New-York tribune., 1901-11-10
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, l9ol-

The conSnjcuity of the book art among
tbe nubljcations of the holiday season has be- /
come so very striking that it provOkes rehec- +
lion on the reference which it may have to
the whole question nf taste in America lime
WAS when the biography Of great painter or
Z book of general artistic discussion, 1ounu itS
public almost exclusively among readers who
were as rule, profcssed students oil the SUI
icct Either the number of such students has
materially increased or there are more readers
today who regard an acquaintance with art
as no less Indispensable to their culture thah
an acquaintance with current poetry, hcuoh'
,istorv biography and so on. We hope that
the latter surmise is correct In trutI' II 10
ditficult 10 see why any presumably edu-
Gated should consider it proper-aS Il great
many neonle have certainly thought 1t proper
to retire whenever an artistic subject comes
ND in conversation, behind the easy rehifh
that they know what they like, but have never
happened to interest themselves eSpeciaiE Ill
tAe question" The work on art WHICH We
more often see in the present time Is not
mere illustrated gift book, meant to rest uh-
o1cned as n piece of decoration, on library OF
drawing room tables 1t Is meant 10 De reau.
We should rejoice TO hear that pooh' say
like Mr. BrownelIs French Art, recently re-
printed in enlarged form with numerous Illus
trationS was being read rs a matter Oh couI9c
not simply by the specialist but by the gen
cral reader to whom it is also addressed
Mr. Andrew Lang has come out hafootec
in praise of literary controversy. The fact
that the celebrated Button never replied 10 Il
critic or opponent does not fill him with the
admiration it inspires among some people lie
protests against the contention of the Bullion
ties that to ''cnter on controversy IS 10 De
..unwiSc' and ''undgnfed." In the first place
there is nothing inherent in literary c"ntro-
vcrsy to make q forget his manners ana
of the old fooliShness about controversy leAF-
ing the larties to it with opinions unchanged
Mr. Lang observes that when this Is so II Is
generally because neither c"ntroVcrslaliSt has
any sense of hunor. He insists upon the point
to which we have so often alluded III THESE
columns that \ sense OF humor enables 4
man TO understand that even he may occasion
ally make rather an ass Of himself. He adyo- .
Gates Il reader hospitality among authors Tor
the idea that the best of them may sometimes
fall into error. or, at least, give his IDEAS III
their original form a twist which does them
iniustice. and which it would pay him to dis
cuss and modify in the light of controversy
with his critics. Fielding he reminds us, WAS
man enough to face the music and admit that
he could make 4 mistake D them, they
have found it OUT" the novelist exclaimed
when the critics of pit and gallery hoot"d a
scene which he too lazy to alter. and Mr.. .
Lang pleads for revival of his candor, with +
the growth of quicker disposition to not only +
acknowledge the fault but to come down into /
the arena and do ones best by frank discus |
sion to set things straight.
4 rueful taxpayer in Chelsea writes 10 The |
Saturday Review" complaining about the trashy |
fiction which encumbers the shelves of the free
library in his neighbOrhOod. 1t is familiar
complaint. and London is not the only city in
the world where good cause for it exists. |