The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-15
PRAISE AND BLAME
FOR AMERICAN
READING PUBLIC
"Our People Want to Feel-Feel Good" Says Jesse
Williams-Miss Glasgow Might Have Gone
Further, Says Mary Austin.

your imag nation fails, why, then. 80 Tar
as you are concerned there practically
irn't amy future. and I'VE should
worry" becomes the national slogan.
All great rovrlists are great prop
~agaudists. they are always fighting
something SIohbcry. debtors prisons,
slavery. capitalism. and the reason they
are such good fighters H. that they are
all prophets. Jerusalem stoned her
prophets. but that in itself was a sort
Of recognition Of their prophetic quality.
Prophets are stoned because they an
noy somebody with their yammering. hut
In America any social prophecy which
has To do with anything So remote AS
the day after tomorrow simply isn't
heard any more than we hear the million
sounds which science tells us are going
on all around Nc, pitched too high or
TOO low for the human ear. We are the
most materially imaginative people on
the earth. Imaginative In steel and con-
crete and electricity and tIertzian waves,
hut We are spiritually tho most unimagi-
native. We can't sec the end OF our
own institutions any more than the
unald.d eye can perceive ultraviolet.
Bc'ng materially imaginative and
constructive We are materially comfort
able and we want a literature which will
reflect Tor us the great American reality
OF Right Nor. Does "A pig dream OF
pork packing establishments Never.
/ II puts on Its slippers aud takes out its
hairpins and snuggles down into a
charming tale of-what was II Miss
; Glasgow said:-"A sugary philosophy.
, utterly without any basis IN logic or
human experience uttered by
a whimsical character in humorous dia-
= lect"
) OF the many conditions which have
: contributed 10 this demand for a marsh
mallow observation-disclosures II isn't our
fiction alone which is mad. in "A con-
fectioncr>. hut our philosophy and u
good part of our ethics-two deserve
especial mention. The first Of these Is
! the cNigent character Of our education.
You can't he In "A position to look very
. far forward without also being able 10
= look back. Spiritual vision. except In
" the case OF very great geniuses, has to
be cultivated II must be trained to rec
y, osnize objects nj a distance by being
= stretched over the field of the past.
= The other day "A gentleman connected
: with one Of our great scientific institu-
{ lions consulted me about the education
OF his dauAhtor, who wished To become
"A writer. When [ mentioned severa!
: studies which | held Indispensable | con-
cludcd with And by all means n com
o prehcnsivc view OF human history"
u Mrs. Austin" said he. do you know
any institution that offers n competent
course In human history?' ] didn't |
knew of courses IN the history Of kings
Il and political Institutions. hut none in
q the processes OF how human beings
am" to b" Just so, Ana II YOU don,
i know anything about that how are you
going To know whats coming to them
y or even Whit is our general socia'
direction,
n And this isn't true only of the reading
20 public. 1t IL most lamentably true OF
e. tho very classes who have usurped tC
10 themselves the business OF telling u
II what we ought to do for our social sal
re walton and why. It isn't only Saul WHIT
At Is found among the prophets In thes,
RS days. but almost anybody who has
- mind so to miscall himself. We dom
know the true marks of prophetic geniul
In America and we can't know unit
our general education includes some
thirs OF the genius OF humanity.
And the next great reason why VI
can't write our American novel!sts vi
beside the English Is that We Americans
nave as yet no language. Notwithstand
ing that we have English with a BostoI
y accent sedulously taught in our schools
We arc still without any absolute ~literar,
medium. Millions of our people do no
o. even think In such language as we have
h They think in "A dozen mother tongues
y and though ! do not know how long |
takes 10 make a mother tongue out o
" one adopted. certainly IL can't be don
in a generation or two.
Here in America only n very small
nc. proportion OF the people can commun
cate precisely and directly Oh importan
things. If you do not believe this ex
anime the statements of faith of GU
sighty-two religions. All religions a
heart embody about the same huma
N experiences. but We cant get togethe
II on them largely because we have n