The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-28
AMERICAN LITERATURE OF TO-
DAY

II has bsen said, in Substance. that
writers are the voice and painters, the
hand with which the peoples express
their aspirations and their views and
proclaim their habits and general status.
If this be true it becomes interesting, in
view of the su-called literature of the
day, to inquire what the American peo-
pie at this end OF the century is trying
to express. Is it morality? immortality?
Love of truth as shown in realism? Love
Of vice? Love of dogma? Love of novelty?
Freedom from restraint? Or only con-
fusion of ideas, morals ana habits, such
as might be expected from q people so
heterogeneous and SO "big?' Perhaps it
would resolve itself into the question,
How much OF the ssdime nt deposited by
the present overwhelming torrent of
books, reviews and maga zines is ltera-
ture and this ne cannot answer.
Somebody declares the great prob lem Of
the day to be. DO we know too much
of too many things or too little of too
few?' And in the matter of literature
one needs to question himself most faitn-
fully. There are times when one feels
like disposing of the subject of American
fin de steele literature in the terse fashion
of the famous: Chapter |. Snakes IN
Ireland. There amt any" In this state
of mind he mourns afresh over the loss
of that group of writers dear to the hearts
and minds of the middle OF the century
remembers that 1.-The great men of the
world come in clusters and finds little
visible material for the making of great
men; dwells upou our degeneration to
the point where love of nature and hu-
man nature takes chiefly the James
Whitcomb Riley form or expresses itself
as in book of poems published with
in the year by wel-known Boston
house. The book contains many gems
like these, which must be supposed TO
"ieach the hearts Of the people:"
81 m goln to hitch this ere young caff
out here in my front Lawn.
He'll stay right there and chaw the grass
till the hull thing is chswn;
He'll chaw that corner off today until
he's ct it bare.
Ter morrer l will move his stake. an
he'll chaw over there
There is shade and cool fountains and
music 10 spare
In the northumberland wales of the
Land of Git-Thare.
This Life is a fight that has got to be tit,
The best thing you can do is stan up
Stan up like John l.. through the bruises
and pain
An not dodge and sked addlo and skulk
like Kilrain.
Jest square off with fate for the set-to of
lie
And keep your fists clenched for the tug
of the strife"
He compares The Scarlet Letter and
Sylvester Jadd's Margaret with Archie
Gunter's popular 'worKs." He may
even be low enough in his mind to cavil
at Modern Instance or An Interna-
tional Episode as not evincing the divine
aiflatus. Essay writing, as such, is no
more, yet no small part OF what is really
good appears in the editorial columns of
the great daily papers and is hopelessly
gone next day-the most ephemeral Of
ali good things.
Much has been SAID as 10 the probable
influence of woman IN literature, and
much is Just now being said as to the
little lasting work done by that creature
of modern civilization, the college wo-
man. Why the question of sex should
enter into the matter at all is one puzzle;
why there should be any such distinction
as English literature and American liter
AZURE IS another. Surely all is English
literature that is written in English,
whether it be written by woman in St.
Petersburg or man in San Diego. But
as the question has arisen and the dis
tinctjon is made, ana since, moreover,
the prescribed and avowed mission of the
new woman-and OF the old woman, for
that matter-is to purify and elevate,
what an opportunity offers TO elevate
American literature of today. We are
proudly told of the Bushels of pins, gal
Ions OF ink and tons of papers millions
OF them, yearly consumed" in Ameri-
ca. Nevertheless, with the one exception
OF the short story-Miss Muriree, Miss