Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-15

Nacaulay. at the height of his political
success declared that ne couid not
two paths OF politics and literature were
open could deliberately choose the noisy
arena OF politics. Such choice seemed
little less than madness 10 the uistii
suished writer, whose political life would
long since have been forgotten, mad ne
not been also the most brilliant essaylst
and historian of his age. Cicero would
have been a far better, happier and ions
sr-liyed man had he made fewer pollti-
cal speeches and written more academic
questions and tuScHlum discourses Glao-
stone would be surer OF lasting fane
had he not deserted the student desk
for the house of commons. Far happier
and more famous even than he IS Woulu
Addison have been had he written more
Spectators, and aspired less 10 pohtlcai
honors And have We not among US To-
dav men who have been seduced from the
tranquil path OF literature to rush mo
the political arena? Have We not among
from the shrine of Minerva to worship
Mammon? Men who have exchanged the
book OF wisdom for the cash book--rnen
who read nothing but the money arncle-
men whose only thought is TO add more
TO what they have without thinking OF
enjoying their useless wealth?
Look calmly around, and say, If you
dare, what this age and country wants
Does it want more money makers-more
practical men? No. We are absolutely
| rushing to destruction, led by the most
| dangerous OF all lttuclSs pa iNtIAeii
Our greatest want is what are called
| Impractical men. We want more
poets, and fewer millionaires. We want
| more philosophers. and fewer phllah-
thropists" This is said in all serious
! ness not in the testing spirit OF the &c
centric English writer who declared that
the masterialistic spirit in America made
| possible the realistic noVel-that our lock
| of Imagination was shown by the fact
| that we adopted as our national nero a
man who was SO devoid OF invention that
he could not tell a lie.
| This is an age of great, OF immense, OF
| extraordinary literary production. More
books are now published than ever be
| fore in the history Of the world. Ed
tons are multplied 70 an extent never
before known. or dreamed Of. This is
| especially the case IN the United states,
where edition after edition of a popular
| book is necessary to meet the demand
until quarter Of a million copies is not
| q dream, but a reality; not only posi-
bility. but an absolute fact. II would not
| be wise. or prudent TO say these popu-
| lar books will live, when We, recall So
many popular books OF not many years
ago, which are forgotten These books
certainly pay their authors and-thei.'
publishers-pay more. thousand times
| Poe received only so for The Raven, :"
Mr. Paul Leicester Ford received $50 60s
! for Janice Meredith Milton received
only IS for Paradise Lost" Mr.. Winston
Churchill received $1,000 for Richard
Carvil," Mr.. Julian Hawthorne receives
more money for one of his novels, which
lives but a day. than his father received
for The Scarlet Letter which will live
| perhaps, until time shall be no more.
The heirs of Edward Noyes Wescott re-
ceived more for David Harum than
| Shelley received for all the poems he
ever wrote-yet. no one would venture 10
say that the novel will outlive 'Adonais, "
| ''Alastor." Queen Nab" 'Prometheus
| Unbound and other immortal works OF
the poet
| knowledge comes, but wisdom fingers,
| says the poet OF our time. This is an age
Of over-education. and under culture. In
a vain endeavor to grasp at universal
\ education We neglect the essentials. In
| trying 10 know all We learn little. There
are too many colleges, too few scholars /;
too many teachers. too few who are
taught. The dominating spirit of the age
is the spirit of universal dominion, uni
| versaI wealth and universal educa ton
| This is not the spirit that creates genius.
| CT inspires genius to do immortal work
1t is not the spirit that inspired Shakes
peare or Milton, or Dante, or Shelley, or
any of ;he bards sublime.
| Time alone decides what books shall
| live. and form a part of the literature OF
the world. Until time has passed upon a
book, no man can pronounce il immortal
1.-The Hobby.