The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-25

The second Of the lectures Of Edward
Howard Grsggs on Art and the human
spirit was given in All Souls Church
iast evening. He attempted TO harmonic
he relations existing between The race.
he epoch. and the individual in art" be
FORE a large and appreciative audience.
The speaker put himself to the severe
test OF maintaining a critical attitude
.oward his subject while keeping clear Of
Is mere technical elements. He dwelt
4 distractions: ne interpreted art with
such clarity that the novice could under
stand him. and. in understanding him, ap-
9reciate the artists aTdor. But al no
3oint did he condescend TO tickle the
srouadiings. His oIearness was not shall
,3wness.
That 1ir. Griggs' sympathies are cath
lie was demonstrated by the range Of
lis verbal canvas A contrast between
rennyson and Browning was the swift
2rerunner Of an equally incisive contrast
setween Fra Angelica and Fra Lippo
Lippi, and in expressing the decaoence
f Renaissance art as II became more &
natter Of technic and less Of Split. he
q
lsgazine poet. Of whom he said no one
. al the range OF literature has ever ex-
rressed nothing more exouisitely.
Lecture Was Vivid.
The lecture was pitched in a high key
nd It's Interpretation Of great lyric gems
2 literature was glowing and vivid After
nding the soul OF Tennyson in his
envoi, Crossing the Bar and the
ecret Of Browuing's genius in a brilliant
piIogue. the lecturer ventuTed into the
aim Of prophetic criticism.
TenHyson was the most popular poet
& the nineteenth century. he said. be
7use lie expressed the simple faith OF
he people 50 beautifully. He became the
Interpreter Of the common heart. With
ut conscious aim. perhaps, but neverthe-
-ess with unerring aim. he struck a pOpu-
~ chord and won public affection 20 a
,'egree almost UneQUaied IN English lit
.-atuTe- He xas the primate Of Anglo
saxon letters for half a century. His
.ife was serene and delightful. because he
lever lacked appreciation: nothing ever
occurred to embitter Il
On the other hand Browning wrote
- lone voice in the wilderness. as a
oct without a following. for twenty
cars. OF course. he had friends and
isciples, who spurred him on. but IL was
IS mighty liOn-hearted courage which
-ept him al his task through solitude and
encouragement He was determined 10
se true % himself and 10 his message.
nd 1T the age IF fifty years recognition
came. The public then began. dimly
uOugh, u Understand the true nature
~ his genius. But, in his lifetime. al
east, he never rfvaled TennySOn IN popu-
-IT estimation IS q poet
Browning Now Appreciated.
The appreciation Of Browning has
been progressive and a constant growth.
Fennyson, on the contrary. is not so
-Videiy read to-day as he was a genera
eion ago 7 am not attempting 10 dis
1arage one poet al the expense OF the
ether. ] am merely showing how one
ooet writes for his own age and another
-or an age 10 come One fOurishes. the
~theT is neglected until a laurel Of genius
IS given, not to him, but 10 his grave
sroue
After explaining that art was express
aion through personality Mr.. Grirgs con-
trasted Mozart and Beethoven in the
realm o. music. The yourges- student
r music appreciates the difference OF
appeai ~ these two masters. The dis
-inction is extremely difficult 10 state IN
Intellectual terms. but II is as vital and
5soiute as the fact Of harmony Itself
The relation IF temperament 10 hereditr
ana environment and early training vas
briefly explained.
Beethove8's music gained profundftv
and tragic feeling because OF. the hard
snip and bitterness Of his youth HIS
struggle for recognition was long and
Te-enliess- MoZart's early life was passed
as a glorious summer dav. He was des-
Lned icr music from infancy He was
admired from MS earliest DAYS. V-har
more natural. then. than thar his music
should express the charm and ligbtsou7s
Joy cf life. while Beethoven-s sbouId in
teTpret its sorrows?
An artist may brood UPON = sf7gls
type for twenty years said the lecturer.
as did Oscar Wilde. His mind driffed
% the immoral woman as a study. he
chose Salome. that weirdly fascinating
instance o. abnormal passion. repelling
even as J. attracts those who hover about 1
rs nane- He made the character a 1
classic type Of the woman We have All
seen. and as such IL remains IN our Wters- /
Jure.
Wilde Possessed by saIonae.
After creating Sslome. Wide himself
believed that he had become possessed
By the character What has become
he cried, of nv austerity OF mind and ~
my self-cOEtrolT His mind had become
a mighty Aeolian harp. just as SaIome-s
soul. played upon By the emotions.
The speaker declared that while Shake
sPeare, in absolute measurement vrss
greater than Milton. yet Milton rose far
higher above his age than did the hard
OF Stratford-cn-Av0n above his. In orr
Own country. EmerSOn's transcendental-
ism became keener because OF the intense
mateTiaiism which surrounded him. r
was the sharp pull OF reaction. lust AZ
ruober band rebounds according n IT'S
tensile strain in the other direction
Mr.. Griggs pointed out that the names
OF al the domestic animals in English
were Anglo-Saxon in their derivation.
while the names Of cooked. OF prepared
meats were Norman-French. This vas
due 70 easily discernible historical causes
and demonstrates how vitality literature
is affected by life
The great artist Is always Character
istic OF the life OF his time. and vet be-
longs 10 the life Of the race said the
lecturer in closing
WashinEtonian Honored.
The Hartford Conn papers ~ FAb-,,-