New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-27
ART IN JOURNALISM.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM NJ EDWARD
DELILLE. FROM THE LATE MIR. J. X
STEPHEN. AND FROM NJ. REMAIN
AND THE JOURNAL DIES DEFEATS.

world OF art from the political world! Inc
politicians seldom know anything of art sui
more seldom do the artists know anything OF
politics Neither world is in touch with the
other; each imagine. secretly despises the other
Here we have Sir Frederic Burton. the amiabe
Director Of the National Gallery writing to The
Times" to say that it was not in 1877 but IN
1867 that the late Sir William Gregory was NOM
mated a Trustee of that Gallery: "by whom.
however. am unable TO say. as do not recoect
who was First Lord of the Treasury in 1861
And Sir Frederic, rather than look. prefers TO
say he does not know; which is another way OF
saying he does not care lie has more important
matters to think Of.
Ry the side of that interesting little expression
of the artist feeling let me put passage from
an article by NJ Edward Dellle in the March
q Nineteenth Century" on the French Newspaper
Press,-an excellent article. NJ Delile says
ITO it 1.-THE French alone among the newspaper
presses Of the world belongs the honor OF uphold
ing, both by word and deed the Nations oest
literary and artistic traditions. The great 1ac'
recognized by all thinkers of art IN It's various
manifestations is the soul of human HE. Is ever
as IL were the motto of Partisan journals
Art. as YOU will see in moment. includes
literature as we'll The passage is long, Dut 80
enlightening to the practical MIND that may NC
allowed to quote the rest of it;
Daily their columns serve a setting LOT
little gems from the hand of masters new ana old.
Maid for at gem-worthy rates. SAID lheophhe
(;autier in one of his moments OF lnteihgen'
disdain: 81 vous vouleZ DIES verS. paycz-les uiA
louis la ligne' French dalieS as yet nave ho'
touched this high-water mark but IT Is a i"co
that the Figaro for example, offers as hluch
as 800 francs for an ordinary two-coinmh cHio-
nioue. whilst round 500 is the price gwen lor
cbronioues from the ablest pens by another jour
nal of more recent foundation IN Ehsi"h"'
literary matter of such Value-uslh2 'he i"V'.'
ord in both its senses-is only served out monthly
in the pages of the leading reviews Oohciuslon
paris wants literature daily. and is prepared 10
nav for il AT literary prices; whereas London Is
content TO receive its literature no ol'eheI '"a'
once month. o
TY,is account of the matter provokes no pro-
test bere albeit published i'll the most important
OF the monthly reviews The average Ehsh'i
man. the Philstine Englishman. shrugs MS snpui-
ders-no that he never does, but puts vi '.'
STONY puzzled look peculiar to inc Thli'S'i'V III
presence of something not COMPREHENSIVE 70 iii
.rd thinks for the thousandth time what odd peo-
nile the French are Could there be greater
nroof Of oddity than to regard art or literature
an serious concerns Of life?
Let us take in passing, an example.
Under the heading Recent WIFE wv -
and two amounts are brought into curious coh'''9'
The names of men each we'll known III IA, w.,
yyav the amounts represent the property each ici'
h.b;nd him on departing from this world. IEey
are Mr.. ]. X Stephen, poet, Si35: and MI a.
Pickett. coal merchant, 81 100000 Such are inc
money rewards respectively of culuvatlng 'he
muses. and of belonging TO the Coal KING OF Lon
don Mr.. Stephen was the j. X. 5. who must nave
been. and must still be, known TO some lovers vi
literature in America a man OF many sii'e an"
accomplishments the son of a distinguished Ia'nei'
Sir James Stephen, Ions an ornament OF the Ehsio"
Ear and Bench. The son had other occupations III
life than poetry journalism for one, but IL Is aS
poet that he chooses, hopes, to DC rcmehioeicu'
The world-at least, the money-making world
the world which weighs success In lie In pai"noeS
of cold-may put the coal merchant aoo'e u"
poet: riehtfuly enough from It's own poinc vi
view But there is world ana not siiNaii o"'
.;,ber which applies other tests 10 mems lives.
On the whole, taking even the democratic s'an'd'u
Of numbers. il might be said that more men ana
women cared about the poet than the millionaire
coal merchant. The newspapers-and are uneS
MT tho arbiters of fame and of almost everything
.Ise p-bestowed an honorable and just tribute on
the memory of the man of letters and SAID noun
ing that can remember about the man OF Goals.
Just before saw the financial epitaphs on the Vwo
I had been reading NJ Remains Discourse on the
Inauguration of the statue OF the Breton poe''
Rrzeux. NJ. Remains authority is in some
matters even superior TO that of the newspapers;
even of French newspapers, whose authority III III
erature exceeds by far, NJ. Dellie says, that OF
other newspapers NJ Renan himself, ike most
other eminent men in France, was once a JOURNALIST
and has written delightful memories OF his jour
nslistic days. He says of BrzeuX lie was
always poor man, but he sang TO the last. IL
is very simple epitaph; and it might be chiseiled
on Stephens modest tombstone also
Whether il be permissible TO go 80 far as TO say
in America-that the respect of the French press
for art and literature is the secret Of its influence
and authority, | know not. But the standard,
whether right or wrong is held alOit. NJ Rename
volume OF Feulles De- Tachees is full OF passages
which show how intimate the connection is be-
tween the world Of ideas and the world OF jour
nalism. II that be an antithesis, it was unnten-
tonal NJ Remains "reminiscences Of the Journal
des Debats may be read with profit by the most
practical of American English journalists In
his reply TO NJ Claretie at the Academy occurs this
passage:
The Journal dies Debats had built up tribune
about which gathered an extraordinary audience,
and every word that fell from il had authority.
The anonymity of group of men whom likeness
Of talent and agreement of opinion made, as 1t
were, all one ended by establishing "a political and
social power the Importance of which we can now
hardly conceive. The two Bertins presided, with
the tact and moderation which belong TO those
whose position is not challenged over the discus
vons of that supreme court Of French intelligence
which was TO some extent in journalism what the
Academy is in literature"
Is there in any other country in the world any
Journal whatever of which it could be said that it
holds position analogous 10 that of the French
Academy? There are, of course, both in America
and in England journals Of great authority IN
public affairs, and of authority in literature
But the French Academy is supreme; and supreme
not in France only. Its supremacy is recognized