The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1895-12-14

ing but few gestures. His voice was
low, but clear. except ut the end II the
evening, when it became trifie husky.
Mr. Game read his address He said in
part:
There are writers who tell Us that
such light forms of literature as the
novel and the drama ought to have no
moral responsibility whatever. These
writers are Of two classes. First, there
are those who think Of novel as John
son defined 1t in his dictionary, A
smooth tale, generally Of love- The
second class are those who think too
meanly OF all forms Of imaginative
writing to allow either novel or drama
place among the works that have any
thing to do with serious Thought or the
real facts Of life. But there are other
writers who are so far from wanting the
novel and drama To be a sugar candy
kind of literature that they are forever
asking the remorseless German ques-
ton, To what .nd:' Then there ara
those who say the duty Of story teller
Is to tell stories, not to preach sermons
The novel should be no more moral than
story in Tho Arabian Nights Art
and morality have nothing 10 do with
each other. When the novelist or dram
atist presents his characters, he should
stand aside from them he should clisap-
pear; hs should annihilate himself.
This is the attitude Of many Of the
French authors at the present moment
he general practice Of nearly all
the great masters IL against this view
Against the array Of genius on the side
OF conscious moral intention we can
mention two names only. but perhaps
they are the greatest names in literature
Shakespeare and Scott Tame calls
them the great impartial artists.
meaning that they are the two great
speakers who were unconscious VI an
aim in speaking. And seeing this, that
our highest literary man of the sixteenth
century, as well as our highest literary
man Of the nineteenth century, who
both immeasurably beyond all others
commanded the worlds ear, had either
nothing to say or preferred to DO unin-
numbered by an Interior aim, the greater
part OF writers and readers have con-
ciuded that in novel or drama it IL
best to say nothing. Carlyle does not
take this view. The John Knox in Car
lyle sees only the Rob Roy IN Scott, and
Scott descends as a consequence from
the rank Of great man.
But there Is q greater thing in
novel or drama than subject. or scene.
or character, and that is motive IL il
hare fhuf fh. aI 1,
mastery. Motive Is to the novel or
drama what the text is to the sermon.
When l speak Of motive, do not mean
moral purpose Motive is the silver
thread that holds IN line the beads of
art. Modern nOvelists and dranatists
seem to find it hard to combine unIty of
purpose with freedom Of invention. The
author Of Notre Dame shows mastery |
over motive, and So does the author Of |
Anna karanina. These two and these |
alone seem to me to realize George |
ElIot's ideal II the intensest realism cf !
presentation with the highest idealism
OF conception, and by virtue Of this mas
terry, and not because Of any special 81
periority in delineating character OF de
plotting scene. claim for Victor lingo
and Count Tolstoi that, with Walter
Scott, they will in the time to come he
recognized az the three greatest novel
lists OF the nineteenth century.
Il count him the greatest genius who
touches the magnetic and divine chord
IN humanity which is always waiting to
Vibrate to the sublime hope Of recon-
pensc. / count him the greatest man
who teaches men that the world !. ruled
in righteousness. New York Sun.