The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-07-05
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
The American Type Of Literature Pro-
nounCed the Best In the World.
INFLUENCE OF WASHINGTON Trying.
There Is no Prospect That America Can Cut
England-Other Selections OF Interest.

1t is possible TO demonstrate that the Amer
lean typo Of literature is the best in the
world that it outranks in fitness and purpose
that Of England and Germany. not TO men
ton France and Russia / do not urge that
ours is the most original literature, because
to some extent it Is like cur own makeup. -
composite of all nations on the globe. But AZ
composite it is type of fine adaptation to
purpose and sufficient classical polish to place
it foremost. But let us stop moment to con-
slider its originality and seryility. Greek lit
erature was the most composite Of that day
and, therefore. the most powerful. Roman
literature borrowed its ideals and its mate
rails in making Virgil Cicero and Tacitus.
No one has ever failed TO understand that
true nationality is only power 10 borrow
well and use well. for q fresh purpose
and in such 4 way as 10 give fresh
power Now, Virgil borrowed from
Homer, but he did not give new force or
fresh application TO what he used; only this.
that Homer could bear vast diluton, and yet
remain prince of poets. But English htera-
ture. from Chaucer down, IS composed OF
Greek and Roman, with no small amount Of
Italian. French and German thought. Not
an English author but that can easily be
traced out of England Coleridge and
Carlyle were half German; Shakespeare had
fine favor Of Italian; Scott was Halter Of
France, but he was none the less indebted to
French literature. The English language is
the greatest and strongest because of its con-
glomerate nature and II is equally so of
English literature. | do not know any reason
why American authors should create an au-
tonomy of expression and logic and rhetoric
Those of our writers who have been most in
In Aseaar hot haat, IN
syncrasy. The first man 10 free us from in
feriority was Irving; and he was all over
Anglican. He does not live as a great power
with us because we have grown more Ameri-
can. 10 has never been charged that the
Washington monument lacked for American
spirit because it includes stones given by
foreign governments, and quarried from
foreign strata of rock. We are made up Of
foreign heredity. Our instinct comes from
Londonderry, and Yorkshire, and Baden. and
Piedmont, and Holland. For us to think
originally is TO tashink our blood runs We
cannot create an;entirely new conception of
the universe; nor can we get up brand new
set OF emotions and expressions Webster's
dictionary Is the dictionary OF the English
language shall We set TO and have an original
dictionary of the American language Of
purely American words we have but a handful;
Of purely American conceits we have no more
than could fill small volume or two. What
u liIOuuCJ we SHOULD nave huecu II
We could Americanize to the core every
thought. form and emotion. We must feel
Americanesque. sec Americanesque, talk
Americanesque. Something of this sort is
achieved locally. and 1t IL provincialism.
There are a dozen writers of intense proyin-
cial expression and emotion between the two
oceans These are all highly American. Is
our ideal reached by accepting one of these
~ national in the place Of the old classics of
England and New England Our authors
that have in any such sense become most in
tensely national are Artemus Ward and Mark
Twain and Bret Harte. Artemus especially
made common and popular American humor
! am not sure that our critic would be willing
to hold Ward as the representative Amori-
can. On the whole is there any prospect that
we shall be able 10 cut loose from England
and "ataysml" From Spencer and Ben
Johnson and Dryden and Shakespeare any
more than from Darwin and Locke and
Bishop Butler and Herbert Spencer
and all the rest of the scientists and
metaphysicians Was not England's greatness
in literature made so because it never was pc
culiar Anglice in the sense that Japanese and
Corean literature are national; The time
never was from Chaucer down that English
authors were not cosmopolitan in temper, and
they borrowed ideas IA freely as they bor-
rowed words An Englishman might easily
write a terrible article in the nineteenth GEN.
fury on Our Seryility in Literature" mean
ing that English authors never have been
cyer-original- they caught deal of wit
and flavor and art of expression from the old
Athenians and the Romans and the Italians
and French. The real nationasm that we
need IS a deeper acquaintance with our best
authors whether they be original and Amer
cam or not LOngfelow borrowed greatly
His "Outre Mer' has a Spanish and a
French fayoring. His Hawatha" is touched
with the spirit of Scandinavia more than of
IL - VI l..
Justly held to he American. And the charm
of tho leading American authors Is that they
have not strained 10 be unique: they have not
tried TO get out of the same family as the
singers over the sea. All true literature is
one: it unites it brings us together; 1t is
making the world home. English literature
was peculiarly for all the world: so let it be
with ours. But happy are we that our classics
are genial pure gentle. wholesome. Those
whose writings We recognize as foremost and
most honorable. are creators of pure national
life md pure national character. No nation
has a nobler band. American literature is
built on the finest type the world has seen
Athens. The glory Of the earlier
classics is their simplicity and natural
ness Homer and the pastoral poets Bon and
Moschus as well az the tragedians Eschylus.
Sophocles. Eurpides are q part of nature |
English literature touched nature at three |
points, In CnauceI, III oDakSpeare ana IN |
Scott American literature has never been |
artificial. Our classics remain simple. home |
full and artless. unless nature itself be art. |
Modelled directly on the firm English types
we have escaped the fantastic and artificial |
developments Of special periods Of English
thinking and expression But furthermore
American literature is not strictly Anglican
il has also the favor Of the finer Saxon and
that inspired the very best
Isn0iish authors In other words We did not |
have to 60 through a long era Of building.
and learning how TO build. We had the full |
advantage Of preceding English schools e. |
2. F.. in the. st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Newspaper Writing.