The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-27
HERALD: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER a7,

literature discovers IS that good liter
ature already existed 1900 or 1900 years
before our era, and, Furthermore, that
the literature which has survived to
this day is of a certain quality, and
has endured because it expressed in
true form the life Of the time; in other
words, because It had style, and only
by comparison can we judge what this
style is. If you take up a novel Of
the present, you may find out very
quickly whether it has the essential
qualities oe great literature. 1t may
be Of expressing interest; it may have
a good plot or exploit some fad; it may
be aueacious, AID thus make you ap-
pTeciate it in a certain way, but, judged
by the universal standard, you may find
that it adds nothing TO the literature of
the world.
Through the institute the productions
OF this country would be vastly i'm
proved and increased not in quantity,
bat il quality Such an institution
would bring about communion among
literary spirits. cuItivating and dis
seminating ideas, and bringing about
an intercourse of true sympathy among
workers il the literary field"
Can such an Institute as here de-
scribed be established? Certainly any
thing that viii tend to raise the liter
airy standard oe the country is to be
encouraged. Undoubtedly we are a
great reading nation, and that which
makes us such has a tendency to make
literary standards low rather than
Highland this is the almost universal
habit Of newspaper and magazine read
ing, an excellent habit if those who
have it do not stop there. There is con-
siderable good literature in the maya
zines but much that is not. While from
the very nature and conditions of it's
existence there cannot be any consid
cradle amount of literature in the news
paper.
Another thing that has a tendency to
vitiate true literary taste and judgment
among the people, is the faculty with
which any sort of writing on any sub
ject, grave or gay, wholesome or other
wise, can be put into book form. Ideas
and mastery oF style are not essential
to the making of a book these days; the
great essentials seem to be the ability
to use words with or without meaning,
a type writer and an abundance of
paper. And there are plenty of pub
fishing houses more than willing to put
the trash that is turned out on the
market
The reviewers of books are to a
greater or less extent responsible for
the lack Of high literary standard
Book reviewing has got to be but little
more than the art of making extracts
and interlarding them with commenda-
tory comments. with very few con-
demnatoFy ones.
There is no better place for inculcat-
ing a genuine taste for good literature
than IL the schools. Every reader
should have as one of it's aims the i'm
parting &C q knowledge of good liter
allure. That this can be done is evil
denced by the series OF readers edited
by such distinguished authorities on
literary matters as Charles Eliot Nor
ton and Horace E. Scudder. Of course
good literature, thing they do not al
ways know
AS TO how q standard of literary taste
shall be obtained, there is no better
method than that recommended by
Matthew Arnold. in his introduction to
Wards English Poets. He there gives
key or two. one from Dante and an
other from Milton. Anyone can form
q high standard in literary matters
who viii possess himself of a
copy of the Bible, Shakespeare,
Montaigne. Milton. Addison and
Scott. Not long list, surely,
and one not beyond the means of any
one who is not in abject poverty There
may be 10 literary institute established,
but the agitation for higher standards
in literary matters cannot fail to result
benefcially.