Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-05
THE MISSION OF LITERArURE.

In the Forum for December, d.. Theodore
w. Hunt. professor of English literature
in Princeton university. writes of 1.-The
Mission of Literature" in a way that ought
to be of great benefit not only to those
who write, but also to those who read.
Much has been said Upon this subject, but
most of it has been put into such indefinite
form that the impressions made by it have
not been lasting. DIR. Hunt is gifted with
extraordinary perspicacity. as are many
other teachers and students of literature,
and he has the ability to express 1t in a
perspicuous manner, a talent possessed by
the few, All Of his work is constructed
upon an outline that Is 30 evident thai one
cannot escape 1t, and for that he deserves
the gratitude and respect of every student.
The curse Of the great body Of literature
about literature is its intangibleness.. It
may not be obscure. but 1t is so arranged
that it is Of little practical value. There
was a crying need for Mr.. Stedman's book
on the nature and elements of poetry, but
it has failed Of Its mission in great degree
because its Impressions upon other minds
are necessarily ephemeral on account of its
form. We defy any man. not excepting
Mr.. Stedman. to make an ineligible out
line Of one Of the lectures.
In the Forum article DR.. Hunt ask this
question: What constitutes the real mis-
sion Of literature-what makes the man of
letters and his work potential for good?
bodimelt and Interpretation of some great
idea or princip!e. 90 The correct interpre-
tation Of the spirit of the age. () The in
depreciation of human nature to itself and
to the world. ~ The presentation and en-
forcement Of high ideals. Under each of
these divisions be explains his meaning, by
Illustration and otherwise. in such forceful
manner as to convince one Of the truth
and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES exclusiveness
of his answer. Every person who writes .
book or reads one ought to ask himself a
few questions before he proceeds too far
with the notwithstanding he knows
what questions to ask. Let him take this
answer Of DR.. Hunts and. ask himself
whether or not the work he has in land
meets any one of these conditions. It
ought not to 70 a very difficult matter
W oisCoSeE WHetIeT OF not a person Is say
ing anything, but it is to most people, and
1t will remain SO as long as SO much dense
ignorance prevails concerning the attributes
of the human soul.
There is no doubt but that, in our revolt
from the didactic in literature, we have
gene too far the other way, and have been
caught by the idea that the end of author
ship is the pleasure of the reader-the graf
ifcation Of taste or ones sense of beauty.
as DR.. Hunt calls It. The mystery Of SO
many books can be explained upon no
other theory; in truth, the mystery of
many books can only be explained upon
the theory that the end of authorship is
the pleasure of the writer, rather thar that
of the reader. This is particularly true of
new verse, which has now become SO abun-
dant as TO be a nuisance. One has not the
heart to tell the truth about 1t, for he
realizes that all the harm that such work
can do is more than Offset by the joy that
1t brings to the one who writes 1t. A little
education along certain lines is much more
potent than ridicule and faultfnding. and
to that end is the article before lis es-
pecially adapted! 1t will cultivate the DOW
or of self-discrimination. the lack of which
is SO evident upon this particular part OF
the face of the earth.