The herald., 1895-02-24

ability to do But is not the writing of
an oratorio deed, as truly as the mixing
of johnny cake or the striking of a bar
| gain in old mahogany? Yet when weextol
a woman for practical genius we seem to
have reference to her mastery over the
| minor problems OF life-window curtains,
| baby clothes, the household account book.
Far be it from me to deprecate any of
these. BY all means let our curtains be
graceful in flow and harmonious in hue,
but let us not rely upon our curtains for
the elegance and refinement of our homes.
! Not until the manners are more delicate
than the bric-a-brac, and the conversion
richer than the upholstery can we dare
believe that one's S drawing rooms are well
| furnished. Baby souls need more dexter
Gus shaping than baby garments, and
| household accounts deal with angels of
| love and of wisdom, of forgiveness and
self-sacrifice as truly as with the grocer
| and the market man. Hence it comes
that poetry is practical. 1t helps us in
| the doings of our nobler and more diff
cult deeds. 1t bears on life. s.
| 1t feeds the dream without which the
achievements even of lunch table and
sewing room are incomplete.
Deftest hands work better for the guild
ance OF a vision. Literature, like nature,
may be much to us or little, as we choose.
Note for example few leading books of
the year just passed. From the devo-
tional 'verses' of Christian Rossetti,
we may draw a new inspiration for the
mystical life OF the soul. Those glowing,
throbbng, consecrated songs may quicken
within us self-searching and contrition,
Godward yearning, and holy ecstasy; or
we may find them, these ''apples of gold
in pictures of silver, " too richly favored
for our Puritan palates, and, unnourish-
ed, pass them by. "Marcella" may or
may not stand to us for intellectual dis
cipline. 1t is surprising by what subtle
chemistry the gentle reader can evaporate
from books like this the element of prob
lem, and leave himself a rosy precipitate
of sheer love-story. The Irish Idylls-
and blessing on them-may merely serve
to wing a heavy hour or they may dis
tinctly point our way along the path of
taste and culture. The throne of the Sun
day newspaper is shaken, the pride of the
railway novel is is stricken down, when
ever we do homage to an art so exquisite
and true, an art which paints household
love and faith and fun and heroism all the
fairer for their homely background, even
as it gilds the wild black bogland into
beauty with "roughened gold'of gram
fields and "honey-colored" skies. Even
"Trilby," much extolled, much con
demned, but ever much read "Trilby,"
may give to us delicious Joy or moral
shock. as we are disposed to take.
Inspiration, discipline, culture joy
these are treasures that literature stands
ready to bestow. Are they not of pracic-
al use? Shall we not bring more power
bring deeper breath of life, mind of
better training and equipment, finer
sense of excellence, and a bouoyancy
born of delight? Ardent SOUL sagacious
brain, dainty taste, merry heart-kitchen
needs them, and parlor, sck-room and
fireside; nursery, perhaps, most of all.
But there must be two parties to a bar
gain. Literature is generous dealer yet
exacts price. We must lift at least our
wonder and desire to the level of Rus
kin, Carlyle, before the wind of their
great inspiration can envelop us, and
beat us free OF pettiness and falsehood.
We must not be chary of our time and
of our toll, if we would apprehend the
secrets of a Dante an Eschylus, Brown
ing. 1t is mountain climbing. We are
not only nearer the summit by and by,
with ever widening glories spread before
the eyes, with bracing air upon the tenn
pies and glow within the blood, but we
are firmer of mental muscle, discipline,
stronger to achieve. In the quest for
culture we must be steadfast in our claim
upon the best. We live the earth life but
once, and in important matters it is in
tolerable that we should be put off with
the second rate. Such important matter
relates in the physical realm to what
makes for wisdom and for beauty; in the
spiritual realm, to what makes for free
dom and for love. No elaborate apparatus
is essential, not Dresden china nor college
parchment, nor foreign art galleries nor
expensive pew. Sunshine, Shakespeare,
wild flowers, prayer are not too costly
for most of us. That they are too costly
for any of us is the sin and shame of
society today.
But by none of us, however deep the
moneybag is, is Shakespeare to be had for
the mere book-buying. He is to be
possessed only as we, rejecting the trash
and rubbish in print, the milksops and
the poisons, set our hearts upon him.
By dwelling in his light. the eyes of our
unders landing will at last be opened.
OF all the values of literature, not one
is more precious than joy; but even Joy
does not spring to us from book at our
whistle. Among our English poets,
Chaucer is the soul of joy, 'most sacred
happie spirit" We must, nevertheless,
serve and wait before we can pass the bar
riers of dialect and far-away fashions, and
come into the presence of that immor-
tai mirth.
Inspiration, discipline, culture jov-we
want them all. We would fill our lives
with them as full as our lives can hold.
We would aspire toward that catholicity of
spirit which welcomes, comprehends and
in due personal measure appropriates
whatever has the mark of literature upon
it. If we 'do not care for Emerson, "
if we find Spencer stupid, if 1--WE can't
endure Thackeray" we but confess our I
poverty of life. 1t is better to own up to a.
defect than to ape a fashion; but on tba
other hand, sincerity, discrimination, alid
individuality are not incompatible with
liberal love Of books.
The academic problem, at home and
ohro,d 10 IN discover prinr;,,Ia on1