The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-08-15
WORKS AND CHARACTER
Criticism of the Former Is Useful, of the
Latter Pernic.Ous.

Is so extremely useful even with its
present imperfections, that it would be
safe to say that, were they purged away,
the more we had of it the better for the
community. We allude to the criticism
of the various works of mankind in
their several departments by those who
have proved themselves to be specially
competent to judge and wise to dis
criminate, and whose object is to guide,
to protect and to enlighten the general
community on subjects where special
knowledge is needed. There is no de-
partment of human industry that is not
improved by such criticism. The work
OF the farmer and the manufacturer, the
architect and the ship builder, the mer-
chant and the banker, the mechanic and
the teacher, the physician and the law
yer are all benefited by the criticism of
those who are superior in knowledge
and experience in each separate prov
ince; and through this the safety, COM
fort, and general well-being of the COM
munity are gradually increased. In the
same way the just criticisms Of art, which
are now given to the public through the
medium of our best newspapers, are Of
immense value, both in their stimula-
ting effects upon the artists themselves
and in cultivating the popular taste and
discrimination. Capable critics of books
and other writings, of speeches and
lectures, of music and the drama, if
they are also conscien tious and sincere,
are public benefactors and instructors,
and, as such, are entitled to our peculiar
esteem and gratitude. The qualifica-
tions for such work as this are Of high
order and rare, and are proportionably
valuable. 1t is only where incompe-
tence, Partially or self-interest assumes
these functions that the work becomes
a public injury rather than blessing.
1t is, however, very difficult in the crit
icisms of character and condact which
are so continually heard in our midst.
Here no special profile iency OF fitness is
deemed necessary. Every one, what
ever his mental or m oral status, what
ever be his powers of insight and dis
elimination, or his capacity for weigh
ing character and discerning motives,
holds himself fully competent to criti-
else. Indeed, it is usually found that
the less highly he is endowed with
these qualifications the more volumin-
GUS are his criticisms. Yet what is more
complex in its nature, more difficult to
gauge, more intricately woven with a
thousand unknown circumstances, than
character and conduct? Surely, if we
have right to demand that the musical
critic be superior in his knowledge of
the laws of harmony and in his accuracy
of ear that the dramatic critic be deep
ly versed in the laws of the drama and
the meaning of the play, and skilled
to perceive how these laws are executed
a. d that meaning interpreted-we
have at least an equal right to re-
else character and conduct that he
should have thoroughly mastered the
laws which govern both, the causes
which determine them, the reasons
which underlie them, and that he be
skillful to apply this knowledge to the
practical cases in hand. If criticisms
of this kind were confined to such per-
take place in our daily intercourse, and
how great a respect would be paid to the
few and moderate judgments that would
be passed. AS it is, every one feels
competent to make estimates, to form
conclusions and to pronounce verdicts
on this most difficult, most delicate and
most intricate subject; and instead OF
resenting all this as the presumption of
incompetency, we calmly listen, accept,
and pass it on, as if it were we'll accred-
tied truth. There is still another wide
difference between the criticism of work
and of character, and that is the ulti-
mate results to which they lead. He
who understandingly criticises some
practical work has definite and useful
object before him, viz, the improve
ment of that work in the present and
the future. But the critic of character
usually has no such aim, and can hope
for no such result. If his criticism be
unfavorable he may injure a mans rep
utation, cloud his prospects, rouse his
anger, push him lower down in the scale
of manhood, but can never thus help to
lift him up or to awaken within him the
desire to live more nobly. Of course,
there are exceptions to this-cases
where duty to others demands the utter
ance of many unwelcome truths; but in
general the detractor has no such mo-
tive; he merely speaks evil of another
in a desultory, careless, self-indulgent
way, without counting the COST and GER
tainly without any well-defined idea OF
doing good.-Philadslphia Ledger.