Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-09
Club News
VIZ ITH an attendance of nearly 200
wv members and invited guests the

Aj 1IH an attendance OF nearly zUu
w members and invited guests the
w Woman's Press club of South
errf California met yesterday afternoon
in the banquet room of the AleXan-
dria, the occasion being the regular
monthly program. The speakers were
Dorothea Moore and Willard Hunting
ton Wright.
The general topic was 1.-THE Book"
and Mr.. Wright, himself critic. dis
cussed the relation of the book and the
critic In order to do this intelligent
ly Mr. Wright affirms that it is nee
essary to have an attitude toward
life.
Speaking with conviction the speak
er asserted that .impersonal criticism
does not eXist-in the nature of things
cannot be, for literary standards and
ideals change from age to age, in
fact are differentiated geographically
at the same period. All criticism to-
day, it was claimed, is a matter OF
personal opinion, the following stereo-
typed beginning being recommended,
Speaking personally and for my sin
gle self, / believe:"
The critic should be neither a doc
trinaire, a preacher, nor a reformer
He is not a keeper of the gate of let
ters, and should not attempt to re-
form any more than the artist
Mr.. Wright believes that great art
is self-consciouSness and self-analysis,
whatever else it may be, and criti-
cism likewise is self-consciousness and
self-analysis. In other words, .he Gre
ative and the critical are synonymous
The true critic is as much of an ar
tist as the man who produces the
work which the critic uses for his
own exposition.
All criticism like all art. is merely
the expression of the moods and the
temperamental appeals of the individ-
ual. People who read criticisms for
information are unintelligent Criti-
cism should be approached in the same
way as a merry -go-round, with de-
lightful possibilities for a pleasant sur
prise. Egotism is after all the only
interesting thing in the world, and all
criticism is merely expressed egotism
Truth is wholly a matter of individ-
ualistic standpoint. The only truth in
the world is prejudice.
OF himself and the point of view
from which he does his work he said:
1T am not a critic in the accepted
sense of that word or have I any as
pirations in that direction, so anything
that / may say which has about it a
critical SAVIOR you may discard with
my perfect approval as being utterly
unreliable. / am far more concerned
with myself in my very singular philo-
sophical outlook on the world at large
than I am with any books or any pam
phlets which have ever strayed into
my sanctum. Unless l can find myself,
that is, my own personality, my own
perspective of things, in these books,
| am quite free in admitting that they
bore me. The more of myself that l
find, either by direct application or
antithesis, the more a particular book
will interest me. My own personality
may be of no interest whatever TO you,
but it is exceedingly interesting to my
self. You may malign me all you Will;
you may criticise me as harshly as you
can; you may even commit the unpar-
donable offense of ignoring me, but you
in no way lessen my esteem of myself
My criticisms are and always have
been a method of self-exposltlon
through the medium which l most
love-that of books
DIR. Moore's talk concerning the book
and the reader was most happy, re-
yealing the heart of, the genuine book
lover, not the dilettante. 1t was her