The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-07-21
LIVE GUS STioNS.
"A Series of Articles Contributed by
Advanced Thinkers.

~
Advanccd Thinkers.
WHAT ITERA.uaE5? wSAT ifs
SCOPE, USES, HIGHEST USE?
Hume once said: Every ore who is
acquainted either With the philosophers
or critics knows that there is nothing
get established in either of these two
sciences and that they contain little
more than endless disputes, even in the
most fundamental articles - This was
uttered in what Professor Huxley calls a
<sWenterian crisis of Hume's expert
ence, and yet it is in sense as true to-
day as it was when uttered over CEN
tury ago.
When Hume made this statement, the
doctrine of evolution had been only
vaguely limited by few of the lofty
minds Of the race. The full and con-
elusive working out Of that hypothesis
by Darwin, Wallace, Huxley, Tyndall,
Spencer and Haeckel has gone to con-
firm Hume's criticism. We now see for
the first time clearly and definitely that
no theory, no criticism and no defni-
ton can be conclusive. On this point
return to one Of the doctrines of Democ--
ritus is ineyitable-viz, that all things
are in state Of fux. Emerson beauti-
fed and enlarged the idea when he
hkened all nature to flowing stream.
Hence there is no possibility of fxity of
definition. This is quite disconcerting
to certain type Of mind that is ever
attempting to settle matters once for
an. These are victims, probably uncon,
scious, Of certain educational and theo
logical hobbies, whose method is to molc
the mind or crystalline it into certaiE
foxms and bring about kind Of intel
lectual death or mental atropby. The
ons hopeful indication Of this age is
that we have no final solution Of any
literary or sociological question and that
ne are becoming conscious of che fact.
Thas, by the very conditions that many
depIore, we are coming into sanity and
are exercising in small way in the lit
erary world the real rights OF the free
children of nature.
The habitual and conservative defer
ence tc authority is subversive Of the
highest individuality and has tend
ency to make intellectual parasites Of
us. E. Ray Lancaster, in a most in
structive brochure ON Degeneration, %
shows that dependence on others easily
leads to decline and finally to Inability.
The animal and vegetable world is
fruitful in examples of species Of de-
pendents that once were free and pro-
gressive. The inevitable end Of such a
tendency is ext: 1ction. TIE whole par
asitic world is a striking illustration.
Nordau has pointed cut the danger
with dramatic force, and Drunmond
has read US not Improbable lectures
that. We should heed. Dependents we
all are in limited way necessarily, but
we must not go beyond those limits
that nature sets.
70 show historically the uselessne8
Of dependence On established literary
judgments we need only to look at the
way in which the works Of real literary
merit-tre classics-were received On
publication By the ruling authorities. I
need to refer to but few instances,
such as Shakespeare's plays, Paradise
Lost, Hrme's histories, Byron's, Shell
ley's and Goethe's works. Souniversal-
y is this true that the proverb, "You
know who the critics are, those who
have failed in literature themselves; -
remains almost undisputed.
A very slight acquaintance with the
history Of literary criticism will i'm
press Us with the necessity of smodesty
and caution.
Language, the essence Of literature,
and words, the raw material of Ian
guage, are both the results and subjects
of the law of evolution. II these were
the products of a machine, were the
stamped pattern Of fixed die, then we
could speak with little more certain
ty Of literary standards and make cur
appeal with better grace to 'sthe clas
sics.'' It is entirely matter Of taste,
and all authorities agree de gustibus
non disputsndrm- It follows as surely
as the night the day that if our literary
taste is the result Of training in Ger
tain line of literature that lire of
literature to US is the only standard Of
appeal. To the Mohammedan, the Al .
koran is the finest literary production
in the world; to the old Egyptian, the
Book Of the Dead;" to the Hindoo,
the Vedas; to the Parsee, the Ayesta;
to the orthodox Jew, the Pentateuch
and Prophets; to the German, Schiller,
Goethe, Klopstock and Richter; TO the
French, Racine, Mol:ere, Paine and
Hugo; to the Italian, Dante and Tasso