The record-union., 1899-09-17
Literature and
Literary Workers.

Z The peculiar conditions under which
russian literature has grown up nave
brought about a close intimacy pe-
tween the political ideals of the cul-
turned classes, on the one hand, ana
their fiction, on the other. Sllenced
by the censor, the reformer is 1orceu 10
call upon the novel to convey his mes
sage. This is the characteristic Iea-
ture of Russian letters. 1t Involves d
point of view which countries otner-
wise circumstanced may find it difflcuit
to appreciate, and that accounts Tor
the unusual seriousness with which the
educated Russian takes his hctlon-
No nation has a theory of art so
clearly defined, nor one so firmly inn
bedded in the traditions of the lntelll-
gent classes, as is the theory which
forms the underlying principle OF Rus
sian criticism; and one of the essen
tial points of this theory is, that a
work of art must also be a work of
education Art for arts sake" is out
of the question in a country where the
poem must take the place of the edi-
torial, and where the story teller, who
does not make his fiction a criticism
of life, is looked upon as something like
a public officer who betrays his trust
A literary creed such as this would
seem to be fatal to art, and the fiction
based upon it doomed to degenerate
into that species of sermon-novel which
is a bad sermon and a worse novel.
Yet, so far as Russia is concerned, the
curse has turned out to be a. blessing.
Sermonizing is just what the censor
will not allow; so the novelist must
try to make his pictures talk, to let
life expose it's own wounds. For like
those well-bred ladies of whom Thack-
cray tells us that they did not mind
looking at the trousers of hundreds of
men, though they would have been
shocked to hear the word uttered, the
censor, as a rule does not prevent a
subject of the Car from painting a
spade, but he will not let him call it
by it's name.-A. Cahan in the Septem-
ber Forum.
Mrs. Crawford, the journalist, who,
during the last thirty years, resided in
Paris and acted as special correspond
ent to several leading papers, is a wo-
man of dauntless energy. A story is
told of her on the occasion of a ball
given by Marshal MacMahon, which is
worth recording. Tt had been arranged
that Mrs. Crawford should telegraph to
a certain paper a description of the
dresses worn, but when the time for
her to leave the ball arrived a thunder
storm and a sudden downpour of rain
made it impossible for her to secure a
carriage. She could not afford to be
hindered and therefore she ran off in
her evening dress to the telegraph Of
fee, a quarter of a mile distant She
arrived drenched to the skin, with the
soles of her satin slippers broken away,
but triumphant in being able to dis
patch her message. Mrs. Crawford was
in Paris during the commune and inter
viewed its leaders as they sat in coun-
s cil.-Kansas City Journal.
Robert Barrett Browning is translat-
ing into brick and marble the check
sent him by the publishers of his pa
rents love letters. He is building him.
self a new studio in Venice, and that is
just what the married poets would have
wished. With a studio of his own ar
ranging, Barrett Browning will resume
again his long-discarded brushes, with
results which the public will watch
with interest, if only because he is the
child of his parents. His works have
at least the literary interest in a
sense of the term rather different from
the usual. That they may have the
artistic interest too is not impossible;
that great hope Of his father may be
realized, and may be helped in realiza-
ton by the new and particularly favor
able conditions.-The Academy.
Some years ago a slim little volume
called Ghetto Tragedies by Mr..
Zangwill. was published in England
only, but this volume. to our thinking
contains the cream Of his work Mr..