The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-19
Robert Burns. lie Is the sweetest, strongest
slnger in our country and | do not KNOW his

Robert Burns. He Is the sweetest. strongest
singer in our, country and do not know his
But when we compare the literature o. the
first half of this century with that OF the last.
asa whole, is hest. Think:of the volumes that
science has given TO tho world. In the first
mons. wore published and read. Now. read
as u whole the literature OF the latter half Of our
century is better than the. first. l like the es-
says OF Prof, Clifford. They are so clear, So
logical hat they are poetic. Herbert Spencer
is mo-; simply Instructive, he is charming. lie
is full of true imagination, He is not the
slave Of imagination; Imagination is his SER
yant. Huxley wrote like a trained sw%ordsman,
superb courage. He never apologized for
having an orlnion, There Xas never on hiS
cause he reveres a fact. and would not Tor his
ho knows with the capdor Of a Child ari de-
fends his conclusions like q scientist philoso-
ph.er. He stands neXt 10 Dan win.
great admiration for Edgar Tawcctt, There Is
~ his poetry thought; beauty and rhilo;orhy.
our language, the energy, of verbs. the color of
adlectives. He IS in the highest sense an ar
list think KipIine is map Of real genius
he knows the heart Of man"
Col; InGersoll is inclined to make merry over
What do you think Of, Hall Gaines recent
efforts to bring ABOUT a closer union between
"ot course" said Cot; Ingersolll. y am not
certain as to the int tent OF Mr.. Game. |
that the author was trying to catch the clergy.
There is certainly ne ;hing II the play calru-
man who is pious and heartless. Joha ;St!rHs
is the only Christian. and he is crazy. When
but you know that she has acted the fol, The
lord in the niece Is II dog. and the real gentle
man IS the chan that runs the music bah. How
, rho MAY p IlnuGa fIl III | do NOT con
lowers turn on him Ike wild beasts. Ills re-
him murder is one Of the means OF salvation.
Mr.. Caine has struck Christianity n singing
ers on the stage. one q heartIess hypocrite and
the other II mailman. Certainly | am not pleJu-
,,icc1 in favor Of Christianity: and yet en-
trying To bring the stage and the pulpit to-
gether. then, he is Il humorist. with the humor
What do recent eyhibitio9s in this city of
scenes from the life Of Christ indicate with re-
Ca..Sll d to the teHdenci"s Of modern oder nrtIa ,,r0
the meIanchoiy. the: hopeless. They S'a enjoy
Eainting.th bowed form. the tear-nlled eyes.
who ind pleasure in funerals, They, love to
watch the ,mourners. The falling. clods make
the ,sorr1Efal hymns and tie PREACHERS re-:
marks. The feelings of such people do not in
dictate the general trend Of the human mind.
Even a poor artist may hope for success if he
represents. something in which many millions
are dee ply Interested, around which their emo-
tiunS cling ike vines. a man need not be an
orator to make a patriotic speech. a speech
that fatters his audience. So. an artist need
not he great in order to satisfy. il his subject
appeals.to.the prejudice of. those who look at
his pictures.
Il have never seen a good painting OF Christ.
All the ChriSts TINT | HAYS seen lack strength
and character. They. look weak and DESPAIR
ing. They are all unhealthy. They have the
sistance. | have never seen - heroic, serene
and triumphant Christ. To tell the truth. |
never saw a great religious picture. They lack
sincerity. All the angels look almost idiotic.
In their eyes is no thought. only the Innocence
II think that art is leaving the celestial, tho
angelic. and is getting in love with the natural.
the representation of cattle than Angelo
and Rafael did in angels. No pictlre has
been painted OF heaven that is sas beautiful
as Il landscape by tOrot. The aim Of art
noblest. the most beautiful. The Greeks dill
not try to mako men like gods, but they made
gods like men; So tho great artists of cur day
60 to nature
lis It not strange that. with one exception.
the most notable operas written since Wagner
are by Italian COMPOSERS instead OF fcrman?'
For many Years German musicians insisted
that Wagner was not q composer. They do
clared that he produced only u succession OF
discordant noises. | account for this by tho
fact that the music of Wagner was not Ger
man. His couEtrvmen could not understand
1t. They had to be educated. There was no
orchestra in Germany that could really play
Tristan and Isolde It's elouuence, its pathos.
its shoreless passion was beyond them. There
is no reason to suppose that Germany is to
produce another Wagner. Is England eX-
pected to give us another shakespeare"