Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-12
SOME BOOK TALK.
IBy W. H. Al

impart knowledge. "The rough, lesson
lacking populace" is an object OF partic-
ular solicituGe to every man who iancies
himself possessed Of little more Wis
dom than his fellows. This, and the
desire to rush into print on any ana
every occaeion-the eager, Unsuitable
thirst for literary notoriety which seems
to be the ruling passion OF the day
have produced that strange anomaly,
the novelist of purpose.
He has usurped the province OF the
preacher, who no longer holds in leash
graeps with firm hand the reins OF mo-
nopoly in moral instruction of the sci
enlist, who has ceased to exercise the
exclusive privilege of giving to the
world the secrets of natures prison
house; Of the philosopher, who cannot
now claim to be the sole expounder OF
the intricate subtleties Of "unified
knowledge" All of these, philoso-
pher, scientist, preacher. the specialist
| n any and every department., niii5t step
down and out from before the face OF
this many-sided man (or woman Tor,
be it remembered, he's more than ire
quently she) OF knowledge-scattering
proclivities. Nothing is too difficult for
him to attempt. He boldly enters
every field of speculation. every by-way
Of thought, and hastens to foist bis
immature harvest of hastily-garnered
opinions upon long-suffering public.
If he happens to be person OF real
learning and ability, which is some
times the case, his purposeful novel is
apt to ne learnedly dull, and is speedily
releg ated to the limbo of things for
gotten. If he chances to be wide
awake dreamer of impossible dreams, 9
trifler with political economy, deft
prOmiser of great Probabilities to the
many, he may become the temporary
idol of the people, and, for q moment,
like any other scum, rise to the top OF
the pot.
But, seriously, are we to regard this
product of our day and generation as Q
monstrosity, or as the ugly duckling OF
the literary barnyard, in whom many
undetected graces may lie concealed? :?
Shall we give him place beside our more
respectable. seeming brood of fiction
writers-our Thackerays, our Eliots, our
Hawthornes, our Blackmoores-or, must
we drive him forth to shift for himself,
develop into what he may, or sink into
the oblivion whence he sprang?
Perhaps he will flourish for season
like the green bay tree of scripture; then
what there is good in him (and when he
sometimes iorgets himself and his pur-
pose and writes true fiction, there is
much) will live on and what there is
bad will wither up, be pruned of, and
cast among the things that were and
are not.
Charles Townsend Copeland prophe-
sizes. In the current number OF the
North American he discusses The Deca-
dence of Dickens, and puts in evidence
certain company Of congenial literary
spirits, who, at q quiet little dinner
when the conversation veers Dickens
ity with the various creations
duces a Harvard under graduate.
This promising youth, upon being asked
II he had ever read Pendennis, IAN
swered, in absolute good faith: No, I
haven't read any of Dickens yet; but
mean to-" Whereupon Mr.. Copeland
comments: "Mr. Howells ought to be-
stow realistic, not to say real medal
on young scholar (sic) who could thus,
in one direct, two edged sentence, give
the cut direct to both Thackeray and
Dickens"
This is strong case that Mr.. Cope
land makes out but, like the old Virginia
darkey who protests that "the sun do
move." must be allowed, even in the
face OF all s'these high personages," to
express my belief that Dickens will be
with us for yet little while; and that
''all that the public cares to know Of
him" will be found in the unabridged
editions of his own works, rather than
in the "volume of extracts and 'selec-
tions'" to which Mr.. Copeland thinks
we may soon find him relegated.
George Meredith's The Tragic Come
dians is said to be complete reversal of
the old adage, "truth is stranger than
fiction" 1t tells the story of Helene
Won Donn:ges and Ferdinand La Sale,
two very real though very romantic
characters who have from time to time
furnished unlimited material for the
newspapers. These two well known
personages and their admitted adven-
| lures" become transformed, under Mr..
Meredith's magical touch, into ''fantas-
tic images and etage spectacles, so that
we are thrust back into the unwelcome
notion that fiction is stranger than
TRUTH"
-
With the June number Harper's
Monthly begins the publication Of q
series Of James Russell Lowell's lectures
on The Old English Dramatists. These
were delivered at the Lowell Institute.
Boston, in the Spring Of 1887. Profess
sor Norton il editing them.
49, ~.
There IL something In name, after
all. Such, at least, must be Rudyard
Kippling's opinion when he beh0lds his
own euphonious cognomen ludicrously
parodied into "Barnyard STRIPPING"
This IL sting from the Omaha Bee.
Will M. Clemens has recently written
and published a Life Of Mark Twain.
Mr.. Clemens is cousin of the gifted
humorist. ands his book should prove q
valuable addition to biographical liter
ature. S0
Since the expiration of it's copyright
numbers of publishers have flooded the
market with cheap editions of Haw-
thorne's Scarlet Letter.
~.
Thomas Hardy's newest novel, The
Pursuit of the Well Beloved, is appear
| ing serially in the Illustrated London
News.