The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-07-10

writers, so that now, as matter OF
fact, If william wants a real good book
TO read and enjoy, he has to go to work
and write it himself
OF course EIr. Howells and Mr. Dick
ems belong TO two different schools Of
literature. Mr. Dickens belonged to
what might have been termed the active
and earnest school, while Mr.. Howells
rather leans toward the dry goods and
notion schools.
1t IS far that I should say this, for l
am not haerary, and therefore I am i'm
partial [ belong to the Authors club,
which proves that [ am not literary.
and therefore L know Mr.. HOwells Will
forgive me if 1 speak briefly on this
subject
Mr.. Howells cannot laugh any more
over 'PickwicII' or Sam Weller, or weep
over Little Nell or Paul Dombey" "
His early life was not very discriminate
ing. and so he liked some of Dickens
which now he cannot endure. That may
be true. Our tastes do not always i'm
prove With years. and surely it is not
good taste TO get $35 per column for
running down Charles Dickens or anv
other standard author just because our
tastes have changed
Dickens gave Us very often descrip-
tion Of the remains and allowed us to
take his word for IL or go and analvze
it ourselves, while Mr.. HoWells dissects
and Rnalyzes as he goes along and
doesn't leave any intermission during
which the audience may get up and go
out if 1t prefers TO do so.
MIR. Howells saws that the English
man is always an inadequate observer.
and that Is tine. So is the American.
Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit," " how
ever, Mr.. Howells says, Is roughly true.
And we are pretty rough on ourselves
lately too. 1t shows growth. 1t is the
jiInson weed town alone that Is sensi- |
tive when we say its stockyards ought
TO be farther away from its high school !
Mr.. Howells and Mr. Lowell were
very great admirers Of each other. and 1
when either of them got a literary swat !
in the eye he would go and get the 9TH /
er. one TO tie 1t up with a chicken GRO /
quette over 1T. This was lovely, yet who /
can with genuine joy read Mr. Lowell's /
'Biglow Papers now, and has not |
even Mr.. HoweIls something in his old
scrapbook caat he wishes to goodness
sake he hadn't ever written?
No?
Well, most everybody else has. Even
Charles Dickens had And so have l.
But in 80 years from now let us ask
the timld little touchmenot who sells
books on the trains how William and
Charles are standing as to sales of
books.
In 80 years proud viii that man be
who, as an American author can even
depend upon a regular Semiannual criti-
cism from such gentleman and scholar
as Mr.. Howells, and therefore | say
again that Dickens must have been
great genius, or long ere this Mr.. Howells
would have dropped him and made an
attack on me.
We should all of Us avoid too close 4 +
criticism of what we have grown weary
of. used to be very fond of the Lit
tie Neck clam. Mr.. H0wells. but once. a
few years ago, ! was almost snatched by
the rude hand Of Death from the great
Held of letters by the brisket Of a small
clam no larger than a West Shore divi-
dend Yet / do not say that the clam is
60 all men utterly unwholesome, poison
Gus and fatal
To me ne Is paris green. powdered
glass and rough on rats. while with the
majority of humanity he goes Well IN
most any form. OF course there Is no
law that VIII stop Mr. Howells from
ral1ing over the works Of Charles Dick
ems. If he wishes to. Perhaps the long
experience Mr.. Howells has had in /
with literature. II I may be
permitted 10 use a strong hat rather
crude word. has shown him how litera-
ture Is made, and because he can now