St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-20

graceful touch of the literary artist; the
journalist may be called upon to be
copyist OF a Greeley or a Raymond, but
beneath the copyist may be seen the
genius which Is capable of the highest
literary achievement. And when the
true journalist does create. his creation
throbS with the very life of his own
age. l am we'll aware of the haste
which made COrbett look to the London
Times as happy hunting ground for
grammatical erIorS, and of the rush
which makes man mix metaphors
with less artfulneSS than that With
which a bartender mikes drinks, and OF
the overcoming phrases whose unre-
deemed monot0ny makes the report OF
every birth contain "smiling father"
and every wedding u "beautiful and
accomplished BRIDE" and of every death
left to mourn the ioss," and of every
sermon the adjective eloquent" and
of every testim onial "yisibly affected"
L know that the dramatic criticisms,
the book notices and the literary re-
views are not always unintiuenced by
considerations foreign to merit; and yet
1t is true that during the 200 years of its
existence Journalism has done more
than any other department to advance
the Interests OF literature. Some of the
lasting works of our literature have
first seen the light in the columns of
newspapers. "rhe Letters OF Junius,"
which belong to the classics OF our lit
erature, and won liberty for the press,
were first published in a weekly paper
called the Public Advertiser. And the
fame of the writer is even more imper
sOnal than that of the average Journal
lSt; for to this this day the authorship
OF these stirring satireS is a perennial
subject for debating societies. Thack-
cray spent fortune in learning the
light literary touch of the journalist
before he wrote what is probably the
best novel written, VANITY Fair"
Lamb. Moore, Carlyle, Southey, Lytton,
Leigh Hunt, Wordsworth and C0leridge
were journalists; Charles Dickens, the
world-famed pathetic novelist, doled
out his wisdom through the columns of
Woman in White" was publishing
his last novel in the New York
World when he laid aside his pen for.
ever; John Boyle O'Reilly. whilst
making fame and fortune as editor of
the Boston Pilot. charmed the country
with his exquisite poems and his fas-
cinating tales; John Morley is an eX-
editor of the Fortnightly Review, and
of the Pail Mali Gazette, and his books
have put him IN the first rank OF lit
erary men in England; Justin McCar.
thy, whose maid of Athens is loved
by all novel readers, and whose Ills
tory of Our Own Times" has called
forth much praise, is a hardworking
London journalist; and Sir Edwin Ar
mold is one of the editors of the Daily
Telegraph besides being the author of
two unique books of poetry" The
Light of the World" and THE Light Of
Asia"
Our American literature, considering
that it is only hundred years old. is
not poor i'll poetry, nor in notion, nor
in philosophy, nor in history. But
what writer's will live? Some think
that when a literary jury from the next
century will have been empaneled, the
verdict for Immortality will be pro-
nounced in favor Of j. Fennimore
Cooper because he is the most national
of our novelistS, and of Washington
Irving because he Is the father of our
literature. The newspaper men of
today may be the Coopers and the
IrvingS of tomorrow.