The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-09
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
DELAY OF REALISM IN PROGRESS.
The Jadcd Reader lie Tempted to Protest.
Enough OF Tolstoi and vcrga-Let 9th
ct Men and Books Have "a Chance.

This is an undogmatic age, in which
doctrinaire crecds are rather tolerated
than heartily supported. When urged too
long and too ychcmcntly they provoke the
audience 10 inquire. as Thackcray did
under pressure of Carlyle's Cassandra-
strains, why doesn't he hang up his
dashed old hddlesf" Afflicted by the ex-
cessive crying up OF one set of wares,
people long for the auctoncer's announce
mcnt. The next thing is something else.
Thus the alleged rcalists, one might al
most say. have been praised TO death'
The faded reader is tempted to protest.
Enough of Tostoi and Nerga' let other
men and other books have chance
Faticued by the ovcr-laudation OF one
school. and irrtatcd into tmnMHE LOT
himself by the irsistcnt assertions OF liS
prophets that here only the way OF saiNa
tion lies. the reader pAuscs in ms ScaIOI
offcr amusement. becomes CIucal ma
firms am analytic eve upon thc Me'"ous
and results of these exclusive enter
tof,,a-s and oulichtcncrS of mankind. Ana
,,iot J..> IN. discover? That the minute
doscrfpn1n Of wall paper and carpet pat
forms. the cArOnicliug OF smaIi-bccf, the
elab0ratciy detailed conversation OF ordl-
nary people ON trivial subjects. is IN the
main nat. stale and unprohtahle Only
The finest talent can make thus sort OF
thing other than WcariSome ana pOlhlleSs'
and the finest talent might usually be nj
better business. Grant that we nave aD-
solUte vcracity the exact reproduction OF
mundane facts daily life copied as 10y
camera. the question remains, Does the
result Justify the labor of author ana
reader Is daily life worth writing out!
Are the common phenomena OF every
bOdy'S experience fit matter TO preserve
and pcrpctuate in type
Certainly not The daily life OF nearly
all of as is tolcrable TO ourselves only
through our egotisIn. our necd OF earn
Ing whcrewth 10 pay our DIS ana our
instructive love of mere beng. In the
vast majority of cases it amounts to very
little. is nothing TO be pround o. AFFORDS
next to nothing worthy OF record. ilu-
man nature is noble in its possibilities
very seldom in its actual facts. Few eX-
peweuccs are worth remembering, lew
deeds worth telling, few scenes worth de-
picting The clerk at his desk. the farm
er in his field, are part OF the genera
scheme. but with rare eXcepuonS) tney
and their environments are interesting
only 10 themselves
The idea of caschardencd realism is
simply tine old preraphaclite hercsy, that
ouv object whmS0ever-a bit OF dusty
road Ti a mud puddle, a jimson weeds
fl matter for art. No notion could be
further from the Truth. The root prln-
cirle of art alike with painter. sculptor,
M stefan and writer, is selection. Other
principles follow, but this comes first. In
sc,iery. bulldogs, character, motive, ana
what not. some objects-compaI iuEGH
few I'm most caseS-are beautiful noble
striking. attractive or Impressive In one
way or another. Well, then, lei us use
sncb ms are worthy. and let the rest,
which are the vast multitude. alone. This
rule would make havoc of what is called
realism rs it has of latc been preached
and pracuced.-Lippincott's Magazine TOR
October.