Year: 1873

DABBLERS.


NJ Ernest Renan makes an acute observation
in his "Anti-Chnst," in reference to the e.
forts of the Emperor Nero, and, we may ADD,
the Emperor Napoleon III, to be considered
rather artists and litterateurs than rulers. He
says: Nothing 80 fatters the vanity OF men
"of the world who interest themselves IN let
"ters and art, as the thought that they could
"makea a living by them, if they were compelled
"to." Nero valued limselfmOre highly upon his
voice than upon his throne. The late Em-
pcror of the French resented more bitterly the
neglect of the Academy who would not
regard him as a man Of letters, than he
did his exclusion from the Faubourg st. Ger
main which refused to consider him a gentle
man. But with all this desire for the prizes
and rewards of art, it is the fixed impression
of this class of minds that proficiency in art
is an accomplishment to be duly appreciated
always but that it is much more admirable in
an amateur than in a professional artist.


A singular fact was noticeable, during the
course of the long fight which ended in the
destruction Of Slavery, that the negro-min-
strels, men who passed their lives in inge-
nious and laborious efforts to the speech,
the songs, and the dances Of the slaves, were
the most savage enemies the cause of emanci-
patton found anywhere. Every song, every
Joke, every burlesque contributed its own little
blow TO the fight in favor of Slavery. The
men continually vilifed and carcatured
wcro Horace Greeley, Wendell Phillips,
and later Abraham Lincoln The amateur
"niggern felt a scorn unspeakable, a hatred
beyond limits, for the real One 1t is some
thing similar which tho dabbler in literature
and art feels for the man who makes busi-
ness of it, 1t is true that Cardinal RiChelieu
dreaded the sentence Of the little poets to
whom he read his verses, but he would have
made short work of any one of them who
presumed to treat him as colleague.
When Alexandre q Dumas addressed
note to the same Emperor Napoleon
to whom we have referred, calling him "my
"dear colleaguen all the Tuileries people
were scandalized and shocked at his presump-
ton. Yet this was the greatest and most un-
deserved compliment which Louis Donaparte
ever received in his life. Baron Minch-
Bellinghausen wrote several clever plays. He
valued his theatrical reputation highly, but
never allowed himself to be mentioned as the





as Count Auersperg was always annoyed at
having his poems ascribed to any one but
Anastasius Grim.


One is not surprised to find in this class Of
society remnant of that savage feudal pride
which held the clerk person SO far below
the knight that there could be no community
Of thought or interest between them. II was
once thought beneath gentleman to be able
to write his name. But there are a great
many gentlemen now, I" a mob" of them, one
writer has said, "who write with ease.' The
world would lose little if they would stop
writing but ttheidea cannot be beaten out of their
heads that the world would be vastly benefited
if something would happen to make them
write more. Of course, they never WILL If
they do, it will be declined with thanks by
any publisher in his senses. But they go
through life thinking that if they chose they
could push all the regular boolmakcrs from
their stools. There are stock brokers who never
read their morning paper without feeling that
they could write better leaders. There are
languid youths at the Knickerbockcr Club
who could give Mr.. Collins some valuable
points for his next novel. There arc
dilettante idlers who go a step further, aud
try to prove their opinion of themselves by
some slight excursion into the realm of
literature, writing monograph upon the
"Tea-Water Pump" or a sketch Of some an
cestor who left voluminOus scrap-boOk.
When such a work as this is prettily printed
and bound the author and his lady friends
are confirmed in their estimate of his capacity,
and foresee, for few blissful days, his storm
ing of the gates of fame. OF course nobody
buys his volume, and he attributes 1t to ms
incapacity to engage in the sordid arts OF
catchpenny advertising.


There is an absurdity in the very terms OF
these dabblers When man thinks he could
be a man of letters if he would, he decelves
himself. 1t is nearer the truth to say, If he
can be man of letters, he must There is no
resisting this vocation. Many so into the ca
reer who have no call, but none resist to whom
the call arrives. There Is no pursuit SO poorly
Maid in proportion to the labor done and the force
expendcd stock broker Will make more
money in day than n poet in year, AMI VIII
then sit down TO his meat and drink with !