The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-02
From the Kansas City Times.


 es A RTIsrs of large and whole ole
 "A some vitality" says Mr. GIL
 \ bert K. Chesterton, 'get rid of their art easily, as they breathe easily or perspire easily. But In artists of less force, the thing becomes pressure, and produces a definite pain, which Is called the artistic temperament. Thus very great artists are able to be ordinary men-men like Shakespeare or Browning"
 pr. Sam Johnson was a man who got rid of his art easily. The delight of an evenings reading of Boswelrs Life of Johnson" is that one is not keyed up to that pain of the artistic temperament Boswelrs great man slipped easily from a Latin verse to discussion of Gar ricks stinginess. Positivs ideas about the universe were hail fellows well met in Johnson's mind with positive ideas about things to eat
 Take this
 Goldsmith had up his common topic that the English race was degenerated and that luxury was at fault
 sir" said Johnson, q doubt the fact
 LuAuiy So ldi uo ie fSoS'ASS s'-o poor, will do good to the race of people; it will strengthen and multiply them. Sir no nation was ever hurt by luxury; for 1t can reach but to a very few. f Let us take walk from Charing Cross to Whtechapel, through, I sup pose, the greatest series of shops in the VI orld; what is there in any of these e,,ono if x-o,, avoent -iushonsl that cau do any human being any harm?"
 Goldsmith well, sir, I'll accept your challenge. The very next shop to North umberland house is pickle shop"
 Johnson: "Well, sir. do we not know that a maid can in one afternoon make pickles sufficient to serve whole fam fly for year? Nay, that five pickle shops can serve all the kingdom? Besides, sir, there is no harm done to anybody by the making of pickles or the eating of picl1les.'
 Defending his actor friend from the accusation of parsimony. pr. Johnson said: "Garrick was very poor when he be- gan life; so when he came to have money he probably was very unskillful in giving away"
 There is the ring of modern arguments in this that follows about judges. The rule was that the judges went out of off, flee with the death of the king. It was proposed to have them hold office for life, independent of the possible new crown pr. Johnson objected to this concession to the people, in words very like those now used in favor of far greater con- cession to the people--the recall.
 ''There is no reason why judge should hold his office for life moro than any other person in public trust. A judge may bo partial otherwise than to the crown; we have seen judges partial to the popu- lace. A judge may become corrupt. A judge may become forward from age. A judge may grow unfit for his office in many ways. It is desirable that there should be a possibility of being delivered from him by new king Here are some random quotations from the Life:
 "A1l knowledge is of itself of some value. There is nothing so minute or in- considerable that I would not rather know it than not. In the same manner. all power of whatever sort is of itself de- sirable. A man would not submit to learn to hem a ruffle of his wife or of his wife s maid; but if mere wish could attain it, he would rather wish to be able to hem a ruffle.
 'There is nothing, I think, in which the power of art is shown so much as in playing on the fiddle. In all other things we can do something at first. Any man will forge a bar of iron if you give him hammer--not so well as smith, but to,erably. A man will saw a piece of wood and make a box, though a clumsy one; but give him a fiddle and fiddle stick and he can do nothing.
 why, sir, Mallet had talent enough to keep his literary reputation alive is long as he lived; and that let me tell you, is a good deal"
 What Goldsmith comically says of him. self is very true-he always gets the better when he argues alone; meaning that he is master of a subject in his study and can write well upon it, but when he comes into company grows confused and urable to talk"
 Expatiating on the happiness of the sav- epe life someone represented A civilized