New-York tribune., 1908-01-05
Gbr Nem;Dork 0ribunes
SUNDAY, JANUARY D, 1905.

In the course of an amusing essay on Writ
ING" which he has contributed to "Harpers,
Mr. T. s Martin shows just the right feeling
for the art which he practises with so mncn
cleverness In one passage especially ne treats
tf phase of the subject which IS not, perhaps
as well understood as it ought 10 De Dy many
Young authors. The latter very often start IN
life with an unimpeachabe set of principles and
with quite an heroic determination to follow the
highest ideals of truth and beauty, but some
thing is missing from their work the precious
quality of gusto. Speaking of some OF the re-
wards of authorship, Mr.. Martin adds, "And
besides all that writing is interesting work.
Writing is exceedingly pleasant if you
can make it go well enough. 1t is the practice
of an art and to practise an art with skill IS
delightful. To do good piece Of work
satisfies a certain hunger of the mind. or
course the young author will tell you that he
rejoces in his work. that he expects you to take
that for granted yet this is not by any means
the idea to be gathered from the average mod
ern page Seldom indeed does an author let
himself 60 and communicate to the reader q
sense of freedom. energy and buoyant interest
in the matter in hand. The effect is rather one
of intense solictude for details of craftsman
ship The result is often very clever writing,
but not the kind of writing which spells vital
Ity and a sense of delight in the mind of the
author Is it that the author is too often pre-
occupied with theories Of style-and the hope
Of tangible reward?
The English Journals continue to print rather
nlaintiye observations on the decision of the
committee which gave the Nobel prize for litera-
ture to Mr. Kipling. Some critics, ike the one
quoted in The Tribune last Sunday, are espe-
ciallv struck by the irony of the incident. Mr.
~
rewarded as one having produced 1.-The most re-
n,arl,abIe literary work of an idealst tendency.
But what more particularly disturbs the COM
mentator is not so much the committees mSap-
urehpnSiOn of the author chosen Ito whom, IN
deed no one seems really to grudge the prlze)
rs its strange indifference to the claims OF the
three veterans in English letters, MIR. Meredlth
Mr. Swinburne and Mr.. Hardy. 1t is said that
90 per cent of the Englishmen called upon TO
take part in the prize giving voted In favor OF
Mr. Swinburne The action of their Continental
colleagues in ignoring their view OF the matter
has bewildered more than one English observer.
1t is no doubt. little puzzling but on the other
hand, it is always interesting and even helpful
for the countrymen of distinguished writer TO
b, brought face to face with foreign opinion of
him. After ALL may not this episode serve to
remind the blind adorerS of Mr. Swlnbllrne-
who have got into the habit of calling him the
greatest living poet, and, by an easy transition,
have come to think of him as one of the greatest
poets in history-that he is not, when all IS
said absolutely impeccable? No one with any
sense of literature could fail to perceive the
genius in Mr.. Meredith's novels, but because his
cmIntrymen can forgive him his eccentrlcltles OF
style are we to expect foreigner to forget those
same defects? 1t ought not to be so very dlffi-
cult to understand why the Nobel committee dld
net share the Swinburnian fervor of its British
advisers.
! In the opinion of The Dai' the disposition
Of the American novelist to turn muck raker has
had two unfortunate consequences. Ihe notion
Dut forth by our latter11ay school Of exposure IN
the first place presents as a whole picture OF
our national life that is absolutely untypicai
however exactly an occasional instance may
eyemplify it, Furthermore, we are told. the
noyelists who thus lend themselves to sensa-
tionalism are deliberately putting themselves
into alliance with the yellow journalism which is
our chief national disgrace" To both these
charges it might be retorted that the muck rak-
ing novelist has nevertheless been doing in his
way. some good but the point on which we pre-
fer to dwell is the harm done by this type of