Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-28
THE LITERARY PIONEER.

Hamlin Garland's Interesting Lecture
Last Evening.
A large and cultured attendance
greeted Mr.. Hamlin Garland at the
Church of the Unity last evening, to
listen to his lecture, Poets OF the New
Ell Dorado. The speaker was introduced
by Miss. Tessa L. Kelso, president of the
Southern California Library club, under
whose auspices the lecture was given.
The Introductory remarks Of Miss. Kelso
were happily chosen and gracefully de-
livered.
Mr.. Garland has pleasing persona
address, ard his lecture was entertain
ing, instructive and we'll received.
Said the speaker:
The most characteristic figure in
American life is the pioneer. The Amer
ican pioneer is an individual. The type
changes with each decade, and with it.
the character of literature changes.
Literature does not follow the whim of
any individual man. 1t springs from
the demands of a people. There is a
law in literature; a characteristic devel-
! opment, an evolution. Our groups of
local novelists belong to the same line
as Cooper, and the novel constantly
changes with the characteristics of the
people. The most original figure is the
| pioneer-his like was never seen on the
earth. Never has such land been
opened up to the pioneer than before
the westward march. Cooper was our
fret successful man; he turned his at
tention to native material, and pro-
duced the first native novel. While
Brockton Brown, Edgar Allen Poe and
others were writing of sombre life,
Cooper plunged into the forest and gave
us novels from nature.
| In the pioneer days there were no
schools. The pioneer was not citizen /;
| he had no government. He was not q
savage, yet he lived alone. There has
| been much talk as to whether there can
be an American literature. Without q
| local literature, we live in the past.
! The speaker gave graphic descrip-
tion of the pioneer movement of 1S4S-9,
which settled the great west with some
OF the best and some of the worst men
of the east, and gave to the nation sew
eral states and country incompatible
| in resources.
In referring to local poets the speaker
said he had no patience with Joaquin
Miller's Byronic personal imitation, nor
with his affectation of the name
Joaquin, but eulogized his Mount
Shasta. His one volume, said the
speaker, is better than scores of volumes
written of foreign countries with other
books as guides. He lacks humor does
not see that side of life; but Bret Hgrte
does. These writer's do not conflict with
each other. am sorry to say, however,
that for the past 10 years Harte has
been, to use mining phrase, working
over the tailings" of his former litera-
ture. The most characteristic OF Harte's
works is his Argonauts. The success of
these men drew the attention OF Young
writers to this country, and the atten-
ton given to Miller and Harte will re-
suit in a new crop of writers. But
there will be new literature.
Some boy or girl now playing under the
eucalyptus or flowers of California will
make it. They are not strangers to
your genial cline and skies. They will
| furnish the new literature of California.
have often been asked what shall
write about California. l have invari-
ably replied, "Nothing." l cannot
write of that to which am a stranger.
could only write specifically, as others
have done. The task belongs to your
own people.
Mr.. Garland's g lecture tonight will be on
Americanism in Fiction and the Drama.