The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-26
ELOQUENT DISSERTATION
By Mr.. James Lane Allen, Noted Novel
Isl, Before the Contemporary Club.
Literature Here, He Says. Is in Evolution-0ur
Writers Are Building FoundatiOns-No
Romance in Land Without Shadow.

There was full attendance of the Con-
temporary Club last evening, Mr.. James
Lane Allen, the Kentucky story-writer and
essayist. being the lecturer of the occasion.
Mr.. Aliens subject was Evolutionary
PRINCIPLES of American Literature" HIS
paper showed close thought and careful
study into the causes which tend to dis
courage the production In America of the
highest literature. He spoke with much
earnestness and eloquence. and W as listened
to with the closest attention.
The French, he said. and the
Germans have national literature
in which they take pride. IL Englishmen.
through some upheaval, were forced to
migrate to another land they would take
their literature with them as one of their
choicest possessions Americans. on the
contrary, have no faith in American genius
or American literature. They often prefer
other literatures than their Own, and to-
wards their own take an attitude of par
tial ignorance, partial acceptance and par
tial opposition. If they were to leave their
own land they would take their trade and
their politics and the literature of England
This Indifference of cultivated Americans
to the work of native writers is deadening
to the development of letters. Even If the
work produced is not the highest as COM
pared with that of older civilizations they
should at least recognize the fact
that literature here is in evo-
laying in obscurity and with patient toll
the foundation of q greater literature. 1t
would be greater even now if not BON
under the shadow Of indifference. In one
duced a great national literature.
After EnRlishmen began the process
of literary evolution 1t was seven hundred
years before Chaucer appeared, two hun
dred more before Shakespeare came, and
who in his own day cared even for ShaK;
speare7 Behind the Homerio period
what unknown men were trOdden
down by indifference Centuries hence.
when our Chaucer has arisen, later
our Shakespeare and later our Thackeray
labOrs OF our literary artists. Now, In the
beginning are two lines of development
among writer's In one direction writer's
turn to foreign material, to the
with which foreign authors make us
familiar. AS illustrations of this class the
lecturer mentioned Crawford 6" Zorooster."
Wallace's "Ben-Hur," LafcadiO Herne's
Chinese Ghosts" Even Hawthorne. who
has produced the most distinctively Ameri-
can fiction, said there was difficulty
In writing romance in q land where there
was no shadow. Our Astounding material
prosperity is not conducive 10 poetry and
sentiment The other class of writers drew
of these authors Mir. Allen men,
toned long list, beginning with those
of the early century and ending
with Walt Whitman, whose Leaves of
pendOus expression of the American idea
yet made. The war gave an impetus to
American literature and to its more general
acceptance. T&e Nations consciousness was
aroused then and patriotism was excited.
nations art must be comprised within o
nations life. and material for the art
products cannot be borrowed. In the case
of Americans, however. they have the adj
vantage of inherIting all of English litera-
ture and whatever use they make of that
as a model for their own is their right. At
present the movement and growth of Amer.
lean literature is widespread, but is re-
solved into many little movements apper-
tanning to different localities 1t Is almost
q thing OF States. What one author describes
as an episode of life in one State could
by no possibility have happened in an
other. ERglestOn's "HoOsIer Schoolmas-
ter" and Its characteristics would not TIT
the soil of Ohio. The traditions of the
States differ. But it Is not question of
material. Material for literature. for
great poems or novels exists where
human nature is. What is wanted is men
with genius to deal with the material. Gre
alive faculty Is the want. and II needs but
great masterpieces of genius. The
tragedy of the passions goes on
forever. and is ready for the
dramatist who will set it forth. The
times do not produce such writers
because our nature does not recogniz 9
beauty or art among the essentials OF life.
Men who toll for the beautiful are the
only class to whom no rewards are offered.
We have no academy for our liv-
ing artists, no Westminster to In
spire with reverence for the dead.
American writer's are confronted with
lives of poverty and great sacrifices. and
the prospect Is dlscOuraging to talent. An
other check to the progress OF literature,
even if other conditions were favora-
BILE, il the false idea of literary
art that now prevails. Formerly it
was an unnatural, strained sentimentalism.
now it has gone TO the other extremes
false realism. The soul Of nature Is not to
BIO found In 1t. 1t Is the materialistio
spirit of the age thas causes this, but it is
passing. Two things INSTRUMENTATION
and falkland through these will beauty
yet be created.