The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-22

Society shows disposition TO seey itself
n Fnesody. not the active music that sginiu-
lates TO the two-step and waltz. but the more
eevating compositions which require ex-
qussise Interpretation and must be enjoyed
with discrimination. The dance, the card
party. the outing all have S.gned lead
crShip as social favorites to the aesthetic
musicale. The musicale has been given
the field and the other affairs have allowed
themselves 10 sink into insigni'icance.
Wherever the cause may lie. the fact re-
mains that the last week has been one of
the dulleSt. This is the transition period
OF the year and not much is expected Of
society, hssu there should be at least some
shy indication that there is a society set in
Seattle and that IL knows how 10 enter
tain and enjoy. Writer'S Of society condi-
ttons i'll the East unanimously attribute
tho general quiet to war. The effect In all
the larger cities Of the country is even
more pronounced than might have been
expected. Murky weather caused the post
ponement of the formal opening of the
tennis season. set for last Wednesday, and
IL is not even known whether the opening
will occur this Wednesday. Several ether
affairs Were postponed last week. The
event of this week will be the university
commencement.
In response to invitations from the Nine
teenth Century Literary Club hundred
or more guests met in Prosch's hall Thurs
day afternoon of last week TO enjoy an
address from the Rev. Herbert III. Gowen-
The programme OF the afternoon opened
with selection from the Mandolin Club.
Mrs. Carr, Mrs. Johnston. Miss Corey. Miss
Conn and Miss Barnard. Miss Clara Hill
followed with a piano solo. "valse Bril-
lante." by Moszkowski. The president OF
the club then introduced SIR. Gowen. OF
Trinity church, who in a brief prelude an
nounced his subject, '"rhe Tendencies of
Modern Literature"
The lecturer commenced by speaking of
the controversy which has sometimes been
waged between the lovers of ancient and
of modern literature. Swift has satIrized
such disputes as this in his Battle OF the
Books and Rudyard kiplng has shown
us the tolerance necessary by declaring
There are nine and sixty ways OF con-
structing tribal lays.
And every single one OF them is right"
Proceeding TO his subject, Mr.. Gowen
described tendencies as being comparable
to the river systems of the world. The
events of history create watersheds and
so determine the slope: the creative poets
furnish ideas, and literature in general ex-
hibits the flow of these ideas through the
land Thus the tendencies of literature
follow the history of mankind and from
the literature of a land we may deduee its
history The term modern literature Is
capable of various definitions. Speaking
of it first as strictly literature la mode
the literature OF today. the speaker said
It was necessary TO proceed carefully,
since we We're probably too near to judge
our contemporaries Alright. since history
proves that contemporaries have commonly
m.sjudged one another, and since we are
probably not so familiar with contempor-
airy poetry as We might be.
The lecturer then gave some account OF
the work of Alfred Austin and OF William
Watson, describing the former as lyric
poet Of great sweetness within the limits
OF his faculty Rudyard Kipling's work
was then described and the poetry OF
AIgernon Swinburne. with the matches
melody OF its verse. its prodigality of feel
ing; "r.yers OF sonorous music, rushing
and roaring along their several ways until
they reach the sea and are swallowed up
in it's long. tumultuous. endless harmony"
Yet Swinburne was denied the position OF
the great poet as his verse generally was
morbid. feverous and diseased. Taking
the term modern In a larger sense. as
applying TO the literature of the last sixty
years. the following tendencies were de-
seribed at length:
l. Concentration and exactness Of
thought: I'm Memoriam" "The Ring and
the Book" and "Empedocles en- Etna"
were representative nineteenth century
poems The lesureliness of the FAIRY
Queen or Of the eighteenth century es-
savists. Is Impossible today.
9 Universally OF range: Charles Dick
ens discovered a new world I'm cockney
London; George Eliot In rural Loamshire;
Stevenson In the South Sea Islands: Fang
win In the Jewish Ghetto: Kspl:ng in In
dia: Olive Schreiner in South Africa !:
Bret Harte on the Western plains
3 Nattonaiism and patriotism: Stimuli
lated in America by the civil war: IN Eng
lend by the jubilee celebrations OF 1887 and
1891.
T. Hurna nitar,ansm: Not art for arts
cake but art for mans sake So Dickens.
Reade. Kingsley Charlotte Bronte. Mr..
Browning are numbered among the re-
formers In England. and Lowell. Whittier.
Whitman and Holmes In America. The
majority OF writer's today compel their
writings TO serve the purpose of phiian-
thropy and social Justice.
g. Modern literature Is profoundly reii-
gtous, even when expressing the voice OF
doubt. which often enough Is but the Un-
Willingness Of brave hearts TO be imposed
on by materialist.c shams. Some apparent
exceptions 10 this were noted. ouch as
| Swinbarne. william Norric Robert Blu
| chansu and James Thomson. bat the rule
was shown 10 be proved even by its excep-
| tiors
In conclusion the lecturer showed how
we cannot ouly observe tendencies but
| can make tendencies by cult.vatIns only
| the literature which IL pure ard strong.
| and by exercising this power OF free choice
We should gain entrance into an earthly
| paradise OF literature embracing alike the
| ancient and ths modern. the romantic and
| the scientific. the rea!:st and the ideailst.
| Change is good for "a. and In respect To n
/ book we may agree with Tommy Atkins
I I'm respect 10 life:
"Gawd bless the world! Whatever she
'ath done
Excep' VIXEN awful iong-I've found 1t
good:
I So write before die e liked II ALL
| II "a impossible n this brief resume IN
/ give fun .aea Of the power and interest
I OF Mr.. Covers address. The programme
/ closed with a piano duet. Grand March 40.
i 6. Schubert, By Mrs. HasbToaek and Miss
( Hill.
:. e.
: Commencement week. n. climax % the
university year. wfsi brighten ths big
building ard grounds for the next few
DAYS with the presence OF young society at