The sun., 1914-09-27

In the Ydlc Rcrier Professor BLISS
PERRY, pondering THE American Re
viewer" finds curious lack in our
contemporary criticism. the absence
namely, of that kind Of literary por.
trait which Mr. IIowEILs drew of Mr.
NORTON and Of MARK TWAIN. ana which
he had drawn before In his mastery
volume entitled MY Literary Friends
and Acqualntances. Mr.. IIowELLs 'S
sure to put into whatever he writes
his commingled charm Of delicate oh.
servation. ~ u permanently youthful
spirit under all that gray wisdom,
shrewlneSS. tolerance. humOr: hut is his
portrait of CHARLES Eliot NORTON much
more than academic II may be eX-
cellent literature and yet defective in
human portraiture
Old memory and friendship as well
as the reserves and restrictions Of his
hopeless kindllneSS Of nature prevented
Mr.. IlowELLs from showing us the es-
Sential CHARLES ELIOT NORTON. Nor IS
his depletion Of that rough Missouri
Jewel, CLEMENS, with 50 many salient
angles the very reverse of. sure 10 hor-
rlfy. one thinks. the exquisite boarded
patriclan cultivation of Shady I'M.
ample with "all the informing truth"
and more Interesting barbarian or prim-
itive MARK. the Squire Western fibre
Of him, Is mostly unsunG. "Id"nliZed'
literary portraits that Is all You can eX-
pect. Professor PFgRY a sks us 10 think
what a portrait of NORTON SAINTF-
BEUvE would have painted after his
devourlng eyes had run through the
two volumes of the Letters -! Tt would
have been n sketch from Imagination
then, for NORTON is not in the Letters"
There Is much delightful matter about
him and his friends. but not the man.
1t is the sacred tradition of Ameri-
can literary. as of American political
biography to leave ont what would
give pain 10 the living" land of course
JOY 10 the reader or mar the Parian
perfection of the subject. Worthy Mr.
JARED SPARKS. Semhow"ling the letters
of GEORGE the Blamcless WASHINGTON
writer's. native or imported. "our dear
immOrtals and our best cphomorals." :"
as Dr. HOLMES called them. praise one
another meckly in ,ifr anl in their
biographies New Englanl's dead. New
Engand's dead, on every page they lie.
In the dark backward Rnd abysm of time
there used to he n tohaccouist I'm Ilar-
ward Square who habitually accompall-
led sack coat with n tall hat after the
manner Of Mr.. LOWELL. at ,east before
his diplomatic and Bcgravlan glorics.
Like "old LYONS" the billiard saloon
keeper, "an old Cambridge village boy"
he regarded NORTON and Lowell with
favor ms natives and looked with Sll>.
plcion on the ever amiablc Mr. Lone
FELLOW ms foreigner. an ariStocrat
and n gentleman guilty in his youth "
surprising coats and radiant waist
coats worthy of DICKENS or "NhI"
WILLIS. Well. the toharcOnlst vonnrntcl
NORTON. Lowell and CrIIDs Of the hal
lads "'cauSe two dollar In gallon whlS-
key is good enough for them" Set II
down to legend. If the Drys please hut
there Is more plain reality ana hu.
manty in II than in all the beautiful
rarliied stun Of the Norton "Icttcrs"
or In MOTIONS two Fat volumes Of
l.owFLL's Letters"
The friendly hands that hul,l the
memorial usually keep out of II the
homely characteristic furniture or daily
life Mr., LOWELL. though unfortunate
If hair ana heard in ~" early DAYS. aS
The portraits in EDWARD EvFnIrr HAIr'S
Inok about him show too well. wasn't
q prir, n lay minister. u rather nednn.
n" scholar, an abolition crank or nrc
clons vessel Of provincial literary small
talk. To spe him stick his hands In his
packets, walking mp and down the ugly
lllilc recitation room, and hcAr him.
Forgetting the Song Of Roland" or thc
"I'lvin" Comedy" naivrly tell how long
ngo he wouldn't have had stick Of
furniture In his house II his bankers
hadn't discovered u year or two after
ne got back from Europe that in some