Evening star., 1926-03-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES +. TRACEWELL.

Those who attempt the exquisite in
literature tread on dangerous ground;
more often than not they achieve only
the ridiculous.
1t Is vastly to the credit OF Oscar
Wilde, strange Victorian, that his
Fairy Tales" appeal alike to chill
dren and 10 those who deive into all
! sorts of writing.
In these charming fantasies one is
not concerned at all with Wilde, the
man. but simply with Wilde, the
writer. In tne>a he really achieves
the eXquisitZ
So conSlmmate waS his aTt, more
| over, .nat in reading these delicate
prose poems one almost fOreets the
! artist. ana has in mind only the NOV
ing ancy OF the tale.
This Is the art that conceals art. IL
It times a tale strikes the reader as
trenhe ndously artificial. he remembers
tina, this is something inseparable
| from civiliZa ton and in the end may
! stand higher in the scale than the
natural.
Oscar Wilde was an exponent OF
| Sophistica tion "A master of the clever
turn the double mea ming. He knew
| the artificiality of society TO its depth,
and never lost a chance to poke
| fun at 1t.
Sometimes his cynicism is of the
| terrible variety almost stunning TO
| the reader. until he hastens to re
call that in striving for the clever a
writer always takes chance with
| truth.
In the serio.comic tale, Lord Ar
| thur Savlle's Crime" for instance
Wilde has his favorite Lady Winder'
! mere say, The proper basis for mar
riace IS a mutual misundersta nding
No. | am not at all cynical. nave
merely got experience, which, how,
ever. is very much the same thing.
Very little Of that sort OF thing Is
to be found in the fairy tales. pup
lished in "A House of Pome9ra mates,
with others following.
There is plenty of keen "bserNa
tion. but most OF 1t tempered by a
. certain sweetness that the author
rarely displayed 1t seems almost
as if. having taken up the biblical
use of beginning sentences largely
with "and" and but" Wilde also
breath in and out some OF the love
of the Savior.
In "The Happy Prince" best and
most beautiful of these tales, there
is a spirit of true christia nifty, the
sort initiated by the Master. There
| is no child in the world who would
not be the better for having this
story read to 1t.
There are few of their elders, either
who will not benefit from the perusal
of THE Happy Prince" the simple
| tale of the statue and the little swal
low. For The best effect II is neces
Sary to hear this tale recited by
some one no understa nds the true
| art Of using the speaking voice.
| Then will the inherent beauty Oi
| this story be brought forth, and then
will the hearer realize the jewel
| like perfection of which the English
! language is possible. Much has been
! made of the condensation OF the
/ French tongue. and properly so. but
| 1t is much to be doubted that this
! story could be better told in the latter
! language.
In the fairy tales. as a whole, Wilde
| tried out" different methods of tell.
| ing. ranging from the strictly bibli
| cal style of The Fisherman and His
Soul" TO the plain English OF The
! Happy Prince
Ii is encouraging to realize that
his best style was the pla inest How
! simply. vet effectively, The Happy
| Prince" begins
High above the city. on the tall