Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-06-14

g MateriaIism's War Upon Literd
2 ture.
The dominant characteristics of a
age are reflected as in mirror in tn
educational practices of the period. l
a materialistic age it is not surprisin
to find evidences that the concrete
OveremphasiZed in the intellectual
training of the young; neither is j
gratifying to contemplate what th
ultimate results will be to the genera
ton at present in training. Certain
it is that much havoc is being wrOugh
in the domain of literature by the pre-
vaiIing practice of holding master
piece in the grasp of the senses, there
by shutting out ITS high significance
which is many times wholly spiritual
1t is no longer fashionable to merely
read great poem. Modern psychology
demands excessive imaging, and a
large area in which the motor activi
ties NAV manifest themselves. Litera
ture is seized as the legitimate prey of
both these demands because it innocent
ly offers more extensive field for their
cultivation than any other human
product. What is the result ? A few
illustrations will suffice. Take the
| Arthurian legend. Being legend it
embodies mucn that is wholly fanciful,
far beyond the reach of the physical
senses. The greatest interpreter of
the glories of the court of Arthur is
unquestionably Tennyson. What was
| Tennyson's attitude toward his sub.
ject? He designedly failed to locate
| Camelot because it was to him a city
of the spirit; or, to let him speak for
himself, ''many-towered Camelot" was
''city of shadowy palaces:''
THE city is built
To music, therefore never built at all,
And therefore built forever"
Is it possible to represent these
"shadowy palaces" in wood and clay
without shattering the fair city of the
Imagination And yet the castle in
miniature has been freely and crudely
constructed by pupils. showing dull
gray wooden, ''of the earth earthy."-
Perhaps modern SOCIOLOGY is not sole
ly responsible for this false step. 1t is
possible that it originated in the
thought that TennysOn during his
boyhood delighted in enacting the
senses from the legends of Arthur,
freely representing them In the mate
rials found i'll the playground. But
are the two processes analogous p
With poet It's Imagination Tennyson
saturated his thought with the deeds
of the heroic knights until his delight
naturally found expression in play
Here the initial desire for tangible ex-
preston came from within. Tenny-
sons imagination was fired by bis play.
Today the boys imagination is fetter-
ed by his superimposed play in the
form of free construction of the castle.
Similarly ,.the attempt to reduce Pris
cilla's home IN "Miles Standish" to
twentieth century wood must prove
unsatisfactory. The reason is diane
trically opposite from that just given
in connection with Camelot. The
very commonplaceness of Priscilla g
home had idealized like common things
in the minds of the young people who
depended TO, their concept upon Long
fellow alone. When that home ap-
pears in a miniature of matter the
fers, but the reader suffers most. The
same objection can be raised TO stere-
opticon pictures of "Evange. inc. -
The idealizatlon disappears, and the
beholder feels that the lecturer has
robbed him of great art treasure
his former faultless pictures OF q
charming poem.
Perhaps the excessive desire to re-
produce in material formgthe creations
of the poets is not to be traced to the
psychologists exclusively, for people
| in general find satisfaction in viewing
10 some tangible form buildings or
scenes in countries beyond their pres
ent reach. While at Cambridge Uni
versity, we found great delight in GO
| ing into the Fitzwilliam Museum to
view the Tai Mahal, large. exquisite
reproduction in ivory of the most
beautiful building in the world. A
few moments reflection, however
shows the difference between artistic
miniatures or pictures of actual con-
ditioDs, and clumsy representations de
signed to portray the world of fancy
Literature is further materialized by
much dramatiZation. No one will queS
tion the wisdom of enacting the scenes
from classic, provided the impulse
lcomes from within the reader as a re-
lsult of bis having imbued the spirit o1
the selection. But in the perfunctOry
rehearsal of events by young children
under the direction of an instructor
the entire incentive coming from ex
ternal suggestion, lies little of rea
value in literary Interpretation. Th'
classic beauty Of Greek myth is there
by dissipated, vulgarized, for the chill
of poetic temperament. And yet thi
practice of dramatiZation extends thru