New-York tribune., 1910-07-17
gbe Neaao2Do1k G4ia1t1
SUNDAY, JULY II, 1910.

The recent banquet of descendants OF poetS
has encouraged the organizers to another eHoft'
and now. under the auspices or the foeIry
Recital Society. dinner is to be held at WHICH
the guests will masquerade as characters or
subjects found in standard poetry. The Bar
oness de Bertouch, who is to preside as the
Muse, declares 1.-The world is chiefly made up OF
Phiistines, and if you want to get them In
terested in poetry or anything else, you have
TN feed them first" Lord Coleridge, who is
Also in the field urging the cause, points out |
that the society of which he is president has
been founded ''to nourish the love of poetry in |
the heart of man" Evidently the Baroness de
Bertouch has confidence in the proverbial way |
t. the heart of man All these advocates OF |
systematic attack upon the worlds poet1cal
sensibilites come out strong on the value of
public recitalS of poetry These, they assert, |
are sure to stimulate the imaginative faculty !
in the nation" It seems that the movement |
has spread to the Colonies where many local
gatherings have listened to the recital Of poetry
and discussed the principles Of the poetic art. |
Sooner later, we suppose, the inhabitants of
the British Empire will have been thor |
cughy "stimulated' that every blooming in
fant from PEBBLES to Calcutta will lisp in |
numbers.
ApropoS of all this naive dabbling in the |
waters of "culture' note amusing out |
burst in the London Saturday Review" Re-
calling Ruskin's peevish charge that Whistler |
flung a paint-pot at the public and called it
picture, this journal remarks that truly what |
the vast majority of writer's do is to fling the |
iEk-pot at the public and call it writing" add |
ing that it is very strange that men who have |
no notion of how to write nevertheless contrive |
to make a living through writing, whereas a |
painter, matter how bad and cheap he may |
be- is required to use the brush and paintbox |
with some knowledge. Thus the sad plant |
continues:
1t seems to be taken for granted that any |
"educated' man or woman can write, but that |
only a few can play the violin or paint pict- |
But it happens that every educated" |
man can't write any better than he can paint a |
picture or play the violin. Good writing is a |
rare and curious art. With very few
1t seems sort of gift; with the rest it is art
that is only won by years of thought and work.
But English people will never to see this.
Virtually any writing does well enough for them,
provided it be grammatical" They don't know
what nerve in language means, if they do
they suspect or hate it 1t seems the highest
their understanding reaches up to is the base
form of English which is straining strain
ing at Understanding to write commonplace
In an uncommon way.
1t is on the last count In this true indict-
ment that pause with the most sympathy.
The stupid writer is bad enough, but infinitely
worse is the so-called Clever man, who has
scarcely thought in his head but covers reams
of paper with ingeniously polished phrases.
The vicsstudes of 1.-The Academy have long
been a matter of mild interest TO observers of |
English literary journalism. Years ago it was
the closest rival Of 1.-The Athenaum" printing
contributions from many Of the cleyerest men
Of letters of the time, but then it became
little difficult to keep track Of its ways for it
entered upon a period Of changing hands"
For time Mr.. c. Lewis Hind edited it with q
light and entertaining touch At another Period
1t was managed effectively enough but not so
nmusingly, by Mr. w. Tegnmouth Shore Dur
ing one or both Of these incumbencies the
periodical was owned by Mr Richards the
father Of John Oliver Hobbes" and some
essays of hers were simultaneously printed in
1.-The Academy" and our own columns More
recently the paper was edited by Lord Alfred
Douglas, who beat the drum with tremendous
energy, but now he, too, has retired aThe
Academy" has passed into the hands of n syn
dicate and the new editor is Mr. Cecil Cow
per, a London barrister. To judge from the
current number it is to continue as a literary
weekly, but will give more attention to politics
In this number there appears, by the way n
long article on "Jeffries and Johnson" in
which Mr.. %. Ashmead Bartlett declares that
the result of the contest at Reno has proved
many things of value to the contemplative
mind.