The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-02

the age. To the widespread interest in
the classics must be attributed the
great success of Dryden's translation Of
Virgil and Pope's translation or
Homer, as well as his limitations Of
Horace. Though untrue to the manner
and spirit of the original, POpe's trans
latiOns fulfilled mems ideal Of classical
dignity. 1t was easy to appreciate a
literature which set forth the rules by
which 1t wished TO be judged IN the
form of maxims which all could under
stand. The keenest interest was ex-
cited in subjects Of literary inquiry.
Men became concerned about questions
Of correct taste. Ancient writer's were
reappraised; contemporaries held one
another to standards that all accepted
as true A knowledge of the accepted
rules Of literary construction was be-
lieve1 to be more important than in
spiration or genius. No style could be
considered good which did not obey
these rules. Such a spirit could not
help being unfavorable TO the prOduc-
poetry; it was most favorable to the
development Of an orderly, definite
prose.
Matthew Arnold has said:
THE glory of English literature is in
poetry, and 40 poetry the strength Of
the eighteenth century does not lie.
Nevertheless, tie eighteenth century
accomplished for US an immense liter
airy progress, and is very shortcomings
in poetry were an instrument to that
progress and served H. The
practical .aenius of our people could not
but urg successfully to the production
of a red rose style, because for the
purposes$Sf modern life the old Eng
lish prose, the prose of Milton and
Taylor. is cumbersome. unavailable.
impossible. A style Of regularity. uni
formity, precision, balancc, was
wanted. These are the qualities OF a
serviceable prose style. Our
literature required a prose which con-
formed to the true law Of prose, and
that it might acquire this the more
surely it compelled poetry, as in
France to conform itself to the law Of
prose likewise. The classic verse Of
French poetry was the Alexandrine, a
measure favorable to the qualities Of
regularity, uniformity, precision, bal
ances Gradually a measure favorable to
those very same qTalities-the ten
syllable cOuplet-establishe itself as
the classic verse of England, until in
the eighteenth century it had become
the ruling form Of our poetry. Poetry,
or rather the use Of verse, entered in a
fury, into the whole Of the daily life
of the civilized classes, and the poetry
of the century was a perpetual school
Of the qualities requisite for a good
prose, the qualities of regularity, uni
fOrmity, precision, balance. This may
/ have been Of no great service to Eng
/ lish poetry, although to say that it has
/ been of no service at all, to say that the
eighteenth century has in no respect
I changed the conditions for English
pOetical style. or that it has changed
/ them for the worse. would be untrue
/ But it was undeniabiy of signal service
/ to that which was the great want and
work of the hOur-English prose"
What made q good working prose in
/ dispensable to the eighteenth century
/ was the fact that modern life had come
in with all of it's practical and intel
( lectual interests. Scientific investigation
/ had received a great impulse from the
I founding of the Royal society in 1852
/ Inventors and discoveries in science
| followed one another rapidly. 1T was the
/ time Of Sir Isaac Newton, Boyle and
I HALEY. Philosophy, like science
waited the gift Of popular statement
/ that il might enter the lives of the
! masses The revolution of 1888 had
made public opinion important. and
party leaders sought the services of lit
/ erary men who could create it. Satire
( in prose or verse was the favorite in
! strument of writer's who would bring
/ about political changes or advance
moral reforms Nothing bears stronger
/ testimony to the practical characters
| ties Of the age than the prevalence OF
/ satire in the writings CT Dryden, Add
/ SON. Swift and Pope. If satire adopts
! the garb Of poetry. verse, It is only that
i it may increase its sharpness: its Ievel
/ is the prose level. The age was unim-
i aginative; it lacked enthusiasm, moral
earnestnsss and lofty faith: but its
/ leaders we're Striving to make It al
/ age Of reason, and the time came when
| il prided Itself upon it's philosophy and
I common sense.
OF this age of prose and reason. Gov
i eriBg roughly the first half of the