The San Francisco call., 1897-08-29

squire IN letters can put some gallant
knight, armed cap-a-p pie and splendidly
equipped, on the trail Of a noble quest he
will be- more than rewarded; for, in view
OF the tonnage OF printed rubbish that is
being dumped on the market, it is time
for some literary Hotspur to arise and
confound the critics who commend il in
holiday and lady terms"
Our quarrel with these gentry is melted
by the fact that their criticism consists
simply of raising their likes and disIikes
into standards, which they expect every
one to accept, and for which they can
give no adequate reason, although the art
of criticism is an eminently reasonable
one. Personal knowledge of an author
the fact that he is amia BILE, or the reverse,
as mantle exigencies of "log-rolling"
such are the things that stand for criti-
cism with those who do not know or for
get that the latter is an art and has its
laws like any other art, and who cannot
separate mans work from his person
ality.
We are prone in these days to form our
opinion OF writer's merits from some re-
porter's account of his personal habits;
whether he has eggs and bacon for break
fast or takes a tub every morning affects
our Judgment of his literary ability. For
how many readers has Froude spoiled the
great influence for good of Carlyle by tell
ing us of his dyspepsia and his chickering's
with Mrs. CarlyleI How many people who
found their literary wants fully met by
Uncle Toms Cabin" refuse to accord
Lord Byron the praise due to him because
N oA an
his domestic reputationl know an ami
able man who VIII not read Plato's ''Apol-
ogy" because Socrates is alleged to have
i'll used Xantippe. All these thoughtless
people forget that the writer himself is
evanescent, and that his work, if it be
worthy, alone lives and is substantial.
They have never considered, too, that the
privilege of uttering thought is mostly ac-
cidental and that the utterer is mere
vehicle of expresslon-a mere conduit, as
it were, of the things that must be said.
What care l whether st. Paul had
thorn III the flesh, or whether he squinted |!
He wrote, Though 1 speak with the
tongues of men and of angels and have
not charity, l am become as sounding
brass or a tinkIing cymbaI," and that
shall suffice me, though l be pagan.
am not concerned with Beethoven's deaf
ness as l listen to his moonlight Son.
ata"; nor with Lord Byron's clubfoot
and amours when he interprets the tre-
mendous language of the storm-str icken
Alps for my delight.
So. too, one can enjoy the poems of
Francois Villon, though be was many
sided scoundrel; and the naive autobiog-
of HaI1ipi oh
though he was a self confessed m murderer.
Yst there are Chad bands who hold up
their hands in holy horror at bare men,
tion of their names.
It would be difficult to find anything
finer concerning art than the following
passage: Art finds her own perfection
within and not outside of herself. She is
not to be judged by any external standard
of esemblance. She is veil, rather than
. p mirror. Size has flowers that no forests
know Of birds that no woodland possesses.
She makes and unmekes many worlds,
and can draw the moon from heaven with
a scarlet thread. Hers are the forms
more real than living man. and hers the
great archetypes of which things that have
existence are but unfinished copies. Ma
ture has in her eyes no laws, no uniform
itv. She can work miracles at her will,
and when she calls monsters from the
deep they come. She can bid the almond
tree blossom in winter and send the snow
upon the ripe corn field. At her word the
frost lays its silver finger on the burning
mouth of June, and the winged lions
creep out from the hollows of the Lydian
hills. The dryads peer from the thickets
as she passes by. and the brown fauns
smile strangely at her when she comes
near them."
T at is taken from Oscar Wilde's "De-
cav of Lying" and that he was an unut-
terable beast does not detract from the
merit of his writings, nor dim the
brilliance of his epigrams, thank Godi
For the benefit of those who are unable
. 10 dissociate the personality of an author
from his work, and rate the latter by con-
siderations that belong strictly to the
former, 1t would be as well to set forth
some of the main principles OF criticism.
10 enable every one TO be his own critic,
in a measure. Asking critic when ones
favorite author is assailed, "Who are
your" or What have you doneH or tell
ing him that he is 'isweetly conscious of
his own right to criticize, is beside the
point, and on a level with the contro-
versiaI methods of :he small boy who
thrusts out his tongue at the "other Kid"
The following are some of the principles
of criticism that have been laid down by
competent authority:
Firstly, that the very essence of crit
icism is com mparison. for which the selec-
ton OF standards is necessary.
2. Secondly, 1.-THE critic should posses. not
a correct abstract definition of beauty for
the intellect, but a certain kind OF tenn
permanent, the power of being deeply
moved by the presence of beautiful OBJ
jects.
Thirdly, a precise knowledge of the
meanings of the words that he employs.
Fourthly, an advancement of sound
reasons for his opinions.
The second principle implies, neces-
sarily, a hatred OF all that is unIovely and
mediocre and pretentious.
Standards of excellence for the purposes
of comparison can be best found among
the great writer's of antiquity ana among
our own great English masters of prose
and poetry; and no one after reading
Matfhaw ArnoId's oDinIOn concerninp this