The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-10

their way before the great world of sin
cere seekers after truth-truth for truths
sake. He il a shallow observer who con-
cludes tn 1t this age of reason IL Goddess
time.
A timely and valuable discussion is
now going on concerning the literary
capacity of women, especially college,
bred women. 1t has been notice that
| they have done little in general literature
and the reasons are variously given. One
high authority claims 1t is because the
college girl has hieh ideal and a hum
bic and even timid sense as to essaying
llterature-shs lacks confidence of ability
to do great things and will not Willingly
join the mediocre tnronR. The majority
of those who have written of this matter
however agree that the real reason why
90 few graduates attempt Literature is be-
cause of their technical training and
| the consequent dwarfine of the imagina-
ton. Most college graduates must teach
at first for living and there is little
freedom for great things; and thus 1t is
with women as with men-only they who
nave uncommon gifts get out OF grooves.
4 r 4
Everybody who has felt himself COM
| PEELED to believe that editors are harsh
| even to heartlessness in their Judgment
upon the efforts of beginners in literature
will read with interest and pleasure this
| recent declaration of MIR. Howells on the
subject:
Il do notabelieve that in my editorial
service on The Atlantic Monthly, which
lasted fifteen years in all, I forgot the
name or the Characteristic quality, or
even the handwriting, of a contributor
VINO bad BAD pleased ;a me- and forgot thons-
q contributor who had done a good
thing; To the end I expected another
good thing from him. think I was al
ways at least as patient with him as he
was with me, though he may not have
known it. / know that so far as
l was concerned. the success Of q young
contributor was as precious as ii 7 had
m yself written his paper ~ poem, and
doubt if il gave him more pleasure.
The editor is, in fact, q sort Of second
self for the contributor. equally eager
that be should stand well with the pub
lie, and able to promote bis triumphs
without egotism and share them without
vanity
Some ninny deplores the want of a
sufficient nom euclature" in the case Of
our early poets and essayists, and would
have US believe that there has been a
seriously pretend that any modern poetry
compares with the old, or that the
sim pie, stately style OF the old story tel
lers and sssayists exists today?
r 4 4
Tho raging over Nordau's book con-
tinues. Are We degenerating? Is tho
world going backward or fJrward?-for IL
canno stand still. How easy it would DO
to take the optimistio view II only we
could feel that one we're able to buiid
into his own life the actual gains of
another's. But this W cannot do. We
start naked. And thus Of nation. The
conditions are SO new, and So small 10
the assurance that clearing one danger
may not drive us into another that little
IL done for Us even in the way Of ex-
am pie.
And then. there 10 such AN appalling
disparity between tho conservative and
the destructive forces A stick of dyna-
mite may rend parliament house; a care
lessly thrown match burn city a hun
dred years a-building, and one stumble