New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-12
Gbe Nem'2lork Gribnne.
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
SUNDAY. NOVEMBER II, 1899.
Ep SUPPLEMENT.


Most of us cannot help lamcnting the ire
ouort disposition of the public to neglect the
masters and exalt the makers of trash. Turn
we to that bold good man. Mr. Andrew Lang.
"Thc public. we boukmcn cry, does not care FOR
STYLE" he says for the music Of Millions blank
verse the aerial rapturcs of Shcllcy's song the
inimitablc. humorous fclicitics of Mr. Steven
SON and 50 forth Why or how, should the
public care: \ few are born to be So to he
enchanted with the airy tongues that Syilablsf
incfTablc harmoncs; but no man is TO be cen
Surcd because he is born deaf to these. rs Dr.
Johnson was born deaf to actual music. An
ear for music is common; an ear for style IL
rare" Golden words. all of them, and golden
because they are true. But when Mr.. Lang, in
his resignation and good nature observes IF
tho fatiGucd business man reads nothing but
trash in the name of charity let him" we
cannot he content For something more than
the rccuporation of the fatigucd business man
is ut issue The drcary thing is that ne is
not only plicd by Mr.. Lang but catered to
and encouraged by countless writer's, born
like their readers. with no ear for style, but
intelligent enough 10 know better.
w llll III Il Dilllts ell, tNfIi iHlHS ~
I'm a name The late Grant Allen wrote many
books. some good. some bad. He published
them. as a rule over his own signature. But
only last August there appeared novel,
"RoSaba." which are now told was written
by him. hut which bore on the title page the
name olive Pratt Rayncr.' Even profess
sional critics" writes one Of them in England,
were taken in by the pScud0nym." That was
natural enough. "R0Saba" was better than
any other novel Mr. Allen ever wrote. What
is more interesting is that lac himself seems to
have been completely mctamOrphoScd by his
adoption Of the signature. 1t gave him diff
fcrrnt outlook on life, changed his method, |
stimulated his Imagination, did everything to
make him turn an entirely new aspect Of his |
writing faculty 10 the public. The gulf be-
tween "Eosalba" and. for example THE |
Woman Who Did" is immense, ana we stand
in amaZcmcnt ut the ability of the novelist to
bridge il toward the close Of Il long career. !
friend Of his writes 10 The Academy" that |
the on" note Of his life can swear to was
hi, absolute sincerity and honesty in all those
opinions that people have suggested he adopted |
for the sake If attracting attention" The test !
of his sincerity must have been severe to a
writer who once said that IF he had his choice
he would rather sweep Il crossing than earn |
his living 10y the pen. and We would like 10 I
think that Mr.. Allen had temporarily lapScd /
into soullcss pohoilng when he added Hill /
toppcry' to the many obnoxious movements .
in contemporary fiction But since we must /
believe that he was sincere when he wrote "Thc
Woman Who Did" We can only feel. with .
"RoSalbI" in our hands. deeper chagrin ana
b"Wilicrucnt Why. We ask with painful emo
tion. die this versatile scientist. traveller.
poet. novelist and critic. wall until his Gfticth
year 10 write book like "RoSalbl," 50 j0you,
and sunny