New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02

ton of VI. Nuillicrs valuable work on dancing:
there is the life Of tiainshOrough which the
ScrihnerS are bringing out now. Books like
these must be large in scale, hut they have
reason for existing. which puts Costumes and
size into the background. But the mere pic'-
urc-hcok is dead Peace 10 lis ashes and. If
nossibe TO those who. through the malicious
Kindness of their friends. are well provided
with the nuisance.
Somewhere George Eliot observes that there
are men in the world who, if they are on guard
at a gale and You say 10 them, 81 am the Prince
of bohemia" whom they expect. or. Il am Il
buffalo" will let yoa pass Many of the guard
ians OF public tas,c-if they may be- 50 designated
show the same cOmplaislnt faulty. Witness
the case Of the late St6phano Mallarme and the
bland way in which a crowd Of public commen-
tators have cndeavOred To impose him upon the
world. "De moriuis nil nisi bonum. ana we
hasten to observe that personally NJ. Mallarme
appears to have been a most eStImabe ana
even charming gentleman, who acquitted NM
self of his professional duties in cOnscieh-
tious manner: but when he put his writings INTO
print and by the same token observed. Il am
poet he was no nearer the trnth than thouSh
lac had said. II am a buffalo. HIS friends Dc
lievcd him. however. and they told Their friends
and before long there was cult. whose III
sstcncc in giving currency 10 Mailarme taci'
declaration has been so fruitful that Il chorus
OF rcvercnt admiration has followed upon MS
death Some critics like MI GOsSc have CON
fcsSed TO a few qualms of doubt, but even MI
GosSe follows his remarks on his poets Cd
security with these words: rs it not to he sup
poSpd that when he could no longer be under
stood when we lost him in the blaze of Ian
g,lagc he was really more delightful than ever
if ONLY our gross senses could nave 1oioWed-
him. M. we venture tC assert, IT Is not 10
he supposed at all. and we refer Mr. Gosse TO
Mr.. Swinburnc's excellent dictum, that there
is no such thing as an inartculate poet Inc
noct in Nallarme-f he ever sheltered damon
in his snui-waS never ar;iculate. His wordy
pagcs are no more poctical than proposition
of Euclid, is poetica H was simply an anna
tcur of verbal gymnastics.
To IN American a peculiar edge Is gwen 10
this sort of thin, AZ the present moment by
the realization of wha' comparatively nig@iitiiy
honorS were paid to the late Richard Malcolm
Johnston during his career as writer. lie en-
tered upon that career as far back as the sixties
and published Goodly number OF BOOKS De-
fore ultl lie never ii'h'i poI'ui'i '''
Probably he never felt at all neglected. But
ST MI tbai has been said in praise of his work
had been multiplied hnnarcdfod the tale OF
Justice would not have been excessive. lie
wa. no poet but he had something very like
portry in his nature. something sweet ana
gracious ana captivating. which makes his
stories part of what is most lovable III Amcfl-
can U.prafmc Gcniality was his most impor-
tant quality. after truth. The hdchIy OF his
art has been confirmed by those who know
Georgia wei. 1t has also been recognized by
chose 10 whom human nature in general Is sym
,9ihr,ic For if he was full Of local color
he was also full Of the primitive elements
which make man an abSor!;::;2 object Of study
ANYWHERE MOI all Of the elements in the great
human spcctacle we're within the range OF his
ort Deep baSsiOn he could treat, but il IS doubt
fu! if he cared much for it, Comedy was MS
chosen Geld and among the Interpreters oil the
,opcdv of life be takes AN honorable ana per
maDcut place.