Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-07
FINE LECTURE by MIR. MABIE.
The Distinguished Critic Discusses
Letters and Society in America.


The courageous band who slid and
waded through the worst of streets and
the wettest of crossings last night to at
tend the lecture at the Academy of Music
were well compensated for the maltreat-
ment they received from the elements. In
deed, the orator. Mr.. Hamilton w. Mabie,
who spoke under the auspices Of the Rich
mond Lyccum. rewarded his hearers with
an effort as beautiful and pure in its way
as the ice-spangled trees which sparkled
outside in the trembling glare of the city
lights.
Rev. DR.. w. w. Moore introduced the
speaker. who. after gracefully acknowl-
edging the cordial reception he received.
announced as his subject the broad theme
Letters and Society in America" The
discourse was simply a treatise on Ameri-
can literature viewed from the impartial
standpoint of one who stands foremost
in our land as critic and litterateur. The
past was first considered. and successive
ly our great writers were introduced, UNI
til the chain became "A long and glorious
one and stopped with our own age and
splendid predictions for the future.
Mr. Mabie was frank I'm his comments
and did not allow his patriotism 10 mag
nifty our literary virtues or 10 minify our
defects. After mentioning and eulogizing
the American authors Of the past, with
Hawthorne as the premier. he said, with
the emphasis OF conviction, that our
greatest writer had yet 10 come. Greece
had her Homer; England her Shake
speare: Italy her Dante. and Germany
her Goethe. but America-yet awaited her
sublimest literary genius Literature is
what n race makes it. Great peoples pro-
duce great writer's Of necessity. and out
Of mighty feats come mighty minds. The
conditions among US have. up 10 the last
twenty years, been unfavorable but the
past two decades have seen the dawn OF
that era which will give birth 10 the men
predestlned as our giants in letters. Here
t0fore our bOok-makng folk have been
paradOXical rs IL may appear-too intel
lectual They have not fallen short in
merit, but have stinted their creations in
the matter Of passion feeling. and hui
manity. We must study life and person.
ality and put them i'm our literature
whether they be eNemplihed In humble
little creatures like the woman at the
window in T'hrums. or I'm greater and
more luminous figures. We need the bold,
deep feeling displayed in ''Tess.'
The speaker has much TO say of our
poets-all good I'm their way-but from
standpoint he was cOnstrain-
ed 10 confess that versficauon had so far
only "twittered" among US, and yet
awaited the carollng Of that lark that
would rise high above all other songsters
in our national skies.
Concluding, Mr.. Mabie said that I'm even
so short 4 time as lapsed between Shake
speare in the cradle and Shakespeare
the creator OF Hamlet, America would
lay aside "A literature of toll and show the
world a literature Of art.
In citing some of the recent books and
authors, which brighten our literary hori-
zon and promise infinitely better things
for years 10 come. Mr.. Mabie mentioned
Thomas Nelson Pages RED Rock" and
Miss Mary Johnston's prisoners of
Hope"