The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-24

and he wrots the letter TO which We refer
willis hating at Manchester for the night on
his way home AZ similar projects are mooted
from time TO time. II may be we'll 10 show
how Scott gave q death blow to their prede-
cessor. He begins By saying that II is m after
in which nay experiences - an author who
has been twenty years before the public.
maintaining during that long space a much
higher rank OF popularity than he deserves.
may entitle me 10 speak with some opportu-
mites Of knowledge TO which few others can
lay claim and TO be silent merely out OF po-
likeness or false modesty would. In the cir
cumstances. be folly. II not crime. since IL IL
obvious that the measure. II not emlnsntiy
successful. would be q marked failure for ma
liRnsnt satire TO nx his fsnRs upon. and that
the noble purpose OF the sovereign would be
made the means Of heapinR on all concerned
ridicule. and calumny. and abuse. MY PER-
sonsl feelings would naturally determine me
against becominEa member OF such an ssso-
citation. These. however. might unwillinRy
set aside. But convinced as 1 am. that the
scheme will be hurtful at once to the COM
munity Of letters aud to the respect due to the
| sovereign, my own feelings ore out OF the
question. and IL becomes only my duty 10 con-
slider the measure as these are implicated
| Scott goes on to SAY that, In the first place, he
thinks such an association would be entirely
useless. II man OF any rank or station
docs anything In the present day deserving
the patronage Of the public he is sure to at
tain IL For such work OF genius as the plan
proposes to remunerate with f1OO any book
seller would giveten or twenty times that sum-
and for the work Of an author OF any emi-
nence. $1,000 or $4,000 10 a very common
| reeompense. In short. man may. according
to his talents. make from $500 TO as many
thousands. providing he mploys those talents
with prudence and diligence. With such re-
wards before them. men will not willingly con-
| tend for much more petty prize where
| failure would be sort OF dlshonor md
where the honor acquired by success
might be very doubtful There is, therefore.
really no occasion for encouraging by a
society the competition OF authors. The land
is before them. and II they really have merit,
they seldom fail to conquer their share OF pub
lilo applause and private property IL will
happen. no doubt. that either from the i'm
providence which ometimes attends genius,
or from sinRularly adverse circum instances. or
from somo peculiar turn OF temper. habits or
disposition. men OF great genius and talent
miss the tide OF fortune and popularity. fall
among The shadows. and make q bad voyage Of
II. But such cases are nowadays extremely
rare. cannot, In my knowledge VI letters,
recollect more than two men whose merit Is
undeuiable. while I am afraid their circum-
stances are narrow. / mean Coleridge and
Maturin. I protest that Excepting perhaps
Bloomfield. OF whose circumstances know
little) do not remember any other OF undis-
puted genius who could gracefully accept
fl0O year. or to whom such q sum could be
handsomely offered. That there would be men
enough to grasp at IL would be certain. But
then they would be the very individuals whose
mediocrity OF genius and active cupidity OF
disposition would render them undeserving Of
benevolence. or render benevolence ridicu-
lous. II bestowed upon them"
Scott, however. is not satisfied with con-
tending that the proposed association was
unnecessary and useless He goes further
and maintains that II attempted It would
meet with great and Notifying fail
ure. and that from 9 concurrence Of rea-
sons. In the arst place you propose or
understand you rightly to exclude Byron.
jeffrey. Tom Moore. &c, for reasons moral OF
political Allowing these reasons their full
weight how will the public look on an associa-
ton for literary purposes where such men
whose talents are undisputed are either left
out or choose to stay sout or what weight
would that society have on tho public mind7
Very little should think. while It would be |
liable to all the shots which malice and Wit |
mingled could fire against it" Scott objected |
also to the Idea OF combining professional men |
OF letters with university professors In the |
council Of tho proposed society Il think" |
he says. that few men who have acquired |
some reputation In literature would choose to |
enroll themselves with the obscure pedants Of |
universities. most respectable doubtless and
useful In their own way. excellent judges OF
an obscure passage In Greek author, under
standing. perhaps. the value OF bottle OF old |
port connoisseurs In tobacco. and not wholly
ignorant OF the mystery OF punch making but
certainly the sort OF persons whom j, for one
would never wish to sit with as assessors OF
the fine arts. There are many men. and 1
know several myself. to whom this descrip-
ton does not apply. But to one who
has lived oil his life with gentlemen and men
OF the world. to minGle his voice with men who
have lived entirely out OF tho world. and whose
opinions must be founded on principles SO dit-
ferent from our own. would be no very pleas
ing situation. Besides. every man who has
acquired anJ celebrity In letters would natu-
rally feel that the objects or rather the natural
consequence OF such society would be to
acreage talent. and that, while he brought TO
the common stock all that he had of his own,
he was. on the contrary. to take on his shout
ders q portion OF their lack OF public credit
Now. this 10 what no one will consider as fair
play. aud believe you will find It very difficult
to recruit your honorary class on such condi-
lions with those names which you would be
most DESTROYS to have. and without which q
national institution OF the kind would be q
Jest" For the sake OF argument however.
Scott assumes that the patrons or honorary
members have been designated and have
agreed to serve He points out that hopeless
differences will at once reveal themselves with
regard to q literary standard. by what rule
Of criticism" he asks. are the judges to pro-
coed In detsrmlning the merits OF the cAndi-
dates on whom they are to sit In iudgmsntf
The Lake School have one way OF judging. the
school ofscotlAnd another. clifford. Frere. Can
ming. &e. have third. and twenty others have
~ many besides. The vote would not be like
that Of the Institute. for In science. and even |
In painting and sculpture. there are conceded
points on which all men make = common |
stand. But In literature you will md people
as many different opinions
upon that which Is called taste in proportion
10 their different temperAments. habits. and
OF education. They could only
agree upon one rule OF decision. and that
would be to choose the pieces which are IaAst |