The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-23
BIRD'S-EYE LITERATURE.
Those Reviews Of the Century Which
So Few Care to Read.
New York Commercial Advertiser.

New York commercial Advertiser.
The quickest work in century reviewing
was that of Kentucky writer who put
the whole hundred years into less than a
column, including photography, antiseptics,
electricity, matches, Roentgen rays. the
"paroxysms of France toward sane gov
eminent and the "recrudescence of Italy.
1t is century, he said, that will compare
favorably with any other in respect TO
poetry, for few of the early poets who
are now called great could exist In any age
except their own" Therefore, "let US thrill
with pride in the race which mankind has
run I'm the century gone" Like most Of
these summaries IL Is a little disJointed IN
style, but the thing had to be done, and
he did il. IT was a timely topic-that most
oppressive thing in periodical literature
and people who could not be hired to read
through school manual or worlds history
were supposed, under the spell of the calen-
dar, to crave the same sort OF material
In newspapers and magazines. Perhaps
some of them did, but their heads must be
spinning still If they read much of IT. For
the difficult art of condensation has fallen
into strange hands. Compression, as I'M
derstood by many, consists not in packing
an idea into a small space, but in leaving
out the idea altogether. They confound
the concise style with the syncopated in
tellect. To give general impression OF
haste-that seems TO be the object or the
amateurs of condensation. As If one could
not be wordy in few lines Here for ex-
ample, is dab at the educational trend OF
the century: II can be summed up. says
the writer, in three words, Culture, ef-
ficiency. power" What is the use even OF
these three words? II was q case. not for
condensation, but for total silence.
The bird's-eye writer is always attempt
ing what are for him quite impossible feats.
1t would require an extraordinary amount
of talent TO carry out his plan Some rev
of the century skimmers had gift Tor
their calling, and managed 10 say some
salient things. But with most u was a
mere agitated fumbling in the grab bag
of memory. Bird's-eye writer's nave taken
too much to heart the things they have
heard about the rush and scramble Of our
modern life They seem 70 -hink the busy
man wants a fiustered writer They con-
ceive of the busy man as In a FEVER 10 hear
things buzzing What has the world been
up TO this past month? asks the busy man
as he leaps from the quick-lunch counter
to the newsstand. so they give him a
furry of half-stated facts-not so much a
bird's-eye view as "A fricasseed chickea
view of wars conferences, labor riots. tor
pedo boats obituaries and the latest novels.
all in a thin gravy or editorial comment.
AS a matter of fact. we are liz no such
hurry as that. There Is plenty Of time an
the world for choosing the good things
even now Because a man works hard IL
does not follow that his mind Is a whirl-
ing miscellany. Out OF office hours he
avoids the busting person II he can. and
there Is no reason for supposing he likes
him In a magazine. Magazine editors often
exaggerate our sense of obligation to the
time spirit. To keep posted up on all the
monthly irrelevancies OF a good-sized and
fairly active universe is not a matter OF
conscience with the most OF US. Nor are
we so strictly chronological in our inter
ests, often preferring 10 spend our leisure
comfortably than 10 squint at all things
caiendarwise. with the bird's-eye man for q
And what is there so dreadful In falilne
behind the times? The happier man is the