The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-27
TEMPORARY HOBBIES.

The Instinct in Human Nature That
Finds Expression in Fads.
A fad is described in the dictionaries
as trivial fancy, adopted and pursued
for time with irrational ZEAL" There
is always strong desire among certain
people to take up some fad or other that
shall distinguish them from other PEG.
pie. They are usually intelligent, but
have more or less spice of the crank
in their temperament and disposition.
They want to be and to do something
that separates them from the great mass
of humanity. Sometimes this is accom-.
plished with the aid of accident, as Of
birth or of training, as of religious creed
or of nature, when woman is hand
some or man particularly good look
ing. But these latter are minor and in
dividual affectations. Where such per-
sonal advantages fail there is still
another mode Of keeping up discrimi-
nation from the multitude of people. It
is to cultivate fad. The mildest form
of it is exhibited among men and WON
en- in cultivating passion for cats and
dogs.
There is harmless class who collect
old books, rare engravings, first folio
Shakespeare, coins and token pieces,
scarce sets or parts of sets of china OF
old yellow lace. These are all quiet
folks with hobbies, and we can leave
them alone, quite confident that they
are welded to their idols and will never
be disturbing force. Most of them are
secretive and hide their weakness from
the profane crowd. Only the elect OF
the same taste are invited to look upon
them. There is another intelligent,
more numerous and noisier set who are
bitten with literary fad. These have
piped at social gatherings and in the
market places since the time when
France originated the Precieuses and
English DANES raved over the woes of
Clarissa Harlowe and German women
shed buckets of tears over the sorrows
of Werther. The two latest fads are OF
Boston origin. There was originated
the first Browning society, and when ga
Dolls House was translated they set
the ball rolling toward ssan Ibsen craze"
1t is pity that the last ever became a
fad, for apart from Ibsen's social theo-
ries, his woman's rights notions and his
leyeling principles generally he is a
strong writer and a master of romantic
expressions. AS fad, however, Ibsen
has run his course, and his followers are
looking out for some other literary
heroes to nurse. Maeterlinck, "the Dutch
Shakespeare, has been tried, but on &C.
count of the merely suggestive and
CHASTITY character of his plays he has
failed to materialize. His best subjects
are disagreeable- vague terror Of
death in the midst of a group of the
blind, or his unseen but felt presence in
an assembled household. The emotions
they cause are creepy" and will not
bear to be talked about in club, and
they entirely escape the clumsy hands
of public lecturer.
There are two literary fads remaining,
but both are English and one is re-
vival. Those who keep the stage at
present before select audiences are
George Meredith and George Borrow.
The reign of George Meredith is endan.
gered because he still lives and writes
and there is grave doubt whether he
will keep himself alive with other
"Chloes" and "Egoists" or kill himself
off with succession Of ''Tragic Come
dians." But Borrow, fortunately for
his admirers and his fame, is dead
Baltimore Sun.