New-York tribune., 1908-02-23
Gbe Aem.2Dork gribn'as
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY %, 19oo.

absence of ten years. and has made ofelulu
discovery apollo no longer haunts the hatin
Quarter The ctndcles are dumb anu Joui n'
ism takes what was meant lor htei
Things have changed to such an extent tl''' .,1
Paris of ten years since seems oeioie ~.
flood" A dull uniformity has fahen upon 'nI |
city of light and this observer looks sauy p"'
to the old days which he thus descrlDeS'
Until lately Paris might justly claim to be
+ba home of lost or losing causes. Her yTuui,SS
writer's were ready to attack any cltaaei ,rhev
ni thn Ileenest pride to be in. if they did NOT
head the movement They pald d 10y al ,!Sha 20
10 the prince of poets. whether it was StepnfIo m
.1unr1h v or Paui Verlaine. They thought 1t no
shame to fight under the banner OF oyialpo,l oyyIoa
or Decadence. They proclaimed trIeI a c6,irase
Their very extravagances proved their sihceIi.S i
Nothing in the worlds experience s tbnir creams
portant that they should reall|e '
of artistic perfection.
Thu Youths have grown up and while they
stand by their early principles tnere Is no e
viyal of that first excitement WHICH was "
amusing to every one concerned " hat 10 "oi Sc
Tho now generation does not bring forward VIII
ers of the sort necessary to announcer cdifdisn
of Individuality and rebellion. The chahge Is
no doubt pathetic, but it was Ine'llaoie,
was long ago pointed out in this place lna' .ns
Docadants of Paris were running a grave FISK
in CARRYING organization too far. EplsooeS Hhe
the founding Of the Goncourt Academy were
certain 70 exercise q SOLDERING influence ahu "
fake some of the fire out Of the very men sup
nosed to be benefited. 1t is all very "eii iof
the revolutionary poet or romancer 10 clahlOl
for recognition" but when he is sought OUT anu
awarded q prize has periodicals and publlshers |
of his own and has respectability thrust upon
him if IS odds that his ardor will cool You
cannot run a revolution comfortable bank
account.
In hook of ESSAYS on Modernism and Ro-
nance" a new writer, Mr.. r A. Scott-JameSs
compIains that "the great evil of our age Is
fiat we are constantly and terribly aware OF
OWL" We take our burdens very seriously ana
scores of writer's who might give US rest and
relief only transfer to their books the atmos-
rharp of stress in which live. But there IS
romance left in our modern life and there be
thousands Of readers to whom the ro1nantc
author may appeal in perfect confidence lhat
his dreams will be received with sympathy
Statistics in matters Of literature are OF small
value yet it might repay some one to BRING
few figures to this ever recurring discussion OF
what mankind reads. We believe that the dog
matists would be astOnished If they were toio
inst what the bulk is OF the literature circu-
lated every year that addresses itself to the
romantic instinct. 1t includes. of course, not
only fiction but history and biography. one
source of confusion in this old inquiry Is the
diSnoSition of the critic to assume that people
read at a given time, only one kind of book,
the kind that is romantic or the kind that Is
not There never was more eclectic age than
ours Science and romance are supposed TO De
at dacgers drawn but the average reader may
b., trusted to interest himself in both.
The eightieth anniversary OF Mr. Meredlth
birth has supplied the occasion for many dis
orsitiOns on his work. Some Of these have
been absurdly wanting in discrimination, but
here and there enthusiasm has warmed the
writer without binding him to the things IN
the novels which criticism must deplore. 1t Is
one of the few judicious commentators, Mr. U.
ri. Trevelyan, who in laying stress upon the
true source of Mr.. Meredth's power, points q
lesson which is needed by many novellSts OF
the present day. He says
For all his wit, his odd style and his flights of
fancy: SO too, in spite of wild notions he
stands for morality and the serious study or
conduct for the social order. and for the soclai
spirit Our typical modern writer's, when NOT
antiponian and frankly individualist are moro
interested in analysis or in new ideas art plenty
of them than in character and the conduct OF
life as we find 1t. The problem of character-I
what il is and how it is to be obtained-is the
primary interest Of Mr. Meredith and he is
great enough witty enough. poet enough to be
able to deal with the problem of conduct with
out fear Of being set down a prig. in a gem
Grafton Of writer's nervously sensitive TO the
charge of being too serious"