Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-01-29

As early as 1G2i--ten years before any
other colony had an assembly this
body declared that "the Governor shall
not lay Any taxes or ympositions upon
the colony, their lands, or commodities,
other way than by the authority OF the
General Assembly, to be levyed and YIN
ployed as the said Assembly snail APP
poynt" (Hening's Statutes at Large,
l., 124.l Not that Virginia was alone IN
expressing such sentiments, or that the
Revolution was the work solely OF any one
State or any one man--such claim
would be 20 disregard all phi(Os0phy
of history, az Professor Woodburn has
done-but Virginia continued from time
TO time, as occasion afforded, to assert
these principles. as also did the otner
colonies, alike peryaded by the English
sense of "fair play, justice, and liberty.
Likewise the hoLOr 1ue to Virginia III
connection with the committees OF cor
respondence, whereby was brought
about the long-desired union by pro-
posing permanent committees OF CORE,
spondence between the several colonial
assemblies, has been fully shown IN
Chapter VII. Of Volume |. OF Mr..
Henrv's book, and WAS later made sub
ject OF special investigation by Professor
Ciarnett. Of the University OF Virginia,
for the Virginia Historical Society.
The assumptions underlying work
like this, the failure 10 recognize That
there are other SO ions, other states,
other Influences outside OF New England
and Massachusetts,, evidence to our mind
the fatal weakness of the historical school
so potent in the America OF to-day 1t
was not so with the older and greater
school of historians it will not he so
| with the greater that are to come. Bnt
alas for the present IT j. tins spirit
which perrades so much OF the historic
Investigation of young scholars who have
recently graduated from universities.
and they are writing without having first
collected all the evidence, and IN their
eagerness to follow up one thread they
deliberately turn their back on all others.
Ii is this narrOwness OF conception, thls
limitation of the field of mental vision,
this one sidedness, not to call 1t 10y any
worse name, though intellectual near
siChtedness and ignorance suggest them
selves. which vitiate what might often
proye acceItable and valuable work. The
present pamphlet may have servedin GER
tain circles rs n university extension lee
ture. but we are surprised TO see 1t re-
ceiye the ilnUrjuiaf,tr of the Johns Hop
kins University studies, from which wo
have hitherto received and been led to
expect better work.
in the January Forum Mr.. +. Marion
Crawford, the welI-known novelist, who
has lust published "Don Orsino, " the
continuation TO Sarachlnesca and
saint Ilasio." has an article as to
"What Is Novel {? "
He defines the novel to be can intel
lectual artistic luxury this definition
covering what be considers the three
great essentials-viz., to appeal to the
intellect, TO satisfy tue requirements OF
art. and to he a luxury. 1.-The point
upon which people differ is the artistic
one. and the fact that such differences OF
opnion exist makes 1t possible that two
writers as widely separated as Mr.. Henry
James and Mr.. Rider Haggard, for IN
stance, find appreciatlye readers IN the
same year OF the same century,
fact winch the literary history OF tho
future will find 1t hard to explain.
"The first object of the novel isto amuse
and interest the reader" and Mr.. Craw-
ford is greatly opposed to the TendcI'--
HomaR-the purpose novel lie be-
lievcs that in art Of all kind the moral
lesson is a mistake for instance, as after
all "a novel Is a play. and "if It be true
that any really good move. can be dra.
matted, nothing short Of n miracle could
pat purpose-novel on the boards.
The presence OF woman rs spectator
makes the play pure, and So the con
seriousness OF woman as reader tenn
pers the wind of realism To the sensitive
innocence ofthe ubiquitous lamb. "Ihe
result Of the desire for realism IN men
who try to write realistic novels for the
clean-minded American and English
girl is unsatisfactory. 1t IS generally
photograph, not a picture-a catalogue,
not II description.
Mr. Crawford grows especially elo-
qucnt on the perfect novel" 1t has
ALWAYS seemed to me that the perfect
novel, as it ought to be, exists some
where in the state Of the Platonic idea,
waiting to be set down on paper by the
first man of genius who receives direct
literary inspiration. 1t must deal chiefly
with love. For III that passion all men
and women are most generally interest
ed, either for its present reality, or for
the memories that soften the coldly vivid
recollection Of an active past and Shed
tender light in the dark places OF by
gone struggles, or because the hope OF 1t
brightens and gladdens the path Of
future dreams. The perfect novel
must be clean and sweet, for 1t must tell
its tale to all mankind, to saint and stu
ncr, pure and detiled, just and unjust.
1t must have the magic to fasclnate and
the power to hold its reader from first to
last. Its realism, must be real, of three
dimensions, not fat and Photographic !;
its romance must be OF the human
heart and truly human-that Is, OF the
earth, as we all have found 1t its ideal
ism must be transcendeht, not measured
to mans mind, but propOrtloned to mans
soul. Its religion must be OF such grand
and universal span as to hold all worthy
religions in itself
With these promises the conclusion
follows naturally, "Why must novel
writer be either a 'realist or TO
mancst ? And, if the latter, why TO
manifest any more than reahstlcist I?
Why should a good novel not combine
romance and reality in Just proportions ?
Is there any reason to suppose that the
one element must necessarily shut out
the other Both are included in every
day hfe."
One more contribution to the interest
ing discussion which the latter-day
French and Russian art in noyel-writing
has precipitated, and which Mr.. Howells
in American fiction has done 50 much TO
continue.
Announcement is made that in the
spring Francis T.. Harper, of New York,
will publish Dr. Elliott Coness new edl-
ton OF Lewis and Clark's " Travels" 1t
will contain all of the original Philadel-
phia edition of 1Sl4-preface, Jetfer-
sons memoir of Lewis, history of the
expedition, maps, plates. and appen-
dices, together with new preface, biblI-
ography, memoirs of Lewis, Clark, and
Sergeant Class, copious notes Historical,
geographical, chronological, geological,
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