The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-13

tions. which present problems and difficult
ties extremely delicate, frequently leading,
II inadeqrately treated. to absurdity- More
than one famous man in the past has held
himself up 10 public laughter and con-
tempt by the publication of n volume or
Action Even Disraeli, who had remarkable
imaginative gifts, and who ~perseVered III
the writing of novels and won a recog-
niZed place among the leading noVeiSts
OF his time, saw his stories treated with
derisiOn. In the case of Lord ROSebery,
literary as well as political prestige might
be injured by the publication OF a novel,
for 10y his Napoleon: the Last Phase,
the English statesman has shown himself
10 be one Of the keenest students Of his
tory and OF character, as well as one or the
most vigorous writers Of English known
to literature during the past fifty years.
1t is noteworthy that among nearly all
men who have attained intellectual dis
tinction may be discovered a desire TO do
imaginative work, which usually means, TO
write a novel. And yet the novel Is a FORM
of achievement apparently without excep-
tional attractions. To most serious-minded
people the writing of a volume of history
seems far more important. Besides, at
the present time, at any rate, so many
inferior talents are engaged in writing hc-
ton that the art has fallen into even great,
er contempt. It should be remembered
that, in the popular mind, fiction has al
ways been the most despised of all the
forms Of literary achievement. Every novel
list has felt the contempt; and occasionally
a novelist has publicly resented it; as Jane
Austin did. Nevertheless, novels retain
their hold on the popular affections and at
tract the great mass of writer's Their
relation to the public is very like the re-
lation Of the stage to those ~playgoers who
love the theater and look with Scorn upon
actors. 1t would seem as If the arts that
give the greatest pleasure to mankind are
those which mankind takes as the least
worthy.
On the other hand, 1t is natural that the
novel form should attract those writers
who have had success in other fields, for
IL offers by far the widest scope and the
largest audience. The historian, scientist,
the specialist of any kind suffers from the
consciousness that he is able to appeal only
TO the prepared minds, the special audience.
In the novel, on the other hand, the writer
may range over the whole extent of human
life and appeal to the great public. More
over, he has the rare satisfaction OF feeling
that he is not merely recording facts and
making deductions. but that he is creating
something.
And yet the very fact that the novel is
a creation must give pause to men like
Lord Rosebery. For, where human skill is
concerned, the creation is also a revela-
ton. No writer can offer the public a novel
without revealing directly or indirectly
what may be described as his emotional
attitude. Not only may this attitude seem
ridiculous in the eyes of the world, but it
is almost certain. in the case of a serious
man, to be considered more or less absurd.
The English-sDeaking public as a whole
has not accepted the NOVELIST as a serious
worker. The mere revelation that he con-
Germs himself with feeling rather than with
practical achievement belittles him. And
when, after undertaking this inferior task,
he fails, his position becomes somewhat
pitiful.