The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-13
A HINT TO CRITICS.
Mlurice Thompson's Views ON but Lit
tie Cultivated Art.


Mlurice Thompson's Views on n but Lit
tie Cultivated Art.
The making of anthologies is a pleasant
literary pastime for those who have left of
sprinting Tor fame in the arena of poetry; it
is restful if not recrcatiye; besides there is
not the least harm in it. How easy il is 70
tumble all the melodious tones Of the chief
singers around ones feet and Gin lcisurely
opulence Of judicial fairuess) select small
volume Of the best. the very best, rhymeG
thoughts ever flung upon the fair face OF
paper, ANY person of taste can make "a ST.
lection of the best poetry when he has moth
ing TO DO but read and select. IL would De-
an extraordinary man. a very strange We
man. who could be induced 10 confess ina
bilitv 10 compile the one perfect collection
Of pOetical masterpieces, epic, dramatic OF
lyric. What is there 10 do but read, take
ont the good and leave the rest.
have heard Of man who went into a
thicket Of young hickory trees 90 cu him-
self a cane. His desire was 90 have a
straight. slender, smooth stick. without
knot or blemish. The owner Of the ground
had told him that he might have the nest
tree there, bat he must select 1t while pass
inc once through the thicket-nc could not
have a second trial. In went the man, KNIFE
u hand. rs he passed along be saw many
fine straight smooth stems; bat De Was
looking for the best Before DE knew u hc
was emerging at the other side. and, IN mr.
hurry % choose at once bad % be cohtehl
with an average cane.
Your maker Of authoiOgies uuds practice
quite different from theory. lie goes INFO tine
groves of song very confident, bat he comes
ont with more serious view of the task 30
lightly undertaken.
What il il were necessary t0 select llt
best seven short lyrics ever written: thr-i
view II would not seem dllncut lhine to
do. Almost any body could De feltd upon
10 iump at il: but after a little cousidera-
ton almosrSeycryb would decline inc
task.
considered IL set az two hundred lines ana
under. what one Of an would come hr-',
raueed by the best standards of art: II We
rush i'm and make the choice. ten 10 one we
shall be glad 10 discard il out of hand after
some deliheratiOn. and 10 we hesitate we ars
lost.
But is it impossible to determine with a
satisfactory degree Of certainty when one
Of all the lyrics ever written cana WIN
which we are acquainted, Of not over TWO
hundred lines in length. is clearly the best:
Arc There mo- crjierlOns by which the proper
tests NAV be made TO Tie satisfaction oil "a
common demand? BY way Of tentative
ESSAY. let US formulate set OF measures
assuming for present purposes thal tuey are
adequately accurate.
The highest evidence of perfect art j.
nprpubial fascination. OF, ia otner WORDS IL
is the lasting, the indestrucubie UNIVERSAL
charm of its product, Every other evidence
is subsidiary. .n.
IL. That poem Is the best NnicA we tl'g
completest surprise 10 the Imagination, ana
mas The power to keep good the surprise
through any number OF readings.
III If must not De only the suhlect-mat-
ter nor must il Doe the style alone thhl az
fords the surprise; not even perfect UNION
,fstvietbeLe best and subject 10 tier. the most
pleasing. is sufficient. There must be
quality. running through style and sub
stance. that links the whole product ID!
uni,ersa sympathy, TO the huhl"h S'ui'
LET ms nov take two poems OF WIDE celeo-
rity two poems Of generally admitted art 20
/ yalue-and compare them by tae-e rules
I with a Wow 10 projecting their values upon
| , common plano. POe's "KaNen ana
| Iteats' "Ode 10 a Nightingale VIII serve
..fbc RayonV appeals 10 the readers mn
! aoinatiou with an initial force, perhaps the
0Teatest ever generated by any lyric; nul
the force soon dies away. ] dare say ihai
I the first reading Of this poem has ahectcu
mos people with stronger lIh"s ll'"1 Wv =
/ sbock than any poem ever written in an!
| lanonage. The second reading, however
/ mi every subsequent one lessons me won
der and deadens the surprise Win ~hicn We
receive tbe work. until at last wnat az uis'
appeared "a miracle Oi poetic cleatIoi u ~
dured 10 the form ana dimensions Of a mere
biz Of verbal tbaumaturgy.
| m, ..Ode TO "A Nightingale is not SO fhu.
icai "a surnrg,e a. first as Inc haven ~,
"a, .t1.ct ,. eueetar. broader, fuller ana ],
crows with each reading, IecoileO' nc
read il when was a boy anor' ~ -,
mat first read "Ihe Raven" ~ i '',;Il
haunted me for a iOrini8bi' lnc iOi ..Vle,, -
haunt. me. might read heal7 ~ ~
I',ndred times "A wear without apWeel'p.'
los If interest: but | lind no pleasure u.
reading The Raven" now. DeHe'e w.
his has been the experience OF allho7I c'
stndenf of poefrv. The initial force Oh
work of art may be tremendous ana
ltrausitory. epbemeral in sucu case .n'
influence viii be % Hurry; qua WN3I'c 49,
force is continuous the inilpence Will p0 "'
Ichangeable. ..,.,,.. o,,,
side Of life: the code to q Nightmare -
1 romance entirely inside Of life. Inc ANY"
of one is extrin.iC. that Of the olirr - 'n
trineic. Poe requires liz 10 slHPa'i'4
,yifh tha slpcruatural, while Keats 'luphu
enc a suptynstuTal influence drawn IRON
The iunerinOst veins o. HMure' Toe iiu".
n fantastic mood. Keats commitments
genuine human experience, chafeen " ~
the very essences of youthful l0hslh- "n'
voutbfil melancholy. Poe onersuS l,scu.. y.
romance, Keats gives US the seheln - 49,
,nauce of iife We tire Of one, as OF q WI
derful trnket, b.u ne p'uei j. '''''7'
fading, perennial deiigLl' ,l..,,,,it,
Tnis brings US 10 the secret oi 4oHs.stt"'.
in the products Of art. No oohOt y,
Rayenv vii live as long a. neat gu.
49,, tbere viii De IBIS difference between w
| 80 ~ the TWO poems. Ni.e haven VII
49, - a. work 10 be- read once and Ll''9t *
nnce by eaci, reader, while the "Ode WI
ne 70 al aud fe-Ie4d by every one WIZ, Mo io,S
the sweetes; order OF iyricei - H. NOR,
lnf longevity then - not 10 dc iOu"u - !,
tni,toI f,rre ,he eject Of a Dist Ieaulu X
but the uniform per7lstelltte,, o ~ i"''''''
+ * The exponent Of true aft falle, Al ,t,o
. Measured by the composite slaHda'H ""
2 7 1--we suggested what seven lyrics Us ~
+, aver two hundred lines IN lenSlh' "o pr
D best ever written .,..,o,v
T. iii il SO easy 20 compile an Anthology
; yghy shall any person hesitate 70 poliit Ou
the lyric septuary which shal' DC SiOH nv
with the wreath Of pre-eninehcc, "a, a.,
aws,e that this may look like a wwllllul az
+ Inc nj lie sacred roots Of criticism Du
Z az fact n tie OLD plant needs mnichin-
y Zoo much attention 70 rlsgs nae y, ~
our understanding aslfay, anu
: are educating the rising geii =, AZ" "a
< 80 l,o fad.chascrs. Yesterday III wa
e To,s,oi to-day il is lbsenI Tomorrow
J ..,ho win il bey Any person who can sh9c
~ ~ "a, = moment. The antidote for this di'
Q esse1 = ate Of the critical mind is for enc ,'
: critic 70 try his AaE1 at making an ann
logy OF the best seven poems' Of coll 'e,n
! Of The best seven noyels. Nothing WIZ
o 0,icLly tone up the judgment ana SUM-
J IT, ne vision; or if 1t does not. u VIII,
8 East show each sincere experimenter no
? ridiculously UAcFltical aud foolish ms . oge