The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-11-09
w. d. Hozveds u
- on Emile Zola.


Mr.. Howells is at his best, as critic, in his
article on Emile lola in the November number
OF the North American Review Zolas literary
creed was realism, but he failed in his effort
( to make Il his deed. This was because he grew
UP IN the day when the great noveiists and poets
were romanticists, that what he came TO alb
! hor he had FIRST adored. He conceived of reality
POLITICALLY says Mr.. Howells, and he erred in ina
ginning that the affairs of men group themselves
strongly about central interest to which thew
constantly refer The time has gone BY when
Lolas books could be regarded as immoral they
may be indecent, but they are not immoral they
may disgust, but they win not deprave In
deed, while lola was one Of the very greatest
OF artists, even before and beyond that he was
intensely a moralist, as only the moralists of our
true and noble time have been. Mr. Howells
pays an eloquent tribute TO lola for his resolute
and courageous advocacy OF right and Justice
in the Dreyfus case, and he predicts that even
the French government and the French army
will join In making reparation for the outrages
inflicted upon him during that period OF National
hysteria Says Mr. Howells
To me his literary history is very pathetic
He was bred II not born in the worship Of the
romantic, but his native faith was not proof
against his reason as again his reason was not
proof against his native faith He preached a
crusade against romanticism, and fought long
night with IL, only TO realize at last that he was
himself too romanticstic to succeed against it,
and heroeally to own his defeat The hosts Of
romanticism swarmed back over him and his fol-
lowers, and prevailed see them still pre-
vailing. Ii was the error OF inc realists whom
lola led, to suppose that people like truth in
fiction better than falsehood they do not they
like fasehood best and II lola had not been at
heart romantcst, he never would have cher
ished his long delusion, he never could have de-
eeived with his vain hopes those whom he per-
suaded TO be realistic, as he himself did not
succeed in being
He wished to be a sort of historiographer
writing the annals of family, and painting
a period but he was a poet, doing far more than
this and contributing 10 creative literature as
great works of fiction have been written in
the epic form, He was paradox on every side
but one ard that the human side, which he
would himself have held far worthier than the
literary side On the human side, the civic side,
he was what he wished 10 be, and not what any
perversity OF his elements made him He heard
one of those calls TO supreme duty which from
time TO time select one man and not another for
the response which they require and he to
that duty with grandeur which had all the sim
pcity possible to a of French civilization
The Literary Digest for November contains
among other timely articles, symposums upon the
following subjects The Negro as Skilled
Workman Cuban Reluctance to Ratify the
Treaty Incorporation Of Labor Union Fate OF
the Non y mon Miners, ONO s New MuniCipai
Code; The Chances of the French Ministry; An
other Key TO the Mediterranean; The Revolt in
Macedonia The Deadlock in the German Reich
stag The Coming Musical Season The Immoral
Side of a Moral Poet Victor Hugo The First
Of American Scuptors q Q. A. Ward) The Cen
esis Of Gilbert and Sullivans Patience; Eleonora
Buses Return to America Literary France and
the Roman Catholic Church Rise OF Religious
Liberty in America John Kensit and His Agita-
ton Denominatioual Unity in Canada; Astrono-
my from Balloon The Babyonians as Mathe-
matoians; American Railways as Seen by
Briton; Alcoholism by Breathing International
Regulation of Wireless Telegraphyi Notable
Books of the Day
= =
Among other notable features the November
Criterion presents Com John Paul Jones,
hitherto unpublished article on Com. John Paul
Jones by the late Admiral Porter It is the
famous admiras last article, and doubly inter
esting as being the record of one OF the three
greatest American sailors set down by another
Of the trio. In Zola: Some Personal Traits,
Stephen MacKenna gives some very timely and
peculiarly interesting, personal memories of the
famous French novelist and champion Of justice
The Opera of the South, by Katherine Metoalf
Roof. is an especially pertinent discussion of the
Southern opcra-makers, including a thoughtful
criticism of Mascagni, now in America