Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-02-26
TALK OF THE TINES
Or. Eggleston's Opinion Of the
Literature Of the Day.
POETIC FANCY GOES BEGGING
The People Demand Dfssry MateriA'issic
Facts-psomsses Of Better Day
for American Letters.

tuU 84Qt W.T. AAS - e<-(%@.sse<1*<t@ ~
Mrs. Eggieston. The noted novelist
and historian has not the robust and
hcalthfui appearance he hau when in
Grann Rapids few months ago; but
Ill health has not diminished in the
the least the exquisite charm Of his
manner and the sparkling vivacity Of
his conversation. Il have been having
. rather discourag.ng time with the
grip," he said, while cnattsng with rc-
porter for The HERALD. "it compelled
me to make SONS changes in the dates
OF = few OF my lectures. l have only
four more TO give and then shai. have
finished what has proved . rather
Iaborlous undertaking. When am
through shall go back TO New York
and rest, preparatory TO taking uo my
literary work again. have formed =
rather vague, indsstinct outline for an
other story. and aa soon as feel able /
snail probsbly devote my energies 70
that. ] am not sure what the story
will be, but think it will be in the line
of "The Faith Doctor"
do you think the psychological ro-
nance is the type of the represents
tive novel;" asked the interviewer.
"Weil, really, should not care to
dognat,ze IN regard TO coming iltera-
turc. 1t would be an unsafe thing TO
do. One can gencralize concerning =
future literature only by knowing what
the future civilization is to be. You
zee the literature If the period is but
the reflection of the times. The Cir
cumstances are ripe and someone takes
advantage of the occasion. II would
be impossible to produce Dickens or
an Eliot or Thackeray in these days,
even IL such . genius were IN existence.
We are in period OF literary decay.
tits
An Age OF Abnormal N steri ialism.
Like Mr.. Gradgrind, What we want
is facts We have no great poets and
no great noyelists. because there is
nothing in the age to produce them.
The public demands literature that
ignores fancy and deals with unpend-
ing materialienl. 1t Graves for articles
such as the North American Review,
The Forum, and the Popular Science
Monthly are publishing. A Byron or
Wordsworth would find difficulty in
finding publisher for his poems, un-
less be guaranteed tho cost of publica-
ton. Men had much sooner read an
account of the furniture industries OF
Grand Rapids than to read a move el OF
the romance school or the dlssenta-
tons of one of the Lake Poets l
don't know that can explain this; but
| think II is due TO the powerful iniiu-
ence of modern journalism Every
body reads the papers and the charac-
ter OF there unaeniably shapes and
moulds public taste and opinion.
Newspapers are mstsrlalistic rather
than fancifui; hence the public
is mnterialistic. Another exam
pie of this tendency nigh. be
found in the Century war articles.
demonstrated with Mr.. Glider one day
for that unconservativeness that per-
mitted every captain and lieutenant to
jingle his spurs up and down the col
umns Of our magazines, wnen most OF
them were incapable Of writing even
passable English 10 say nothing of good
English. But the public wilied il SO.
and the demands of the public must be
satisfied. At that same time ] asked
Mr.. Glider how long it had been since =
great poem had been prod duced by an
American. He frankly admitted that
there hadn't been one since BRYANT
wrote his "Fiocd of Years" A few
months ago Thomas Barley Aldrich
produced little volume of verse. but
no one hut the critics reads II. There
is no demand for poetry On the part OF
publishers. The whole trend of the
times is against poetic thought and,
under such circumstances. II II simply
impossible for gteat poe1s and great
poetry to be produced. At some time
There win Come . Rs-actien
from all this. When il does come, a
higher literature may be produced. IL
is possible that this indifference 10 the
poetic qualities of literature may he
only transitory period that will result
in something higher and greater than
literature has evei before known.
"Therc Is another thing that we are
deficient IN, strange n ii may seem.
We have no great journal thai is ex-
cJuslvely = critical journal. The Nation
comes as near 10 it as anything. but
that fall far short of being critical in
the same sense as the Edinburgh
Review. II 10 not Justly critical when
il does criticise. Ii will overlook ten
thousand virtues to pick out one vice.
In its deprecistions of literary efforts ii
ranks supreme.
| am ,ncilned 10 think that msnv oI
these imperfections and shor;comings
are the result of the constant change.
and read justments that are continually
going on. The literary center sbift>
and is moving westward. When il be
comes fixed i. will give . STABILITY ts
our literature that can never I've &C
auired otherwise. Ii may seem hereti
cal TO say 30, but at some time thint
Chicago will be the literary center oI
the country. II will be % because the
great publishing houses will be iocateo d
tneTe. Where the publishers are estab
lisncd there you will find the literary
talent gathered All tie literary genus
| Of the country doesn't come from ths
| east. Ii u eaxt becante there
~ where the books are printed
II was once in Boeton. and that ~aI
/ the Mecca that all writer's made thei
pilgrimage to. The great publishing
houses later hecanse established IN Sev
/ York, and the center immedisfei,
shifted. As Emerson sAid. when yot
have chuti>r and eggs 20 scl you mus
20 where butter ard eggs sfs toaeht.
There can ne but one literary center N
= country. That center - now New
York. In few wears Chicago. viii,
ia network Of commerce., will ~ n.
metropolis of the couutry. Twenty
five wears after u becomes the rnetrop
oils 4 vii h.osms The center OF lltersf.
thoosAt.s
fsalshed in Natural Woo6s.
TIE ioa, Peter White of Marguetl