The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-17
American Art and Letters.
,e Harlequin (New orlcans,.

The Harlequin New orlcaus).
| Europeans may criticise us as they will,
yet in America we have an improved Euro
pean civilization, with many Of the bad
points left out A book could be written upon
this subject demonstrating 1t with irrefrag-
able evidence. The equality part of our pro-
gramme is no mean part of our inheritance
from tho fathers. To know that whatever
discrimination nature, that unjust stop
mother has made between her children, IN
America. all in the eye of the law are free
and equal; that the snobbish person. al
though perhaps richer than you and has no
| legal title to superiority over us, Is the
Americans Just title to pride. Ours is q
higher civilization. The tide OF evolution
has borne us further along than our elder
brethren on the other side of the world.
We and not they, In spite Of their primogen-
iture. have como into the Inheritance. In
their criticisms of us they often show q not
unnatural discomfort with the portion Of
Esau.
| Besides our greater liberty, our civilization
also contains within It the seeds OF literature
and art that have sprung into such beautiful
flower in the older countries In America
we have been too busy settling up the coun-
try, doing the rougher work, cultivating the
cotton fields and the grain fields; but the
seed OF the flowers has been here mono the
less, although not watered sufficiently. and
has grown up now and then into rose tree.
the pride of any garden.
Now that the food and clothing plants arc
fairly under way, the roses are becoming
more frequent. The young men and women
of the country. to drop the metaphor. arc
devoting themselves more to pursuits OF art
and letters throughout the country. We have
a nascent--and IN some places an adolesrent
art and literature-in the middle States. In
the South and In the West. as we'll as In tho
North and East. You may read Of II any
where in the newspaper. It is patent evon
to the unobservant traveller wherever YOU so
throughout the United States. There are art
galleries and associations of artists In most
of our cities. New York is losing its pre-
eminence not only In trade but as the center
of culture OF the country. People who write
and people who paint no longer all live III
New York. Philadelphia in the last cen
tury Boston In the frst part Of this cen
fury. and for the latter part, New York. have
successfully held the first place as the me-
tropolis of art and literature In the TWEEN
tieth century the change that has been in
dicated as having taken place will continue.
Exactly what will take place one can
positively say but the indications are that
before the end OF the century, at any rate
there will be- centers Of literature and OF
art in every State. For this is In no sense
Nation as the nations In Europe We have
too much country for that. Its borders from
sea to sea comprise the width OF con-
tinent. It's size Is greater than that OF Eu-
rome. nnd as in Europe there Vre London
Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, ST. Peters
burg. so in the United States we VIII have
have New York. Boston, PHILADELPHIA cn'-
cago. Charleston, Atlanta, Louisville New
torleans. San Francisco and other cities. each
with literature of its own, each home oil
talent and field for genius.
Already Chicago, San Francisco and New
orleans put on new plays without looking 10
New York Every day the hard path OF the
writer who would live by letters is made
smoother In many OF our cities mere ~
New Orleans for instance, II Ia no harue'
now than it was in England in the Inst cen
turv. The day Is not far distant when we
shall catch up with London and New YORK
n native here who can paint or VINO can VIZ
a novel. or poetry, or n play VIII DC haiieu
With the acclaim with which such man is
greeted throughout the world, and Amer'c"
and Americans will take their proper place
IN .he hio.o s. T.