The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-04-03

Later Day Tendencies in Victorian
IAterature"-was the theme OF scholar
ly and polished literary address given by
Rev. Cornelius Clifford OF Elmhurst
academy, before tho Rhode Island Cath
Ollie woman's club. in La Sale Academy.
last evening. Father Clifford was grace
fully presented by the president OF the
club, Miss Clara Craig. and introduced
his subject by dwelling briefly In the Eliz-
abethian period OF literature and that
magnificent group OF prose writers OF
that epoch, by which, he said. the age OF
Queen Anne pales in comparison.
Continuing, the speaker dwelt at length
upon the period OF Victorian literature.
from 1850 to the present
He called attention first to the extraor-
dinary output OF literary energy coinci-
dent with the frst part OF Victoria's
reign, an age which produced Tennyson.
Ruskin. Browning and others. He then
referred to the latter part of Victorfas =
reign characterizing II as an age OF de-
cline In literature, period OF decay.
Most OF the great masters OF literature.
he said. are either dead or passed into
oblivion and from 1880 down 70 the death
Of Queen Victoria what do we find. In
poetry, in prose, in historic writing? Car
dinal Newman is still with us to be sure,
but ne writes but few things ohm Rus
kin is also still with us. but what does
ne do I'm his latest work but to pull down
what ne has written for 10 years There
Is one man who is still with us. I'm this
period who is A growing force. Matthew
Arnold, but he Is critic and not Gre
ator now. What masters OF prose have
we then
We hayes stevenson, Walter Pater
Froude Thomas Hardy and George Mere
dith, perhaps. but they arc men VINO hVe
after the great men have passed away.
Tennyson and Browning pass away In
the nineties, Matthew Arnold also passes
away so we may say we have remaining
an age of minor poetry.
Continuing Father clifford took UP his
torsc writing
Have we, In this age" ne said. ANY
historical writers who interest us rs Nc
cauley does2 Have -Ue-anY- Historian
like Macauley7
"If you study the literature OF the past
% years what tendencies do you find.
first, IL shows all the symptoms OF fat
que or. in other words. the age wearicS
OF original work and falls back on imi-
tation and criticism. revealing parallel
with the Alexandrian age OF Greek ltera-
ture.
"A second sign OF decay f. that OF ped
antry. Real peiantry discourSges, real
pedantry kills, all originality.
"A third note OF decay In the literature
or this period is that poetry ceases as n
serious pastime, TO be written. and prosr
becomes the medium OF the Imagination
IL Is the age OF the novel. Il is also the
era Of the tenth rate novel. never were
such poor novels written.
Take for instance a chapter out Of
George Elliot and contrast ~ with n
chapssr out OF Mrs Humphrey Ward /.
there r. all the difference in the world.
between gold and metal Take a page
out of Thackeray and compare. n with
page out OF Robert Louis Stevenson.
''Ths best noveliEts of today write Sec
ond rate and yet 80 Is tho age OF enor-
nous publications, but that fact doesn't
mean much for We must remember that
Milton sold his manuscript OF Paradise
Lost for Ave pounds"
In closing Father clifford gave as ex.
amples Of the best fiction OF today IN,
works of Thomas Hardy. George Mere.
dith, Robert Louis Stevenson. ana Mrs
Craige C'John Oliver Hobbe'D
lie also read selections from Stevenson
Newman, Walter Potter and others I,