The sun., 1891-06-21
Some OF Mr.. Oscar vv,,d.,s Ideas.

| Ifthe acme OF modernity IL to believe moth
ing In particular and tho fin dn steele concep-
tion Of truth Is paradox. the five papers by Mr..
OSCAR WILDE, reprinted under the collective
title Of Intentions by Dodd. Mead & Co.. must
be accounted timely and typical ompositlons
In the first OF these essays the author investi-
gates the Decay OF Lying" in an even more
serious and sympathetic vein than that in
which De Quincy discussed Murder Consid.
sldered as Ono OF the Fine Arts" A second
| dissertation called " Pen. Pencil. and Poison"
| may be termed the rpductio ad dLsurtl,tm OF tho
inclination eyinced for some years In certain
quarters to pa'liate and even extol the vileness
OF Vion and tine foulness of Baudelaire Here
We have deliberate attempt to resuscltate and
crown with an aureole OF interest the detesta.
BILE forger and assassin. Thomas Griflths
Wainwright. on tho ground that he possessed
an artistic temperament and could write toll
erably effective prose. In two other studies.
both OF which bear the caption THE Critic MS
Artist" Mr.. Wilde sometimes lapses into
sincerity. though even here 1t Is plain
enough that he prefers to sing in falsetto On
the whole. this book produces a curious i'm.
preston Of intellectual excitabilty foiled by
moral impotence. In spite OF the constant
strainlng after effect and novelty, there Is
really nothing inclsive and vrile about 1t.
There Is no lack OF II certain mawkish sweet-
ness and racdy tunefulness. but one feels rs II
one were listening to the unhappy sexless
creatures that used to be trained for the
Slstne choir. There was q plenty OF Just such
unwholesome. sapless thinking and writing
among tho surviving representatives Of Ro-
man culture In the early years OF tho fifth cen
tury, when Alaric with his VisRoths swept
Ike cleansing storm on Italy and again. ton
centuries lator. nt the byzantine court. whom
debased Christianity was on the eve Of giving
way to tho simplicity OF Islam.
1t must be acknowledged. however. that Mr.,
Wilde is Jealous disciple of the now school OF
euphuists In which Mr.. W. H. Pator Is eusily
pretminent He has gift OF hitting the apt
and felicitous epithet knack for ep.gram. for
ncat pithy. pointed speech. Form with him
being everything. and substance OF no account
he is sble to concentrate his intellect on the
nero Garb OF his idea. Neither can 1t be de-
MED that In his attitude toward tho reader
there Is certain needless grace and uncon-
ventional attractiveness. He has horror Of
seeming to preach or OF writing to ediacation.
Believing nothing heartily himself. he does
not In the least care to make converts Of his
readers. He would be q most astonIshsd man
were any one to take him seriously.
few excerpts made at random. will exon.
Dlify tho aesthetic principles and the ethics III
negatons may be ethlcaD which Mr.. Wilde Is
pleased to play at expoundinR. In the first
essay. for instance. he denies that art makes
us love nature moro than We loved her before.
that II reveals hor secrets to us. and that after
careful study Of Corot We see things 10 her
that had escaped our observation" Mr..
Wilde's experience Is that the more We study
art the less We care for nature. What art
really reveals TO us ls natures lack OF design.
her curious crudities. her extraordinary mo-
notony. her absolutely unfinished condition"
Mr.. Wilde Is obiGing enough to add that ma
ture has good Intentions. although she cannot
carry them out. He deems 1t fortunate. In.
deed. for us that nature is SO imperfect. as
otherwise We should have had no art at all
art being our spirited protest our gallant At
tempt to teach nature her proper place" 1t is
also Mr. Wil,ie's conviction that nature hates |
mind. Thinking is the most unhealthy thing |
In the world, and people die Of II Just o. they J