New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-23

industries
Dr. George Sigerson's address Irish literature,
is orsin. environment and influence. delivered ut
the opening OF the Irish Natloral Literary Society
Of Dublin IS a somewhat fori1 but on the whole
interesting account OF the rise and extension OF
Irish literature the earliest times down ID the
seventeenth century. DR.. Sigerson shows that IN
tellectual cultivation existed in Ireland long before
the coming OF ST. Patrick, that ancient lrsh HIera-
ture arose In pre-Christan days; AMI claims that
from the time OF st. Sedulius. \. ID. 100 N'Ao IN
troduced the of rhyme into Latin verse ana VINO
wrote the first great Christian Epc). until the days
Of Chaucer and Spencer. the influence OF irish
literature was widespread and potent This ntuenc,
can be traced In the Morse literature In the SaSls
ana the Edias. AMI later among the AnG;o-SaXons'
In Germany and England.
TIE fourth address in this volume, by Dr. Douglas
Hyde is a strenuous argument agains; the vide
spread Angliclsing of Ireland which has been gong
on at an alarming pace during the last ninety years
For the Irish nation - produce It's nest aHu l"he
place among the peoples Of the earth 1t must cease
to be what 1t is at present nation OF lmita'orS'
and must strive to cultivate everything that IS most
racial. DR.. Hyde shows the illogical position OF
men who profess to hate the English yet are OF
their own accord most efeotually casting away the
nations Individuality by giving up the racai names
dress music literature. language and IDEAS ana
adopting unfortunately everything that Is English
THE ETHICS OF LITERARY An 49,"
Lectures for 1885, Hartford Theo:ogical seminary
I:y Maurice Thompson Hartford Seminar!
Press
These three lectures. of which the first is by far
the best, treat of conception. composition ana e%-
preston in literary art. Mr.. Thompson Is not afraid
of thinking his own thoughts nor OF expressing
them in his manner. sturdy opponent OF the
modern realistic school in fiction. ne makes IN theSa
pages another vigorous protest against literature
which he charactcrtzes as evil and pernicious and
especially injurious to that large and easily In
nuenccd portion Of the public who read without
reelection AMI are unconscious Of the real slgnih-
canoe of some Of the most highly praised books OF
the day Realizing the fascination which this litera-
ture possesses fpT the ardent nature or the young
he warns them against its destructive influence. lie
throws a search-lgirt the methods OF n, re-
aIists those "agnostics" and anarchists In art"
who degrade art to mere Photography. and turn the
lens of their machine only upon the evil forms and
phenomena of human nature. They boast OF hold
ing up n mirror TO nature; but they take care 10
give preference always to ignob'e nature. Ihey
never hold up their mirror - heroic nature In
another place he declares that what u named re-
alistc fiction always leaves the autograph OF
pessimism on the readers heart" and that our
associations in art should not be lower than our as
sociations in life"
The author holds that the artist IS not specially
exemp; from moral responsibility" and that al
though il Is necessary for both good and evil To be
represented In arr; 1t Is by education that the taste
Of the public sho1id b. lei choose the good and
reject the evil 1t IS to the great mass OF the mid
die classes that the fiction OF the realistic school Is
dangerous ana forms lcadine-srlng T. destruction.
and il IS 1.-THE Imagination Of the masses which
should be trained in pure Channels MI Thonp-
son believes that "fu c.0se sympathetic touch WIN
Christianity give the only true conception
Of art bur his Christianity. AZ he himself declares
IS distinct from church. priesthood. theology. and
formal religion" and has for its aim The good Of
the brotherhood Of man" II IL In other words
humaniariansm. and not the true Christianity
which alone can set the type OF vital art. and
present those ideal standards" toward which hu-
man effort may aspire.
"OxforI and her Colleges" by Professor Goodwin
Smith Macmillan CO.. Is an Interesting and
compact essay. in which description and history are
mingled TIE author remarks Tat he found one
OF his creates pleasures In guilny American irlends
over Oxford. He now invites them al to take a
view Of the university from the vantage poin, OF
Radcliffe Library. Now that oxford and cam
bridge have been emancipatcd and reformed. h'
would Ike to see American students turn 10 them
as well to the German universities. Tnc pictures
| which he gives such may well attract at
/ tention. If Americans can be convinced that En-
gsh university training Is ni-nical TO their Owl
National feeling they will certainly indulge th'
/ feeling OF reverence which has always been awak
ened in them by the names OF the two ancient
schools Of England. Experience in the past hr
not always been encouraging.
\ volume in the "knickerbockcr Nuggets
serics contains essays selected from The Spirit
OF the Age; or Contemporary Portraits by william
| Hazlitt." The Introduction is 10y Reginald Brim.ey
| johnson. Mr.. johnson Is not excessively partia
/ 10 Hazllrt He dwe.ls on the inequalities OF th'
| famous critics literary execution and on his de
foc,s Of Judgment. bu, excuses them the grount
| that HlZ.ltts work was done In the heat Of cn
! thusiasm. Criticism requires cool head and M
! !mIAssivc disposition. and Ha2litt had neither 81
these qualities. lie went to extremes in his merit.
| and in his faults. For readers OF the present day
| his essays valuable chiefly because they =,
clearly reveal the individuality Of the writer. Haz
lit may not have interpreted the spirit Of Scot
or Coleridgc or Wordsworth to our satisfaction. bu
! he has c.ear.y reflected his own in his writings
on the other hand, he seized what may be caic'
the mental externals OF others with alertncss. IL
was Mr.. johnson says. thorough impression
| ist and the pictures he drew are not caricaturc.
any more than they are perfect portraits.