New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-06
LAFCADI0 HEARN
His Lectures at The Imperial Uni
versity of Japan.

INTERPRETATIONS OF LITERATURE b. Lr'-
caIto Icam. Selected aid edited With an IN
Professor u Enysh 80 Columbia University Wa
irontsl,ece Syo. vols. % Ki1. 800. SO
Dodd. Mead 4 Go.
We cannot approach these fascnat-
ing volumes with an allusion to saul
among the Prophets" nor demand with
old G6ronte "Que diable allait-il faire
dams cctte galore ." For that would be
hackneyed and therefore most incon-
gruous with a work so refreshing and
novel. After all. why should any one
wonder-as many wlil-at Lafcadio
Hearu's appearance as university
professor and a serious, comprehensive
and cmiuently catholic critic Of Eng
Hsh literature, with equal facility and
assurance discussing the lode 10 a
SkyiarG" and "Sartor Resartus'? Shell
ley wrote prosy prose, and Thomas
Of Craigenputtoch and Chelsea wrote
soul-hauntIug lyrics, but neither had a
vested monopoly OF versatility. Hearn
had equal title 10 deal alike with moon
leht in the Antilles and cherry groves
In Japan, and with the anti-material-
ism Of Berkeley and The Shaving Of
Shagpat" Tie had, too, as good a right
y
"a any dry-as-dust pcdant or chorus
Of indolent reviewers"
The enticing novelty of the work,
suggested in its very title, is enhanced
by inspection and consideration. If
Hearn had set himself down in his
study and said, Come, let me write
great critical work on English litera-
ture.' we should have welcomed the
product Of the fountain pen beneath
the tungsten light with joyous antici-
patton. But he did other and far bet
Ter than that. lie set himself down
before q company Of keen. alert young
japanese how keen and alert nobody
cln fully understand who has not him
self met such q cOmpany-in univer-
ei-v lecture room and talked TO them
= ght out of his head, Just as the fancy
moved him. He had no textbook be-
fore him. and no notes. He just talked,
in a simple, direct, intimate, cOlloquial
fashion, about the authors and books
that thronCed the chambers and shelves
Of his own compendious mind. He talked
discursively. after the style Of peripa-
tctic philosopher yet always cOherently
and logically. He talked slowly, too;
partly because he had 20 think out what
he was 10 say as he went along, and
partly because he was speaking in a
LANGUAGE somewhat unfamiliar 10 his
hearers, and be wanted them 20 COM
Trehend his words. So deliberately did
he talk. indeed, that some Of his hear
ers were able with nimble hands 70
write down verbatim what he said. and
II is from these reports of his lectures.
thus prepared, that these volumes have
been compiled There are in them, con-
scquenuy, q spontaneity and a sympa-
thetic charm which must have been
compelling and convincing 20 his Japa-
nese hearers and which will prove no
less triumphant among his American
readers
Tho points Of view which he occu-
pics, and therefore his views them
selves. arc generally original. They
are not, however. bizarre or gro
tesque. He could and he did often
write Enthusiastically, but as a critic he
could be eminently sane and practical.
Those who look in these volumes for
extravaCant or fancjful estimates. Of
either praise or blame. will be disap-
pointed We NAV not agree with all
his judgments, but at least we
must always admit that they are
judgments and not freaks. Indeed,
even when his estimates are most IN
usua, they are indisputably sane; and
their unusualness not infrequently con-
sists in going unexpectedly far toward
conservatism and conventionality in a
most unconventional way. Nor should
we overlook what has already been
suggested I'm our speaking Of his as
eurance rather than of his authority
lie is not docmatic, nor dictatorial He
does not assume that literary knowl-
edge OF literary canons viii perish
with him. No discourses could easily
bc f-eer f~om erotism. Yet there is