The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-05-07
ANOTHER VIEW OF
DIR. SMITHS BOOK
-, lame, r.. Registers Review Print
,d in the Literary Supplement- OF
the New York Times.

the New York Times.
Those who e in the April North
,roIina Review the account T DR..
Aiphonso Smiths Amerikanische
lucratur will be glad to know that
80 New York Times Book Review.
winch printed on February 25 a very
ti4tcouate and unfair review OF the
..,ir work under the title "Misin-
t.flcinc Germany has made amends
rinting in the most prominent
rrS,tIon an extended answer by a
<urth Carolina scholar, DR.. James
fueh Royster. of the University Of
surth Carolina. Though it is i'm
possible to reprint DIR. Registers an
>p,r int full. readers Of the Review
VA he glad to see a fresh interpre-
i.lion IF at least some features of
49,, BOOK. The parts Of Or. Registers
r,,iey given here are those which
zeal with matters not mentioned in
me editorial review a month ago, or
those which emphasize certain char
a,trristi,s Of the book.-Editor.1
rf. Smith seems to have had a keen
.rUrec,ation Of the opportunity pre-
,ntcd him of interesting German stu
u,uts iii American literature and of
naKin2 clear to them the spirit Of the
American people as it has been eX-
4t@t' II I1lS
,ooG Judgment made him avoid the
,uLVeDtional. superficial outline his
lrry of literature. In it's place he
h;s produced Il book about u litera-
lure entirely different in it's plan and
b rs purpose from any one so far
written about the Subject-and far
more interesting. The avoidance Of
,urbprthcnsiveness in the title shoul
h,ep aW2y from american Litera-
}.t.t - rpofloy uhn dow, 81 nIo :,
fhorough discussion of literary epochs.
~ vino insists upon a chrOniclinE Of
;hr ruil list of American writer's
The reader Will, however, find in this
v,iGme Of lectures. whose number was
united ~ the demands Of a university
curse. q method Of approach to ouI
literature far more original and fa1
more interesting than that employed
NJ The usual handbook or guide.
tn task that the Roosevelt Pro
lessor for i90s-1a10 set before him
Scf Vas an Interpretation of Ameri
',n literature in terms Of a distinctly,
Amc.icanisn. Emphasis is throw
"l'"n single authors only AS the.
seemed to him TO interpret one or an
other aspect of our national character
f"r the most part. these authors ar
- r"mmon consent our greatest writ
efs. this is. indeed, 10 easy task
1t - '1hN VI liz toIttpItAlt y Cu
NE, on account Of our rapidly chang
tx ldeaiS. on account of the youtl
~ our country, there has never bee
"ha is not now complete agreenen
IS 10 what is Am%ericanisrn AS
'itarlX shown in the second lecture
winch iurnnSheS u genera survey c
American literature, there is neverthe
.rSS " unity Of American life and c
American literature-a unity. to b
sure c1TlnnOnI IF vnarE wiz AZ
heHtS. Each of our States has a di:
thFLlShing individuality; those lyin
nearest each other are most nearl
&itt. and naturally fall into Stat
&Foups: but these d~ivisiOnS-Ne
England, the Middle Atlantic State
tht West, the SoUth-are merely col
Nthitnc+S for studying influences
tnrlronrent upon individual author
ana nave nothing whatever TO do wit
We worth of an author. The larg,
'ltStloh is: aspect of America
'S'h has an author represented? TT
worn OF the best authors from ca,
stale group. still full Of local cha
"''tristlcS. is distinctivelY represent
We II a vide nationality. "
rs the representative of Americ:
h9l"of Mark Twain is. of cour:
'h"Scn. The chief point of intere
- Mark Twain is, how far is l
''H' hiSllltIlNolN american nIIIl(
ihs hnmor is found to be distinctive
+lucrlcan humOT in that it is hum
"'h q purpose, with Il very StrO
tting for contrasts, especially soci;
f"'ueal contrasts. stated in exaggt
"i'd terms. 1t has its local relatio
'"tt It's appeal is universal and is 7
confined by State or National bour
aries.
The chapters on Cooper and y,
IA nilnr IT a rric lNico11;nr ~ 4
N'&ro as Literary Material" illustr
probably better than any other I
'adpters the point OF view from VIII.
our literature is primarily consider
""perS great achievement is II
IL gave the indian to the wori
literature. lie is selected and trea
"l length because he pictured a T.
ttStIt3tiNa a tVlIlI- nnfinnal tyno