New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-13

Mr.. Howells's dictum that In life nothing is IN
significant. the romanticist, or idealist, II thai
term be preferred, boldly declares that il ne Is
10 exercise writing as an art, the novelist must
treat many things in life as insignificant and
ignore them, selecting and laying stress upon
such incidents and manifestations OF human
nature as tell the most for destiny and char
acter. Just as the painter seizes upon such feat
ures of the landscape as he thinks are best worth
emphasizing, and ignores, or subordinates, what
ever is trivial, or whatever contributes nohing
artistic to the scheme of his composition.
Here, then, are leaders of thought and mould
ers of opinion who are travelling in widely d.
yergent IL not in directly opposite, paths. winch
one is the safe guide to follow? MIR. Arnold
himself would have to admit that each has ar
rived at his opinion touching the art OF fiction
by that free play of the mind which is essential
to disinterested judgment, and with "infex-
ibe honesty, with due ability" All the con-
dtions seem 10 be fulfilled and yet one is
puzzled to know in which case, in the case Of
the dealists, or in the case of the realiss, crit
icism is performing its proper function, accord
ing to the Arnold standard. How are we to tell
which of them "knows the best that is known
and thought in the world" and which is creating
the current Of true and fresh ideas?
Leaving this question for the future to an
swer, all will probably admit that during his
occupancy Of the Editors Study OF "Harper's"
Mr.. Howells has certainly displayed infexible
honesty and due ability and that he has created
current of fresh ideas whether true or not
remains to be seen. The transfer of the scene
of his critical activity makes appropriate frank
recognition of the sincerity, earnestness, skill and
courtesy with which from time to time he has
pleaded the cause of the realists and has COM
mented upon other phases of the literary move
ment of the age. In this respect MIR. Howells
has become force he has made himself heard /;
he has had something to say that was worth
saving; he has said it with effect; he has ex-
erted an influence that will be lasting. His man
ner has been at times a trife dogmatic, trife
irritating to some of us who were still bowed
before the old idols-the fair Rebecca, the gal
liant Harry Esmond, and Hester Prynne-and
who did not enjoy being told that our fetichism
was making us the laughing-stock OF literary
Spain and France and Russia. But, when all
has been said, it remains true that in the half
dozen or so years that he has presided in the
Editors Study Mr.. HOwells has made men think.
One may not accept his conclusions as regards
the mission of fiction, but all must agree that he
has ideas; and, to quote again from Arnold,
"ideas cannot be too much priced in and for
themselves, cannot be too much lived with"
In his new field Mr.. Howells, let us hope, will
continue to tell us in his delightful way why
we ought to enjoy Gogol and Tolstoi and Valda
and Verga and we shall continue to make APP
pointments at the Cave of Harmony with Olive
and the Colonel and to follow the fortunes of
Monte Cristo and of the treasure-hunters in the
"HispaniOla."