Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-10-31

d Federation be always and invariabl
k used in furthering the principles Q
0 good citizenship and good govern
ment and against any growing ten
: dency toward intemperance and tn
lowering Of the social standards.
9 Resolved, That we hold the memor,
: Of President Mckinley in grateful re
membrance for his wise statesman
ship, the purity Of his personal char
acter and his tender and uniting de
votion to his wife.
FRIDAY EVENING PROGRAM
The Lutheran church was filled al
the closing session, A pipe organ
prelude by Mrs. H. l. Humphrey was
much enjoyed.
Mrs. Belle Harris Of Emporia sang
one OF her delightful solos; Thad
Hoffman OF Enterprise rendered a
violin solo, and Mrs. j. A. Young
gave a charming solo. Mrs. Frances
Cleveland of Herington favored the
audience with a recitation.
MIR. DEwEY's ADDRESS.
Thomas Emmett Dewey Of this
city had the principal address Of the
evening His subject was Ernest
Seton Thorn son" and most sympa-
thetically did he delineate the char
acter and work Of this great natural
ist and author. He said: Il come
to you with Ernest Seton-Thompson
with heart overlooking with the
Joy Of discovery. | wish that none
Of you had found him that | might
lead you to the light, and yet, ! know
that you who have seen bis star will
rejoice that have come to worship
him. TO analy re the strength Of this
mans work would be a revolution
worth the making, but the secret is
his, not mine, and hence the gulf be-
tween. But this | know, it is not the
literature which gives expression to
ones own best thoughts which is
ever to be desired, but it is the litera.
ture that contributes to ones knowl.
edge, and does it in such form that
we cherish the substance for the sake
Of the form and cherish the form for
its own sake. This magic touch that
transforms the story Of the life Of a
wild animal into that art which Is
called literature is an indefinable
thing. but how easy is the recogni.
ton Of it! We know when we have
found it, even il we know not what
we have found.
"In estimating the literary value Of
this work by comparative standard
1t is natural to turn to Kipling who
has charmed the old and the young
with his Jungle stories, but upon Sec
ond thought, it is not just compar.
ison. In'doing it one must keep clearly
in mind the distinction between lit
eral truth and literary truth-a dis.
tinction that but few Of us compre.
bend, and without which comprehen.
sion no person is able to make an in
telligent estimate Of literary values.
Without it one is quite likely to rank !
Whitcomb Riley above Shelley, or
Ella Wheeler Wilcox above John |
Keats, or +. ?. Roe above Haw.
thorne.
"There is no better place to note and
remember this distinction between
literal and literary truth than in a
comparison Of Kiplings and Seton
Thompson's work. From literary
point Of siew that composition is true
which produces an impression OF
reality; that is false which fails to be
convincing. Literary truth in nara
tive is the same whether the narrative
be historical or fictitious. Its meas.
ure is the effect produced upon the
reader. We must never forget, or
rather, 'ail TO realize, that the per-
'uasiveness Of all art rests upon its
idelity to fundamental conditions Of J
human lie. Therein lies one Of the
distinctions between portrait and a
photograph. The portrait must be
fundamentally true, or IL fails. The
photograph, OF course, is actually
rue. Literary truth Is a matter Of
perception; literal truth, a matter Of
observation. Literary truth is a
natter Of creation; literal truth a
natter OF experience.
sin Kipling's Jungle stories there
no actual truth. They are mere
reations Of his midas much so as
iilton's epics. While we realize that
hey are mere matters Of fancy and
and impossible from a {
standpoint, vet they seem