Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-27

remarks, he maintained the beat tradI-
tions Of American literature, and, in
common with Lowell, Emerson and
Whittier, definitely stood for the
highest ideals of civic life."
AS writer of fiction Mr.. Warner was
not surpassed by any novelist of his
generation, II we consider fiction in the
light of stable literary production.
His wide experience and observation,
his delicaoy, tact, CONSTITUENCIES and
culture, and his wonderful faculty Of
assimilation, which Mr.. Mabie notes,
enabled him to produce imaginative
pictures Of contemporary life startling
in their verify and 30 faithful to dis.
crimipative analysis of daily obserya.
tion that many people who lived in tine
sphere OF this literary portrayal spoke
OF his novels as very fine but tiresome!
Naturally, a man who reads works Of
fiction simply for amusement, as did
Sydney Smith. would find Mr.. Warmers
productive Of ennui, but fortunately not
all novel readers are of this stump.
His "triology" in fiction, of which
"That Fortune is the concluding
volume, is remarkable and convincing
picture of American life. A strdy of
those three stories amounts to liberal
education in the social conditions of
America to-day, and In their truest and
most valuable aspects they are essen
italy historical novels.
Count Tolstoy, in an article in a
Moscow journal denounoing contem.
| porary art, of which there IL a conpPn.
dious note in the current Bookman by
Arthur Hornblow, gives exp! ession To
some remarkably olear-cut views on
the cause Of recent vicious tendencies
In art. With his characteristic fear
lessness he points out that Tue deeen-
GRAFTON in modern art every where rec
equitable ia due to materialism, re-
ligious scepticism, the subordiqation OF
Of an artistic career to money making.
the patronage of art for mere pleasure
by the higher classes, the overshadow-
ing influence Of sensuality, ana OBJ.
sourity and ecoentricity in expression.
of the baneful influence exercised by
these causes in our own country one
has only to visit the Metropolitan
Museum of Fine Arts ia New York,
the Academy of Fine Arts In Philadel
phia, ard Corcoran's Art Gallery ir
Washington. The walls Of these insti
tutions reek with artistic advertise
ments Of sensual vioiuusness and the
covert snesrs of materialistio thought,
against which there is no protes
because it is all in the name of art {?
Count Tofstoy is right when he asserts
that true art Is based upon religion
Without religious beliaf there is a,
absence OF lofty ideality, because ma
terialistic perfection is barren Of frui
by virtue OF precise monotony ant
nyielding Limitation. lie is trenchantl.
expressive In his denunoiation OF Ger
tain modern French writer's who de
bauch their art In the slough OF sexual
ism, mentioning especially Remy d
Gourmont, whose novel Lies Chevau.
; de Diometieo is detailed account o
the sexual relations Of certain gentle
men with certain ladies'" The French
mans idea Of woman ia go very simila
to that OF the Turk that it is unlilel
the Russian philosophers condemna
tion will exercise even in a slight de
gree any restraining influence in til
world OF Partisan art, but Ii is to b
hoped it will be thoughtfully pondere
by a number of Anglo.Saxon writer
: Of no little prominence that l Nigh
mention. In the matter of music til
count is equally assertive and clarity
ing. He regards Wagner-O ye gods q
J last am / upheld-as the every anti
: christ Of music" Conspuez Wagner
Daysman.