New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-25
ON BOOKS.
TIE READING OF THEM-THE THUMBNiARK
OF THE ARTISAN-MR. WHISTLER
AND HIS ENEMIES


Library at Edinburgh comes Of those too
frequent protests against all public Libraries which
sundry Britons delight in making. There is still
in this country a considerable class OF persons who
are opposed to educating tie masses They prefer
their masters should be ignorant. They tell you
that if facilities for culture are given they are
not improved, neither the facilities nor the masses.
There clcrgymen who think this attitude OF
opposition useful one, and the Reverend Dan
Greatorcx, who dates from St Paurs Vicarage,
Dock-st., London Docks, is ono Of them. He has
been making collection of statistics that. also.
is an occupation in which this clerical mind finds
pleasure.
He has studied the library question in Wolver-
hampton, in Bston, in Birmingham, In Man.
chester, in Sheffield and in Liverpool. The re-
suits are rather curious. The whole issue oil
books from the public Libraries Of these SIX towns
for the year lss7-ss reached the respectable num-
her of SOP 463 volumes. Out Of this respectable
total there were ,2s2 ,7ll volumes of fiction, ieav.
ing but 3l9s22 for all other kinds of literature.
Mr.. GrcatoreX, to whom the reading OF fiction ap-
pears to be an illumination, divides all literature
into two classes: or perhaps three. Fiction ana
books of instruction are his two chief heads the
third being magazines. But, though there are
three the antthess is maintained, and fiction
is clearly not to his mind, instructive. Or, to
put it little differently, all books are books OF
instruction except novels, even sermons seem to
be classed as instructive
Then he sums up in fine critical and clerical
spirit make comments. l leave your read
ers TO form their own opinion as to the value oil
free libraries That is handsome concession,
and Mr. Grcatorex can hardly blame his readers IL
they avail themselves of it; even should then
opinion prove to be a different one from his own
There are indeed readers so misguided as 10 thinA
even fiction instructive, the statistics sulhclenuy
show Even without statistics the renown Of
Fielding and Thackeray is safe enough, anu
Dickens still has his admirers. and hawthorne WI"
continue to be read man greater III some iespc0''
than either the first or the thlrd' lie was III
American. no doubt but he had over Dickens
this advantage, that he could write Engiish anu
did. II the Reverend Mr.. Greatorex does no'
think MIN instructive, the blame Is no' pei""p'
wholly on Hawthorne S side.
t. might have hccn thought that some other
CLERGYMAN would have come forward To announce
his dissent from Mr. GrcatoreX's views, nut nohe
has. or I have seen none IL is not necessary 10
assume that the whole body Of the clergy Oh 'hc
Church Of England are Of his mind But lear
il is true that this attitude OF dislike 10 'hc
education OF the English people under any ouhei
than purely clerical influences is 700 common
attitude The clamor against Libraries is pue
"a oxnrossion Of the clerical dislike Of secular
instruction. 1t is the Spirit of Rome aud there
never has been time when the spirit oil hone
WAS wholly absent from the Church OF Engiahu'
Mr. GreatoreX individually may not DE lmpoI'diI"
I do not know whether he is or not, put Oh sIeas
distinction he certainly has none. To us VINO
look on from the outside he Is only Important
az a TYNE. He is a representative man repre-
.rtative not of the more liberal and admirable
secton of the English clergy, but of that section
,ybicb is sometimes referred TO as the country
parsons. -,
These excellent, but sometimes narrow-mlL0ei
| ministers of the gospel, are less numerous tian
they were: but they still numerous lhef
voice is heard now and again, as IL was "heh' ~.
| example Essays and Reviews" came OUT anu
DR. Temple twho has recanted), and Or Jo"e's
who has not were racketed together as here'icS'
and perhaps infdels 1t was found, after "hiie,
that the outcry against these gentlemen ala no'
nrcycnt one Of them from becoming Blshop Oh
| Exeter. and then of London or keep the o'hei
ont Of the Vice CHARACTERISTIC OF OXFORD Lola
! Salisbury himself appointing the Master % D''''oA
to that honorable post
They made their next fight in 1870 on the
education question: and half won their battle.
! Whom tine movement for Free Libraries became,
nc they thought menacing. they resisted II 10 tue
hos, of their ability, and with some success. for
n while. they took their stand on financial grounds
| Their appeal TO the pocket. lhey potnteu
ont 10 the ratepayers that they were to be sadded
with fresh rates taxes, we should say-and would
no asked 10 pay for books which other peopis
were 70 read That they would be the peo'er
for not reading them was. II not altogether an
afterthought later form OF the argument asaiho'
libraries 1t has been diligently pressed, ana Ia
many forms. Mr.. GreatoreX happens mercy IA
h. ono If the latest who have pressed It, so 10
| is that he obtains an immortality oil '"ehtS-iouA
bours But whether il he he or another, lio
foot that there are such as he in the church, u
ono 70 be kept in mind. Americans have 10
consider that in this mother country OF ours, iate
IN ,be nineteenth century there is a strong oody
| ~ Greatorexes who honestly believe that readlnS
j. had unless they may prescribe the course. ana
that libraries are mischievous, because 100 uianS
works OF fiction are taken out.
The opening Of the Carnegie Library at Edin-
burgh gave Lord Rosebery an opportunity To ie-
consider his views the thumbmark OF the
artisan. Or perhaps it is 10 be said that MS
critics are invited to reconsider their views oil
his views liccntious Press has criticiseu
him; there is nobody whom it Will not crlticlse'
Licentious or otherwise II has misunderstood NUM-
no now tells us We did not understand wnat
he meant When lie deplored the absence OF tne
tbumbmark from the early printed volumes III
Lord Spenccrs noble library. he did not mean
black thumbmarl such as one occasionally 81" III
=, book with something of the same sensations AZ
Robinson Crusoe when he saw the footprint OIL
Friday in the sand-with alarm ana oisn's
,h., t.ar and wear caused by finger and thumD
which was almost an ennoblng marx ou a"J
hool, nv any author' And again he says that
~, ,,o thumhmark Of the artisan he meant that
no., hooks Of the free Libraries were not TO be
| osor,-od hohind glass doors, but in the service
! of mankind.
These are Lord Roseberys revised and recon-
;d.rod views The first thumbmark was one
which he did not find at Althorp, and the prosaio