Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-15
THE LIBRARY TABLE


The theories of literary ethics have
undergone change during the history Of
| literary creation Perhaps the most
powerful instrument of change has been
| copyright laws. The story of changing
| standards regarding literary property Is
| told, with many interesting illustrations
and anecdotes, by H. M. PAUL in his
Literary Ethics" He gives instances
| of thoroughgoing stealing OF whole
| books, far worse than mere plagiarism,
perpetrated by otherwise quite repu-
table persons often ministers. Literary
/ forgeries always have been common.
THE common custom of writing under
| the name of some dead saint was
| finally condemned in its turn by Pope
| Innocent l." There have been forgeries
Of the novels of Scott and OF Shake
| speare's plays, and as many persons
have been led astray by them as by
faxed paintings by great masters.
| Plagiarism, usually the stealing of parts
! of books. has been practiced by some
Of the best writers. Moliere, Charles
Lamb, Disraeli, Jeremy Taylor and
Benjamin Franklin are all accused of it
by Mr.. PAUL. He says that the old
Victorian favorite, owen Meredith's
Lucille" was stolen from George Sands
"Lavinia." While owen Meredith was
looting, it is surprising that he did not
take something better. We can all re-
call cases of the stealing of popular
characters of fiction and their use in
books by authors other than their cree
ators. In the eighteenth century Field
Ing was such plagiarist. He ironically
continued the history of Richardson's
Vlrtuous servant girl, Pamela, and Gre
ated an equally virtuous brother for her,
Joseph Andrews. Trollope was so
afraid that some one would steal his
famous Mrs. Proudie Of "Barchester
towers" that he killed her prematurely
ADDISON had done the same much
earlier with his Sir Roger de Coyerley
The best poetry of period, beauti-
iulIy published, is given in Poetry of
Cne english Renaissance" edited by
J. William Hebel professor at Cornelll
and Hoyt H. Hudson professor at
Pr1nceton). The editors have used earlv
manuscripts for part of their collection.
Whlch contains many rarely found
poems OF the 1,068 pages, nearly 400
are notes OF great critical and historical
value IN the Interpretation of the poetry
OF one OF the most spontaneous periods
IN English verse.
Would the sum total of human ham
plneSS nave been greater, the suffering
iess' II machines had never crowded out
hanolcratts? Most artists and MANY
otner people would probably say eyes"
perhaps the majority of those whose
lives are passed amid practical affairs"
/ would dismiss such a question as abso-
Iutely foolish. What would life be
worth without skyscrapers, steel bridges,
factories, automobiles, vacuum cleaners
elecSrlc refrigeratorS, to say nothing Of
maSS-produced silk stockings, silk un-
| oerWear, shoes and furniture? Stuart
Cnase IN his Men and Machines"
States the case for and against ma
cnlnery; Mr.. Chase first gives a history
OF machines, from the potter'S wheel to
the most complicated developments of
To-Day: He then gives classification of
machines. With facts disposed of, he
applies reasoning to their results. He
| nnos that from the machine workers
standpoint health and well-being have
oeen improved since the DAYS of more
lndividualistic labor. "It still has to be
proved that 1t Is a more evil thing to be
az the mercy Of a weekly pay check.
IMAM at the mercy of the tides. the
storms, the seasons, the black death
the lord of the manor, the pigsty and
the gods" And Under the modern
canons OF production, particularly in
Dig business, 1t is gradually becoming
a matter of scientific demonstration
tnat 1t pays. in cold cash terms. to safe.
guard the health of the worker" yet
Mr.. Chase tnclines to the negative side
OF the deoate, for in summing up he
says: I incline to the belief that ma
chlnery has so far brought more misery
IMAM happiness into the world. It has.
however, brought the fresh winds OF
ehange; and, with them, vitality and
lnvigoratton. We are not in the lock-
step OF the middle ages or of the later
Gays or Egypt" In his chapter 1.-THE
Two-Hour War" he warns that hor-
ribly. all the advantages of machinery
all theorizing about its value, might be
instantly swept away by a supergas
raid. Machinery would then become lite
own destroyer and the murderer of all
humanity.
The great radical figures of the
French Revolution were not men of
lethargic or peaceful habit of mind: not
men who loved quiet study and hated
sction. Danton, Robespierre, Marat and
Mlraoeau were all fighters. A recent
life OF Mirabeau shows him in his true
character of man of turbulence and
conf1lct-"The Stormy Life of Mira
peat" by Henry de Jouvenel, translated
from the French. Mirabeau, the fiery
orator of the French Revolution, brought
all his tremendous brain power and
eloquence to the attack on autocratic
monarchy and the defense of the
oppressed common people. For a time
ne dominated France because his was
tne pest mind of the Revolution and
because he could always convert hostile
mob into enthusiastic supporters.
4 + *%
English comedy began early as the
comic elements in the mystery and
morality plays, continued through
satirical interludes, until the time of
the first genuine comedies of "Gammer
GurtonS Needle" and "Ralph Roster
Doister." Some of Shakespeare's best
plays are comedies and after him Ben
Jonson devoted himself almost entirely
10 comedy. decline period in all
drama followed, in which great extrava-
gance ana coarSenesS degraded the
drama, and it was not until the
elghteenth century, with Goldsmith and
sheridan, that comedy again reached
something of the level of Shakespeare.
survey OF English comedy from its
earnest BEGINNINGS to George Bernard
shaw is to be found in English
Comedy" by Ashley H. Thorndike.
biographies of dramatists and plots of
many plays are given as we'll as dra-
InaClc criticism of periods and indi-
Vloua! work. DR.. Thorndike CLASHES
comedy as romantic, realistic and fan
tastlc. He might well have added
another division-satiric. Shakespeare
used all three of DR.. Thorndike's forms.
his Midsummer Nights Dream" is both
romantic and fantastic; LAS You Like
II romantic; "A Comedy Of Errors"
ana Merry Wives OF Windsor" are
realistic, and 1.-THE Tanning Of Shrew"
at least seems to us today to be thor
oughly fantastic.
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