The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-10
LITERATURE EAST AND WEST

F. Hopkinson Smith, the novelist,
was in Kansas City not long since ana
spoke of the literary taste of that city.
1T is very complimentary, indeed, to
the literary taste of the people of Kan
sas City" said he. that Quo Vadis'
is such a favorite book in the city Ii
brary; and has such a splendid sale in
the book stalls. That book is such
great literary production that it has
been read with keenest interest by the
very best judges of literary works in
the country, and has won their ap-
proval at all places. That city, COM
monty supposed to be filled with west
ern people, so far away from the great
literary centers, should welcome and
appreciate such book, indicates de-
gree of literary culture that is highly
creditable to the city"
This rather riled the Star of that
city, because of the patronizing air
about it; the Star liked the bread and
butter all right enough, but it objected
to the way in which Hopkinson Smith
spread it, It declares that what he said
about literary culture in a city com
, monty SuDDOSeu 10 De DllcG with nCoI-
ern people," was simply a confession
of his own provincialism. The Star
says that if Mr.. Smith were more ia
miliar with his country, if his field of
observation were wider than the sec
ton in which he lives, he would know
that there are more books read in the
states west of the Allegheny mountains
than in the states east of those mount
aims. and that the quality of the iitera-
ture in circulation in the west is up to
the best standard.
The Star then proceeds to say: The
casts constant misjudgment of the
west is due to the same cause which
leads Europe to underestimate the
standard of taste and intelligence in
the United States Vulgar people who
become suddenly rich in the west go to
the east and display their lack of
breeding at the hotels and at popular
resorts, just as the new millioraires of
New York advertise their vulgarity in
Paris and London. The result is an
erroneous judgment of the general
communities from which these coarse
and cheap specimens come.
by contact with the people of Kan
sas City, and through the light of per-
sonal observation, F. HoplSinson Smith
has learned that this community. al
though only a few hundred miles east
of the center OF the continent, thor
oughly appreciates QUO Vadis.' and
this very knowledge has made Mr..
Smith a broader man than he was be-
fore his trip to the west. Had he been
born and reared in this section he
would have been thoroughly acquain-
ted with the tastes and habits of the
eastern people, and would not have
made the mistake of expressing joyous
surprise in finding among them an abil-
ity to enjoy those things which they
themselves reckon as among the prime
necessities of existence
The criticism is just one. The east
does nisjudge the west, particularly in
the matter of enlightenment and intel
lectual pursuits; it is much inclined to
think 1t has a monopoly in this regard.
1t would do the east a world of good
to make itself perfectly familiar with
I,owell's essay. ION Certain Conde-
cension in Foreigners" and, having
done this, make a few changes, such
as substituting fasteners, for for
eigners,'' and "westerners" for "Ameri-
cans" Hopllinson Smith unconsciously
played the role of Lowelrs German