The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-01-02
SOCIETY
(Continued from page Tenl

CONTINUED from page Ien)
actual advantage about the proper
psychological training which the read
er himself should undergo. 1t is no
easy thing for a groWn-up to be a good
reader; and for the very simple reason
that he is a grown-up. After the plot
has reached its artistic and logical
end, We often want to know more
about the characters; so that if a
novel is good, a sequel is desired if not
desirable. This feeling is a perfectly
proper one and constitutes in itself a
sufficient justification for Book XII, Or
at least for eight hundred lines of it
(22-822). This is only an outward rea-
son for adding The Book and the Ring.
And, while we believe it ample, other
reasons will be adduced later, far
more significant and appropriate.
The Venetian's letter not only salts
fies our curiosity about the execution,
but also serves to disillusion any
reader who may have had a secret un-
named prejudice or pity for Guido
either on account of his misfortune,
self-COnsistency or noble blood. The
disappointment, which the Venetian
owns his glimpse Of GuidOs face pro-
duced, is all the more effective be-
cause it was a disappointl.s-n be
cause the Venetian had had a prepos-
sssion in Guido's favor (S0-92, 10000.
The PTOcurator's letter reminds us,
if we have forgotten, how little the
case really touched him, and how per-
functory was his simulated solicitude
for Caponsacchi and Pompilia
The Fisc's letter reveals the same
cant, only in a worse degree; and in
addition rampant casuistry, q self
gTatulatoTy experiences in wriggling
out of everything, his own former con-
illusions not excepted. Then, by a
peculiarly neat stroke on Brownings
part, paragraph from Celestine's SER
mon is enclosed, by which device a
nice union of opposites is effected.
Bottinius in the same letter both an
nouncing his new position and disclos-
ing its mean stupidity.
The courts verdict in the matter Of
the Convertite nuns is added as a
solace; so that the reader may per
ceive, in the petty after-stir left in the
wake of the great events, at last
something good and worth remember
ing.
This verdict and these three letters
are in a distinctly lighter tone than all
or any of the lities in Book NJ; and
this for a purpose. The plot proper
ends with the end of GuidOs speech.
At that point his guilt is stripped or
its last pretense. Here were an end,
says Browning, had anything an end.
But nothing has an end, especially the
narrative Of human actions, as histo
rians best know, because they deal
with the endless chain of cause and
consequence. Here the reader, like a
good child, asks, But the Pope-what
of him? And Gaetano-did he live to
be a man and revere the memory OF
his mother?" But Browning asks
more searching question: And the
reader-what of him? Will he carry
this absolute truth out into the word
with him? Or will he allow it to
tester where ne found it, catching cor
ruptiOn and death from the dead facts
in which it was clothed?" Thus the
evil that novel-reading does is not to
our culture, but to our moral person
alities and mental processes. An act
i've intelligence could draw much from
the feeblest novel, extracting there
from by comparison or contrast an in
tricate allegory and a whole program
or propaganda of life. But the most
active intelligence will soon grow
lethargic by rapid, heterogeneous, I'M
contemplative reading, even of the
best books. The one and only thing
which our prosperous and prodigal
modern world shrinks from spending
is time. And yet time is the only
price which can buy many good
things; and among these are mental
health and wealth. Nine books read
once and fast are worse than one book
read nine times or nine times as slow
". Witness Dante, Shakespeare and
Bunyan. For Browning would surely
consider his poem gone for naught, II
we make haste to go through it, in
stead Of taking time to grow into it.
1t is therefore that he devOtes the
next forty lines (S23-S63) to a limiting
the POEMS true value. He first as
serts its general human interest, not
as boasting the power of his own
genius, but as boasting the power
which lies in every human fact. He
then defends and explains the prin-
Ciple that Art can do more than bald
fact. In plain words the reason is
merely this, that you cannot convince
a man if you first insult him or even
range him on the other side of a ques-
ton. Most aTguers succeed only in
convincing themselves. There is little
doubt they can do that. Notice how
carefully Browning avoids this fatal
error in the conciliatory manner in
which he addresses his direct words
to an adverse British public Ct 1871
1850 CNIT S31-S63). And it should be
added that the light tone adopted
throughout the last canto helps to
bring the reader to earth without that
usual anti-climax Of loneliness ard |
sudden noisy beginning again of hum
drum realities. It is the abrupt |
change of focus which hurts the eye. |
A mountain climber will tell you it is
less difficult 70 90 up than to come |
down.
All these foregoing suggestions are
moral or artistic Qualifications of Book /
KITS presence; though its presence is |
sufficiently justified merely as satisfy I
ing the readers curiosity.