New-York tribune., 1905-08-06
Ibe Netu'Work gribmeaes
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 1905.

sion to refer to the publication in ''The Allan
tic" of his lecture on BalZac, and now com
ment is invited on his lecture concerning 1.-THE
Question of Our Speech" by its appearance in
the current number Of "Appleton's Booklovers
Magazine" There is a certain incongruity in
the delivery of homiy of English
by writer who In his way is as much user
of dialect as the author of "Wee MGreegOr";
and one cannot help smiling as Mr.. James I'M
folds his argument in sentences so sinuously
complicated to make one sigh for more di-
rect and robust terms But the argument is all
pure gold. Our vocal habits as nation says
Mr.. James. are of a vast, monotonous fiatness
and crudity," and, though believe he exag-
SerateS our SINS there is ground enough, in all
conscience, for his criticism. AS he we'll re-
marks, "the way say thing, or fail to say
it. fail to learn to say it, has Importance in
life that it is impossible to overstate' and with
no less good sense he points out that 'yOu don't
speak soundly and agreeably, you don't speak
neatly and consistently, unless you kno0 how
you speak-how you may, how you should, how
you shall speak; unless you have Disseminated
unless you have noticed differences and suffered
from violations and vugarities" In short Mr. |
James lays Stress upon the necessity for taking
thought in the matter of our speech as we take
thought in the matters of cleanliness, demeanor,
dress, and all else that goes to make up good
breeding. He has every reason for speaking
the subject and he speaks to the point
The editor of the London Spectator sets
down some wise words in reference to the
which recently ended in giving damages
to the author Of q book severely criticised in
Punch" He prints, willingly enough, the let
ters of several correspondents who approve the
verdict, but remains unconverted to the opinion
of the court, and says:
The evidences Of malice adduced seem to us
quite inadequate. Nothing is easier than TO
allege malice when q criticism is unfavorable. |
We all of us, whether in politics. art or litera-
ture. inclined to think that unfavorable |
judgment is prompted by personal feeling. Who
has not soothed the wounded feelings of himself
of a friend by saying: mo doubt he had
grudge against you,' though calmer reflection
has shown that such personal animuS could
have existed? Into the merits of the particular
incident we absolutely refuse to enter 1t is
not for us to retry the case. All we contend is
that if it is to be a precedent, book reviews
will tend to become either colorless or lauda-
tory.
The Americans who have read the article in
question (by Mr. III. w. Lucy are inclined to
agree with the editor of "The Spectator" We
sympathze with the feelings of an author
whose book has been severely slated OF
course, it isn't pleasant to have a work upon
which you have laviShed the best that is in
you exposed as quite unsatisfactory. But we
have some feelings of our own. What of the
STANDARDS or literature! Wnat or the edlflca-
ton and the protection of the public? Some
times it is necessary, in order that the right
may prevail, to pitch into" book with all
the energy that one possesses.
Another posthumOuS volume of Barley d'Au-
rey.ilys has just been published under the title
of ''R0manciers d'hier ct d'ayant hier" The
Paris correspondent of 'The Author" praises
the essay Balzac which it contains, an essay
tracing the secret of his power to his abun-
dance of "naTVcte ct bonhomie," but we have
read with special interest a quotation from
what he has to say of "ManOn LeScaut." 1t
seems that he regrets that ia ManOn de Table
Provost pOndu les autres ManOnS don't regorge
n literature actuele ellie produit les
Dame aux Camelias, les BOvary,' les Fanny
ct ,OuteS SincereS qui suivent tranQuillement
leur instinct CONNIE ane qui trotte suit le
Sien. The ironically italicized word in this
passage has a world of meaning for any one
who has attentiyely observed the cOntortons of
certain type of realist in the fiction of the
last twenty five years He is nothing if not
''s.acere." His good faith is the virtue of
with he is prOudest, and so convinced is he
that there is something sacrosanct about it.