Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-05-20

utNo Nt4t - y IuI1t IN ~ A~ArN =,
worst Books By the Rev sdmue
McChcrd Crothers, In the Atlantl
Monthly for May. The subject in
vites. The title allures. Knowini
Mr.. Crothers by others Of his works
we felt that here might be something
coming even to pet literary detesta
lions of our own. Instead Of which
there are nine magazine pages which
neither name a book as being among
the worst nor furnish real standard
Of judgment.
We learn from Mr.. crothers only
that "the candidate for q place on the
list must be bad not as a man may
DO bad but as q book may be bad
And as to q book, "the lowest depth
into which 1t can fall is to unreada-
BILE. So we are to Judge a book by
the test Of whether or not we can
read 1t. Yet Mr.. Crothers insists that
in order that our inquiry may be SCI
entiflc we shall bar works by living
authorsl
It is a relief to turn from the
phrases Of the Atlantic's essayist,
which lead nowhere, and take up the
sharp pronouncements Of the man
who names names. The editor Of the
Memphis Commercial Appeal Is such
a man. Under the strokes Of his con-
demning pen literary classics fall like
tall trees before a ruthless woods
man. The difficulty in his case, 1t
appears is to stop with only a hun
dred Of the worst. His critical style
is vivid, as readers may perceive
from the following suggestions for
the blacklist:
1.-THE Castle of Otranto," stilted
unreal, highfalutin romance, entire
ly discreditable to its witty author,
Horace Walpole.
Marlowe's "Tamburlane," turgid,
bombastic drama containing about
as much exhilaration as a mud-bath.
Pamela" in which Richardson
succeeds in maintaining dead level
Of stupidity through three weary,
dreary volumes.
Pilgrims Progress, book that
is the apotheosis Of gloom.
John Halifax" one of the great
est kill-joys in literature.
The Don Juan" of Byron, which
possesses absolutely no raison d'etre.
Geikie's Life of Christ" that is
no more entitled to be called history
than Webster's Unabridged is to be
considered musical comedy.
Browning's Ring and the Book"
which is purely waste of time,
1.-THE Brushwood Boy" in which
Kipling is the victim of a nightmare.
uncle Toms Cabin" an inartlstic |
untruthful book dominated by malice |
and unfit for place in the library.
Except as factor in bringing on the |
civil war 1t is worthy of no mans at
tention.
1.-THE Deemster," the most diaboli-
cal book that Hall Caine or anybody
else ever tried to write. If there is
a library in Hades this book ought to
be on the Sheollan shelves.
Janice Meredith" the most alb
surd Of all the Revolutionary ro-
mances, without one redeeming
character or feature in 1t.
"Rasselas" and 1.-THE Vicar of
Wakefield are not worth this edi-
tors time. Perish Vanity Fair" for
its pesslmism. So much of Henry
James goes on the list that titles
are not mentioned. 1.-THE Prince Of
India" Is dreary and clumsy and
"Thaddeus Of Warsaw" reveals an
opportunity that slipped out Of grasp.
As for stamford and Merton" and
"all such silly Juveniles" the dust
heap for theirs.
1.-THE Winters Tale" play that
Shakespeare must have written un-
der the influence of liquor or never
wrote at all.
Haeckels riddle of the Uni
verse" is probably the worst of all
the books we have mentioned 1t
was conceived in iniquity and pro-
pagated in mendacity. /
The Commercial Appeal man turns
his sentences to a finish somewhat
below that demanded by the Atlantic.
Probably he does not expect every
body to agree with him. But from
his point of view he gives Mr.. Croth-
ers q practical example Of how to
arouse interest in a hundred worst
books.--New York World. |
THROUGH HERE JULY 20.