The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1894-11-16
WANTED
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effort is erliveped by no steady
lightof genius. Curiopsly enough
the nations on whose progress
civilization principally depends
are stbackward in this matter.
The people that have least litera
ny history lately give more
promise than is offered by their
more advanced neighbors. Nor
way, which has had little ambi
tion to contribute to the arts.
now comes forward 10 interest
general attention in the works
of Hendrick Ibsen, Belgium puts
forth strange, original thinker
in Maurice Maeterlinck and
Russia possesses Tolstori. But
we find in Germany no successor
to Goethe or Schiller, in Italy no
modern Dante, in Spain no heir
to Ceryantes. The Frenchmen
OF today, the. dilettante and ex
quisite Coppee, the robust Bonr-
get, the eccentric lola do not
maintain that luster ia letters
established by Hugo and Moliere.
England has host Of writers,
noneiot whom wears the mantle
|ofeven such recent authors as
Thackeray Dickens, Ward,
Hardy, Doyle, Blackmcre. Mere
dith, Swinburne Gosse. Lang
Municipalities other ~fiters ~
Tlesserdegree. although Of pro
pens. hay sfitten nothing
promises to be held in cor -.rs,uetil
favor by the coming generation.
George du Maurier Is merely the
hero of the hour, as Jerome was
at one time. and as Kipling was
another. The last decade has
witnessed the sudden rise and
fall of many reputations inI4on-
don, and no author ofrecent fame
gives sign of changing the muta.
bility of fashion.
Ireland, that ancient home OF
genius, has no son who will re
vive the applause earned by
Goldsmith. Swift, Moore, or
Sheridan, Robert Louis Steven
son is at present the sole repre-
sentative OF ScotIand's Burns,
Scott and Carlyle. Canada, Aus.
tralia. and the East Indies have
no literature worth comment.
There is a plethora Of books in
every parto the world. But on
their title pages are writ the
names of no authors who offer
guarantee of the celebrity that
has followed the works Of fifty
years ago.
In our own country genius is
equally lethargic. In the recent
death of Oliver Wendell Holmes
we lost almost the last represen.
tative of an era in which Ameri.
can authorship was distinguished.
We expected much from Mary
Wilkins, but we also expected
much from Amelie Rives. When
we compare our modern Howells.
Matthews and Hutton. excellent
writer's though they are, with
Hawthorne, Cooper, Irving,
Longfellow, Lowell, Emerson,
Thoreau, Poe and Bryant, ir
must be confessed that this is q
period of decadence in the libra
ny.
However, the dim burning of
the lamp Of creative thought,
which is at present marked
feature Of other lands as well as
our own. may presage the com
ing of better things. Genius is
an infrequent yet sure visitor.
The periods between Homer and
Dante, between Chancer and the
Restoration, between Shakes.
peare and addison. between
Swift and Sheridan, between
Moliere and Hugo. between
Burns and Longfellow were in
stanced by dullness tits posi-.
BILE that this seemingly long hour
of inaction is merely the sign
that genius is on the eve Of new
birth. Yesterday was the era Of
great men. Tomorrow may
bring forth writer's still more
distinguished. They shall have
an attentive audience. The
world Is waiting expectantly for
another Balzac or lingo. for a
new Hawthorne, ThacSaray or
Tennyson, and wherever such
geniuses may be born, they shan
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