The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-04

ears with the charming murmur of beauti-
full golden bees. The reading taste Of the
day is for books full of action. more or less
dramatic; for books of vigorous. intense,
sensational life; not for books instinct
with the spirit of beauty.
To illustrate. Few books have secured
more American readers than the novels of
Zola and those OF Rider Haggard; and vet
no two men were ever more unlike IN their
quality. lola is really a man of genius,
profound and truthful, if sometimes
repulsive, artist OF the night side of human
nature; while Rider Haggard is not man
Of genius or an artist at all; he is nothing
but q successful literary fakir; he is not
making books that will live, but only
seeks to make books that will sell.
The only common quality of lola
and Haggard is that their books
are full Of rank. coarse virility; they
both have "go" in them, and while Zola
is as fer above Rider Haggard as really
great and powerful painting is above a
cheap chrome. nevertheless certain rank
virility and muscular paganism, certain
favor of alkaline earthiness is found both
in lola, who really paints foul men and
things with artistic power and fidelity,
and in Haggard, who is q mere coarse
stage scene painter.
The man of contemplative literary gen.
ius gets few readers in this day of general
philistinism in both Europe and America.
No didatics are wanted; 10 moralizing;
the characters must march fast to and fro
and fight furiously at every opportunity;
the book does not need to be q work of art !;
only one of action, intense, energetic, al
most convulsive action. In fiction the
sensational novel is wanted: in verse
nothing but broad fun or coarse satire; no
sentiment Is wanted; nothing but wash
OF tawdry stage sentimentalism. Books
OF beauty are at discount; books of
morbid action, books that yell and
spit like a wildcat find ready sale.
OF course until this utilitarian reading
public is replaced by something more
spiritual there will be no taste and conse-
quently no large market for Irving. Every
body wants to be amused, excited, stimu-
lated to concert pitch; nobody wants re-
pose, rest or true recreation. As long as
the love of morbid action in life and re-
pudiation of reflection and contemplation
prevail there viii be no large market for
Irving.
Once in Texas man tried in vain to sell
handsome chrome copy of Napoleon
Crossing the st. Bernard" a famous pict-
ure by great artist, but none of the
natives would take it. They contempt
uously refused, saying There amt but
one boss in this picture; the one We
bought last year had dozen HOSES in it. 4"
The presence of the "most hosses'' was
the standard of value; not the face and
head of Napoleon; the picture of horse
fair was comprehensive, but the picture
of a hero with no companion save the
guide that led his horse stood for no
vigorous action; it was too suggestive, and
not spirited enough for people who had
seen cowboy lasso a Texas steer. As
long as We remain q grossly unitarian
people, interested wholly in things rather
than ideas, we will want realistic books
full of action. Of virility; dust. gallop,
wrestle and whoop, and so we shall not
often read Irving, or Hawthorne, or any
other writer OF descriptive or con-
templative genius