The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1898-12-29

to that class of readers which gets the
most OF it.
Ever since the birth of English liter
ature, there has been what may be
called, the literature of the learned.
Previous to this time, and in fact some
what subsequent, the only literature
was necessarily that of the learned
since only the very learned were let
tered. Even in that time however,
there was that which might be said to
correspond to the peoples literature of
today. 1t was in the legendary tales,
that were handed by mouth from faith
or to son, or mother to child. Even in
the far off mythical days of Homer, we
can conceive of the professional story
teller at eventide, gathering about him
the simple folk and relating tales of
adventure or deeds Of valor, but not as
having any part in Or understanding of
the almost deifed5 creations of his H.
lad or Odessy. This analogy is recog-
nized in the ballads of the Minstrels, in
the very earliest days of English litera-
ture. Nearly all the tales in Mallory's
Mort D'Arthur were probably cleaned
from that field which today we know
as folklore. The minstrel and the
story-teller no longer tOsses those tales
about from mouth to mouth, adding,
subtracting and creating as his every
fancy may suggest all of those gallant
old Knights of the Round table, Merry
King Arthur and his frail Queen Guin
evere. All those distressed ladies in
castles guarded by fierce dragons, the
versatile Merlin and even the magic
sword "Excalibre." have become crys.
talized into imperishable English liter
ature. They became as a we'll, from
which the earliest writer of English fic-
tion drew deep and often. They may
be said to form the very basis of Eng
lish prose fiction.
Thus we see, that out of legends, nur-
sery tales, minstrel ballads and folk
lore, his grown what l have already
named as the literature of the people.
AS, from century to century, education
has become more general among the
masses, the perception of what is best
in literature, has broadened proper
tiOnally. We see the two extremes in
literature approaching, or rather, we
see the ideals of the great reading pub
lie gradually heightened, until they
approximate those of the most cul-
tured or learned.
Today savant even, would deem it
not beneath him to 60 with Dickens
Little Joe, to the snow clad grave
of the only friend he'd ever known, and
shed tear with him, as he murmured,
through the iron palings "He was very
good to me, he wasv' Nor yet to go
with Kipling's Dick and Masie down
to the breakwater to pistol-practice and
laugh with them as Amoma the goat
eats all tina pin.fre cartridges; nor
down the Mississippi on raft with
Tom Sawyer and hear the beautiful
voiclngs which the author has given to
the soul-struggles cs that poor unlet-
tered boy, and get such as thus has
become the literature of the people.
Hyper-refined critic may call them fun
makers, or character mongers, as Mr..
HOwells has named Charles Dickens,
but so long as people have warm hu-
man sympathies, loving or tender
hearts feel pain at severed friendships
or joy at virtue rewarded, so long will
those writer's live in the great heart of
the people.
This has been named by some the
age of realism in literature. That is
very well if it is real good, or as best
can put it. If it is the minute portray
ing of acts or thoughts that are good
and kind, high or holy. If the crea-
tions are such as may be found in
d'Annuncio's Triumph of Death or
Golstos's Kreutzer Sonata. They are
not good; except of course, for the
strong analytic mind of a searcher
after truth.
Ali I can say at last is: that what is
good to read is that which makes one
better. And its variety is commen-
surate with varieties of individualities.
w. "A.