The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-16

ture, and story in which all those
concerned were as virtuous as the an
gels, would be as untrue to life as IL
the characters were all moral Iepefs.
The book that eXalts immortality or ex-
cuses it, is the book to be avoided, and
not those in which it is mentioned.
John Burrougs in his late work enti-
tied Literary Values" makes this
matter plain. He says: 'To suppress
or to ignore the world of vice and sin
is not to be moral; to portray 1T is not
to be immoral. But to gloat over it, to
dwell fondly upon it, to return to 1t, to
exaggerate it, to roll it under the
tongue as sweet morsel-that is to
be immoral; and to treat it as time
and nature do or as the great artists
do, as affording contrasts and diff
culties, and disturbing, but not de-
stroying the balance of life, is within
the scope of the moral Art must make
us free of the whole; every work must
in measure reflect the whole of life;
If it dwell too much on that part called
sin and evil it is false to its ideal: it
must keep the balance; it must be true
to the integrity of nature. All things
are permissible in their time and
place. That thing is real or true is
no reason why it should go into the
artists picture; but that it belongs
there, that it is organic there, a part of,
a vital whole, and that that whole is
fair representation of human life-in
this is the justification. lately
read a novel by one of our most prom
Using young noVelists, in which there
was streak of vulgar realism, forced
in, evidently, under the pressure of
theory,-the theory that art is never to
Shirk from the true. 1t offended be-
cause it was entirely gratuitous; there
was no necessity for it.
Dante made hell fascinating by his
Z, - -
immoral books of recent times is 1.-The
Reflections of Ambrosine," for the very
reasons given by Mr.. Burroughs. The
immortality Of the characters is SO I'M
necessary and they are made so at
tractiVe withal, that one does not get
the idea of horror of sin which in a
moral book always accompanies the
mention of vice. But this modern soci-
ETY. woman has given us a picture of
society in England without one redeem
ing feature, even the one woman
whom Ambrosine considered her only
righteous friend turned out to be as
black as any of them. The book really
makes light of these lapses from the
path of virtue, and the whole tone
seems to teach that if one is refined,
ones manners good, and knowledge of
worldly ways thoroughly up to date,
that morals are of minor consideration.
1t is the eXalting of vice and not the
mentioning of it that constitutes i'm
morality in fiction.
Asserts He Has Done Poetry.
Iii s interesting to learn from the pub
lie prints that Alfred Austin says here
after he is going to confine himself to-
prose. 1t is we'll to note the use of
the word hereafter, as conveying the
idea that Alfred considers heretofore
he has done something else, so it must
be after all that he has regarded him.
self as a poet One wonders what his
prose efforts will be like, and what eff
feet this statement will have upon his
position of official poet of his majesty.
From what we know of the king and
his practical way of looking at things,
1t does not seem that a poet less here
and there will be greatly missed, if in
deed the loss of a poet laureate who
makes bad verses every time the king
crosses the street will not be q psi
tive relief Poet laureates, like many
another serio- thing, went out of
style hundreds of years ago, and their
only practical value at the present time
is in making good copy for the comic
papers. In this direction Alfred will
be missed, though his prose may turn
out to be as valuable for these base
uses" as his alleged poety.
They're Laying For" Beerbohm.
oh, that mine enemy would write
a book! is now at times the pleasant
realization of unbiblical times. Max
Beerbohm, the English dramatic critic,
is said to be writing a book He is the
new president of the London Playgoers'
club, and his fellow craftsmen, who at
some time or other have suffered from
him, are sharpening their pencils ami
they intend to let him how how it is
himself The joy of this is very hu-
man, and easily understandable to
those who have been in q position to
be marred or made by critics, who with
the scratch of a pen make a career or
ruin it forever.
Of Krueer's Book.
One of the strangest things in the
world is two opposing accounts of the
same incident or event. This thought
comes to mind while reading Paul
Kruger's Memoirs. The book is a
straightforward account of his peoDIe
from the time of the great trek down
TO the present, including interesting
personal "reminiscences. On the whole,
the book is not as bitter against the
English as one would expect to find it.
but the thought referred to in the
opening sentences of this paragraph
comes with great force to anyone who
mas read much of the war from an
English standpoint. He gives the lie
dlrect to all the various histories of
the struggle written by English SYM
pathizers, and after reading the plain
statements of this old Dutchman, and
what his country and its rights meant
TO him, all those who were in the least
pro-Boer in their leanings have the
feeling intensified. He does not claim
that what his people did was always
right and that in some instances their
methods might not have been i'm.
proved, but he dwells strongly on the
fact that 1t was their country and no
stronger nation has the right to over
power weaker one just because the
stronger one thinks it could manage
affairs better. Kruger goes straight 70
the point; he says it was not a matter
of the grievances of the Outlanders.
nor of suffrag e-it was simpiv that
there was much gold there that the
English wanted. and any excuse would
do to get 1t. He pays his respects to
Lord Miner, to Mr.. Chamberlain, to
CeclI Rhodes, and does not soften his
tone because the latter is dead 1t is
only at the close of the book when he
records the failure of the Beers long
struggle, that one is surprised to find
MN so temperate in his language. so
resigned, apparently, to their hard fate
But he is old and worn out; the long
strife has told upon him. and the death
of his wife took the little remainine.
courage he had. Here is a little of
what he says of Rhodes: "Ceci1
Rhodes is the man who bore -bv far the
most prominent part in the disaster
that struck the country In spite Of
the high eulogiums passed unon him
py ms fr1endS he was one of the most
uncrupulous characters that have ever
existed. This man was the
curse of South Africa. :
Rhodes was capital incarnate. No
matter how base, no matter how con-
temptlble' be 1t lying, bribery or