The times., 1898-02-13

Finn" in the most dissimilar places and
at the most unexpected times, this close
sympathy with nature crops out In the
writings Of the Western authors. In "A
Boys Town." Howells "reminiscences
of his own early life in Ohio, the same
quality is visible, and one sees how sim
pie and democratic andsnatural lithe ilfe
of this region was generahon ago.
In treating of abstraetetruth and or
human emotions, moreover a new ele-
ment has been introduced by these
widely-different authors The ideal man.
as they see him, is not an aristocrat
He is the average man, at his pest. All
through the verse and prose that comes
from this group of authors there runs
vein of sympathy with humanity, as
humanity There is little introspection,
no quibbling over outworn social or
spiritual creeds. The philosophy Is
downright and practical, in accord with
natural laws and il these conflict with
Old World traditions, let the traditions
go. Independence, perseverance, cour-
age, charity and half-cynical American
humor characterize the hero or TINS new
school. The hero of the older poets won
his way to worldly distinction. anu was
recognized by the multitude. Ihe poets
! Of this generation seem to have MADE IL
| their business TO bring to light the hero
ism Of the common man. who is patient,
| brave. unselfish and true, without any
speciai reward for it; who Is not tiie
| product of any special time or place, put
| is numbered among every man lfleiius
and helps to keep alive the fa1th OF hu-
| mainly because he is not too far from
b;S failox-men to give them a helping
hand. .., 90
1t is not claimed that in loftiness oil
thought, grandeur of attainment OF
+ breadth of conception, any or the au.
thors of this generation rival those Oh
tie earlier school. If ii Is true sndt d
stateman is a politician who is deau,
il may be Just as true that n genius
Is a scribbIer who has been dead long
enough to take his true place IN Mt
eraiure PeOple who were devoted
admirers of Longfellow, Holmes ana
Lowell. in their younger days, are not
likely To see much in the dialect poet
ry and unpretentious bits OF philoso-
ply which these later authors nave
gathered up from newspapers ana
magazines. In like manner, the schoi-
ar of a still earlier generation consid-
cred Dickens and Thackeray most un-
dignified and unworthy followers OF
SmoIlett and Fielding. and could see
nothing in Tennyson. because they had
thoroughly assimilated Pope and Dry
den One of the indications tnat inns
new style of poetry is the work OF se-
MUS is the fact that literary critics
have been so seriously divided on the
question whether it was poetry at all.
Anything that appeals to half the
thoughtful people of the country, while
at first scorned by the other half, Is
likely to be a new form of genius. III
these writer's of the last fifteen or
twenty years are forerunners of new
movement in the world of literature,
movement thoroughly American, there
is cause for satisfaction. and 1T looks
very much as if this We're the case
They have written along lines not laid
down by earlier American authors;
they have become popular, and they
have dealt with new problems in
new way. and In q broad and deep
philosophical spirit. The commonest
subjects have not been too common
for them: the most characteristic
phases of American life have been
celebrated by them; originality, pow
er, humor and pathos are to be found
in their writings. The national poet
is more than likely to be found some
where in this region of the Middle
West, within the next generation.