New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-13
GREEK AND ROMAN MYTH.
Mr.. LANG1S REVIEW OF THE HOMERlC
QUESTION.

QUESTION
HOMER AND TIE EPIC. by Andrew Lang. PIP.
xi. 424. Longmans, Green Il Go.
THE ILIADs OF HOMER. PRINCE OF Poets Done Jon,
nmes hnf Fps y s0s cG aa V sia 'e' p
Putnam's sons.
THE GODS OF oLYMPos; Or MYTHOLOGY OF r1 THE
from the Twentieth Edition Of A. IT, PetlScus
By Katherine A. Raleigh wi with Preface ref, p by
fishing Company.
Mr. Lang's new book has the air Of an exercise in
literary gymnastics. II shows how the author
can kaep in notion like IA series Of gilt balls IN
the hands of lugger. the ideas advanced by
German and English critics. tossing them up IN
endless succession and receiving them in the
same hand as they fall The cause of Mr. Lang
dexterty, his ore argument is the infalllblhty OF
the cultivated literary taste; it is an argument
which is as unconvincng as it is irreiutaDe' MI
Lang appeals to the poets as against the pro-
feesors, and though such an appeal Is leSNl'ha'e
device of Literary partisanship, 1t only SHOWS 'i'
the question in its present aspect Is lnsolunlc'
But Mr. Lang himself speaking as 1t were 1or
the poets is an index OF the progress that has
heen made toward a statement Of the case such
as NAV be satisfactory to both poets and pro-
fessors Time was when the absolute individual
ity of works of genius was insisted on lhey
sprang full panoplied like Athene from the prail
of Zeus Perhaps nobody now concelves such
literary miracles possible. The work OF genius.
like the worker of genius, is a growth. One manu-
shapes the poem, but many minds ana m''S
hands. the minds and hands of whole race naE'
of many races of a long civilization or oil mihgeu
civilizations, have contributed to the Ideals en-
bodied in it. The result is beautiful but IN
eyplicable The professors have better reason
than Mr.. Lang will allow for dwelling on the in
Il ;o
been taucht some secrets of their own art whch
tbev never could have found ont for themselves
The main difference between the poets ana 'he
professors now is upon the point where the great
shapinp genius shall be placed in the history more
mr. less hypothetical. of the llomcilc epoS'
ne is introduced early, then much work as 3oou as
the best in tho poems may have been o' "'h''
hands But if he is introduced IaN' '"e" iic n"'
absorbed for ages a credit for profound orisih"'H
which he did not deserve. Whichever norm OIL
,lis dilemma he taken one thing is cerain-fhe
world can never get back 20 that unsophis'lca'ei
state. that attitude Of gaping wonderment "hich
It once affected in the presence OF genius Ho
much Wolf did for mankind
In contrasting the Homeric epcs with the Nipe-
,unceplied. the Song of Roland and the Kalcvala.
Mr. Lang really demonstrates that the superiority
OF the former was in a matter concerning not so
Symmetry is conceded on all hands TO the Greek
artistic instinct while il il looked for among
+hose races which have not received special Greek
training The disorder Of a Northern epic Is so
far as Mr. Lang argument goes, no more PROOF OF
the Greek need for Homer than the existence
of Colossus on the Nile is proof that an hgyp-
tian sculptor could have moulded an Apollo IL
Mr. Lang had gone further and shown now 'h'
Greek sense of symmetry must nave culhlna"'
in some individual poet then his argument might
have had a scientific value. In the review OF Tue
Kalevala, he. and apparently tn" authorities upon
whom he depends, stop short Ct the very p''i'
mon which the whole argument turns me sup
nosition was that tho Ioncric cpcs were the re-
eult of a fusing together Of separate lay7. WI"
show Won approximately how il may nav" been
DONE said certain Finnish scholar LOT We
have an epic in Just the disjointed state required
nv VOLTS theory ! will put it together. Anu
no did Now il is easy 70 say that LcnnrotS
wor], does not compare with Homer, AMI that mol
q learned reduction bmt natural development Is
now demanded in the history OF an epic I"e
answer is that the process of making an epic o"'
of the laws is still going on in Finland an" '"a'
tho ,bcnon,ena are such as Alphabetically re-
ouired in Homcr's case. DIR. krohn. OF NlDor9 a
comretent witness. denied that the natural 1nsloh'
though it often corrcspondcd TO IounrotS arrange
Incnt was inspired by the latter. since tIe fh'p-
sodes were wholly ignorant Of reading ana writing.
Some Of Mr. Iang- illusions may puzzle the
German Homcridae What they will make ont
If tho remark tina, the meeting between Achilles
and Acneas in tho twentieth book OF thr Had re-
eembled tina, between Tom Sawyer and the strange
boy remains to be seen
charming addition 10 tho "kmck'rbocK"r
Nugget" series is reprint in three volumes OF
FL. Had h. ati-
thor's preface and concluding note to the reader.
The mere lapse Of time has given 10 Chapman
what his original had in the minds OF Greeks OF
the polishcd period-a flavor Of antiquity which
cannot he countcrfcitcd Tho book Is illustrated
in a way not only 10 show the Archaeological no.
tions of Ciapman's time, but also those OF the
present day as derived from vases and the ike.
The effect is a trinc confusing, as when Aganeih-
non has a gray beard and the look of Roman
Senator in his quarrel with Achilles, and dark
beard when he comes 10 lead away Brisels
Perhaps il is an Indication Of returning con-
servatism generally that writer 80 positive In
theory "a Jane r. Harrison should particularly
commend work on Greek mythology from whlch
hypothesis has been ri-idly excluded. NeNcrthe-
less. in her introduction TO Katherine a. kaiel@h
translation of the German treatise on Grcek ana
Roman gods by A. H. Petlscus she shows rcadi-
ness TO leap from the fryng-pan into the Ere rom
The study Of Sanscrit dcrvatons 10 the stu more
fanciful interpretations of modern sava9erN whlch
folklore and evolutionary theories have made FASH
ionablc Derivation in the order of time was az
least rational: but the new plan of working the
process backward. from the modern savage 10
the ancient Greek never looked less promising than
il does now The volume which Miss Harrison
introduce, reflects none of the new lights wiat
hypothesis it contained, being old, has been omit
ted, and the student is made acquainted "l'h
classical mythology in It's perfection References
at the beginning Of each chapter enable MIN to
search out certain other lines Of investigation,
though the prcponderance of the forest and Held
cult in the list of works Will need to be corrected
by an impartial teacher The illustrations of the