Evening star., 1927-03-04

Teach me to know mankind better
| than they know themselves"
Such Is the prayer of Henry Field
ing In the Introductory chapter of
| Book 13 of The History of Tom
Jones, n Founding"
Such must be the secret ambition
| of all who act themselves up to write
novels. Not merely to know mankind,
but to know men and women. In the
large. much better than they know
themselves.
Ho who would write real novel
must necessarily have qualities OF
mind md heart which look beyond su.
perticialities. see hidden motives
| weigh and balance with honesty and
kindlineRs Of heart.
Seine may he offended Mt the result,
! for they may feel that rnncor was the
motive OF the writer. Those who un'
derstand. however. will realize that all
which was act down WIS done as
great experiment In words.
There are experiments with words
| much as there are experiments win
chemical elements Various combina
ttons of the various elements result In
different compounds.
The experiment using words may
| be as innocent in intent as the fusing
OF different chemical elements TO make
| now whole. The petty indignation OF
the clements, their bubbling and froth
| ing does not count.
| What Is wanted IL q new creation
and the experimenter carries forward
his work, not deferred by protesta
| tions, not frightened off by the pos
| sible outcry of offended ones. not lured
by the hope of praise of others.
These results will be but the bub
| bling Of his elements in combination
| What he sees, In the perfect test tube
of his dreams, is a new elixir of life
| for that Is what every novel worthy OF
the name really is.
r X II n
This particular chapter OF Tom
Jones" Is unique, in that 1t Is modelled
entirely after the invocation In the
| Mature OF Things" of Titus Carus Lu
cretius, the great Roman didactic poet
Fielding invokes love Of fame and
fortune: then prays to Genius. HUI
manity, Learning and Experience to
direct his pen. 1t will be the first, he
says, who will teach him to know man
kind better than they know them
selves.
Remove that mist which dims the
intellects Of mortals and causes them
1 To dQOT6 ITlCu iOf LflGll dAIy VI W uC
test them for their cunning, In de.
ceiving others, when they are, in real
| ity, the objects only Of ridicule for de-
ceiving themselves.
Strip off the thin disguise OF wis
dom from self-conceit, of plenty from
avarice and of glory from ambitions -
Experience, he says, Is necessary
not only in association with the wise
the good the learned and the polite
| but with every kind of character. y
Henry Fielding knew them all, and
| was just little bit proud of it.
| He mixed around" as some say
nowadays: he knew his stuff" as
| others say.
This idea he carried forward in the
preliminary chapter to the next book
the fourteenth. which he entities "An
| Essay to Prove That an Author VIII
Write the Better for Having Some
knowledge Of the Subject on Which
| He Writes"
AS joking as this subject sounds, IT
| has a world of meaning in 1t for every
| writer today. especially for those in.
| Vulnerable and hopeful ones who as.
| pire to write the short story.
Never in the worlds history was
there ever such a field for short
| stories as prevails today In the
magazine publishing business! Any