New-York tribune., 1902-05-08

FASHIONS 7T9 N LWITERAaTTRE LIT SaT ~ AND oTHEB 5EB
| ~ Ghari5 m PPdey Warner rtay6 I6
pp. Ky, $50. Dodd. Mead Co
The late Charles Dudley Warner was a candid
observer who could. upon occasion, speak in
very foroible terms: but who looked upon life,
as 2 rule with a kindly eve and communicated
tone Of genianty 10 his most characteristic writ
ings- Some Of his fugitive compositions are
brought together in tha volume for which Mr..
Mabie writes a pleasant introduction They
treat Of varied topics from fashions in Htera-
ture to the pursuit of happiness. IN all of them
the thought is clear and often suggestive, and
gentle humcr plays through more than one of
these pages The titUlar essay disclOses appre-
ciauon Of the changes that occur in the sphere
OF letters as phenomena natural and not be
too greatly feared. the enduring laws of good
art inevitably reafirring themselves at the
right moment and clearing the air Mr.. Warner
did not take the yagaries of the moment too
seriously. When a fashion in literature has
passed he says we are surprised that il
should have ever seemed worth the trouble Of
studying initiating" and We infer that he did
not worry when some idol seemed temporarily
IN possession of the field. He knew that the
fashion would disappear. Part Of the essay is
devoted TO consideration of that old question:
How are we TO judge contemporary literature?
''There is nothing Of beauty he declares. that
does not conform to q law of order and beauty
and he proceeds TO elaborate this proposition.
pointing out certain qualities common to all the
masterpieces OF literature. It viii be seen that
ne was on the side of the conservative critics
Of all ages:
First of all I should name simplicity, which
includes lucidity of expression, the clear
thought in fitting. luminous words. And this
Sc true when the thought is profound and the
ifG
IS strikingly exhibited for US in JoWetts trans
lation Of Plato-which is as modern in feeling
and phrase as anything done in >Boston-ln the
naif and direct Herodotus and. above All IN
the King James vernacUlar translation OF the
Bible, which is the great textbook of all modern
literature.
The second quality is knowledge Of human
nature. We can put up with the improbable IN
vention, because the improbable is always nap
pening in life, but cannot tolerate the So
called psychological juggling with. the human
mind the DerVeTsiOn Of the laws OF the nnlnu'
the forcing of character to fit the eccentricities
of plot. Whatever excursions the writer makes
in fancy, we require fundamental consistency
with human nature And this is the reason
why psychological studies or the aphoTHlaI OF
biographies of criminal lunatics are only IN
teresting 10 pathologists and never become clas-
sics in literature.
is what call charm. matter more or less
OF style and which may be defined as the agree
able personality of the writer. This IS indis-
pensable II is this personality which gives the
final value every work of art as well as OF
literature.
There is nothing novel about these words
and, indeed the book a whole has nothing
very new to tell But it is worth reading
for the sake of the good sense which character
ICES it on every page. It contains remarks on
the authors countrymen and their ways; on our
newspapers. and upon some Of our problems,
like the education of the negro and the disposi-
ton of the criminal class. The author looks his
+1,a f-c and is
but he is always temperate and sympathetic
Quietly suggestive is this little book OF waits
and strays, unimportant but readable and
pleasant to have as one more souvenir Of an
accomplished American commentator liter
azure and on public affairs