The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-07-20
n~T~~ks 4 CT 49,, =
~ss@S 1880 xtS,15lS~T
M. M. MURDOCH, Editor.
QUEER STATEMENT OF Mr.. TRIees.

QUEER STATEMENT OF Mr.. TRIGGs.
The sensational Oscar l. Triggs professor of English
Literature in the Chicago University is before the public
again His last public appearance was when he made the
statement that John Rockefeller is greater man than
the late William Shakespeare This time he makes the
broad assertion that the hymns in the Protestant
churches the kind of doggereI and that dime
Ooves literature compared Sunday books
BE makes the assertion that only one church hymn is
entitled consideration literary standpoint and
that is Cardinal Newman's Lead, Kindly Light"
The statement Of Prof. Griggs was brough out by a
ember Of his class asking him whether orthodox people
could read Walt Whitman. to which he replied:
q take it for granted that there not member Of
this class who does not hold heterodox views. you
did you here since the study Of literature
has no place study Of an orthodox person You
can find little poetry unorthodox OF course
there is vast deal of songs and hymns no poetry
The great bulk hymns is mere doggerel pure
and simple
The reason of this is that the dOgmas of theology
do not inspire poetry and the hymns written
most part by theoogians purpose helping out
the preacher-for giving assistance in emphasizing certain
dogmas and tenets.
an the same connection can be mentioned the Sunday
school books The dime novel is preferable to the average
Sunday school story because the dime novel may be
come literature as in the case of Robert Louis steYenson
works, while the Sunday school book never can hope
to be-
Orthodox people can hardly find any satisfaction in
literature because they must constantly with
Numerically opposed their fact orthodox
people are pretty bad plight They represen
tiyes IN the literary world"
There nothing the statements of Prof Triggs to
any orthodox person, they are true-at
least not all Of them. He may call church hymns dog
gere millions Of people viii still continue believe
that Nearer Ny God Thee" has equals in capacity
to give delight to the human soul
It would be idle because it would be impossible to
enumerate or at least to recall the many church hymns
that superbly poetic-poetc because their enthus
stirs the emotions charms soothe the sor-
of that invisible and incomprehensible mys
terry which men call the soul The best evidence Of the
hymns found fact that they have
played wonderful part moldng the character Of what
Prof Trggs admit the greatest race in the human
family
When Prof Triggs that the orthodox people are
bad plight because they have no representatives
literary world can hardly be taken seriously by
The millions of Engishspeaing people who have read
the Pilgrims Progress the Vicar Of Wakefield and the
hundreds Of other books which hold places in the
vast world Of English literature might said not with
absolute u1h perhaps, but with than con
tanned in the statements Of Prof Tggs the hetero
dox PEOPLE in bad plight because they have NJ rep
resenatiye in the literary world; certainly all viii
that bat few great works have published since
the beginning Of the Christian that less orthodox
than heterOdox This is manifesty the the English
literature OF which Mr.. Triggs is a professor.
The man who has said that John D. Rockefeller, the
oil king is greater than William Shakespeare
cannot reasonably much respect opinion on
any subject-nOt upon subject that he is pro
lessor Of
Prof Triggs' statement may give him nOtoriety but
It VIII bring him fame nor viii it add any to the
reputation of the Chicago University.