Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-09-21
TEMPORARY HOBBIES.



A fgi is described In the dictionaries
asa trivial fancy, adopted aud pursued
for time with irrational ZEAL There
y always a strong desire among certain
people 90 U,kC up some fad or other that
shall Oh tinguish them from other pro.
pie. They arc usually Intelligent, hu.
have more or less spicc Of tho crank
IA their temperament and disposition.
They want 10 bo aud 10 do something
that separates them from the great mass
Of humanity. Sometimes this Is accom-
plishcd with the aid Of accident, az Of
birlhurof training. ~ Of arcligious creed
o. Of nature, when woman Is imud-
some or man particularly good look
ius. But these lattor arc minor and in
diviiull aiiccutious. Whore such por-
sOuul advantages iail there Is sill
another mode of keeping up a dlscriIui.
nation from the multitude OF people. II
Is 10 cultivate % lad. The millost form
Of it is exhibited among men and WON.
on in cultiyating passion for eats and
dogs.
Ihgr1 Is harmless class who collect
old books, rnrc eugrnv.ngs, first folio
Shakespeare, coins aud token pieces,
scaics sets or part, OF sets OF china or
old yellow lace. These are all quiet
folks with hobbies, aud we can leave
them alone, quite confident that they
arc welded TO their idols and will mover
BE- q disturbing force Most Of them arc
sccrcliyo and hide their weakness from
the prUfano crowd. Only tho elect OF
/ the same taste are invited TO look upon
them. There Is another intelligent,
moro numerous and noi,ier set who are
bitten with literary fad. These havo
piped ut social gatherings and in tho
market places since tho time when
I France originated tho Prcciouses aud
English DANES raycd over tho woes Of
| ClarisM Hnrluwo and German women
shod buckets OF tears over tho sorrows
Of Wcrther. Tho two latest fads arc OF
Boston origin. There WAS originated
the first Browning society, and when ~
DOLLS House was translated they set
the ball rolling toward IAN lbscn crago."
II Is pity TIM. the last ever became u
fad, for apart from lbs,n's social tleo-
ries, his womgn's rights notions aud his
leyeling principles generally he is u
strong writer aud II master of romantic
1 expressions. As fad, howe" r, lbson
has run his coursc, aud his followers arc
looking out for solho other literary
heroes touurso. Mneturlincll, "thc Dutch
Shakespeare" has been tried, but on nc
count of tho merely suggestive and
ghastly character Of his plays no has
failed to materinlize. His best subjects
aro disagrecablc-the 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," aud win not
bear to be talked about In II club, and
they entirely escape the clumsy hands
of public lecturer
Thpreara two literary fads remaining,
but both aro English and ono is u 10,
viyal. Those who keep tho stage at
present before select audiences are
George Meredith and George Borrow.
Tho reign OF George Meredith is endau-
gored because he still lives and writes,
and there Is grave doubt whether he
will keep himself alive with other
echoes" and "Egoists' or kill himself
OIL with u succession Of Tragic Come.
dams" Bat Borrow, fortunately for
his admirers and his fame, is dead
Baltimore sun,