
the fund have always been competent to ap-
ply the principle on which it Is supposed to
be distributed. One of the chief speakers at
the recent banquet, the Bishop OF Ripon,
made 1t pretty clear that he could not be |
trusted to act as almoner with ade- |
quate discrimination. This prelate dis |
tnguished himself by coupling The |
Ancient Mariner" and I'm Memoriam"
with 1.-The Light OF Asia" among the
illustrious productions Of the last hundred
years. He also bracketed RUsKIN with
UPPER, John Inglesant" with "Waver-
ley" and Daisy Miller" and Little Lord
with Colonel Newcome" and
" Sam Weller" Further to demonstrate his
qualifications to discuss the history OF litera
ture the Bishop of Ripon described GRAY's
f4lepy as one OF ll0 WORKS which hau
enriched English literature "since the time
Of EDMUND BURKE" The fact, OF course, is
that when GRAY published his "Elegy" In
l751. BURKE was an obscure student in
the London Inns OF Court. who had
Just come over from Dublin, and who
was not to publish his essay on
" The Sublime and Beautiful" until five
years later. The Prince of WALES had been
more carefully coached than his right rev.
erend coadjutor for In his speech there was
no glaring historical blunder. Strange tn
say, MIR. MORLEY. replyinp TO the toast NJ
" Literature" professed to be much fat
tered by the presence and utterances n, tho
Bishop Of Ripon, and compared him favor.
ably with the late MGR DUpAs1oUp BIshon
Of Orleans, on the ground that the latter
had refused to sit down at the Same table
with NJ. L1rrRE and NJ. RENAN,
In his own speech Mr.. MORLEY made Gonna
noteworthy assertions and suggestions. He
expressed doubt for instance whether
o,. ond;n,. Al . .-.-.,,z -, |