"Ta, Leranany Dyscariawn"—Dy Jol Erskine, Lontony Noah and Greys sons Bue, Oy met Everyboly who carey at books and wilting and: th care nothing are a rapidly diminishe ing host, in the human-tamily—would well to stuly Professor' Erskine' essays, They are not entirely. ensy reading; they are written In 80 smooth and: finished: a style that the careless fender will be apt to. the poing altogether; us one, somes times misses the points of speech delivered: in a very even, modulated voice. "I do not agree" personally, with all his theories; I think they fare too much influenced by an evide desire to combat certain tendency in American life to be wholly dise passionate, "But he has. always something to say, itis always worth saying, and it is-always well said, is the opinion of Mr, Sturt Hodgfon an expreted inthe. "Dally though: he a sense he: was not a nature
rate for thie out of the primrose iv Sri" ne? wae" through with" the Drimrore for the da Here isa very shrewd critieiam. very shrewdly expressed; but you, seo {from the first half' of this pai what I mean about Mr, Crab style. Tt is impeccable; it isl flowing; but it is not really Tarn on a page or two and you, will find another instance:
ly, tua of good people rouro 1 the Kit oP al, e'tnyy ce shoul Set out in that form the, point is obvious; but in its context at the jond of a long passage a careless reader might miss. it: which would be'a pity, for it is quite a good. one, There isa similarly shrewd "tele coped' criticism of the censorship. The Censor, he tells us, might 8 good Censor if he were a connois-Seur and a patron of ood poets and painters.
But, then, if you had the taste: for the ent no inducement." whatever would make you give your life to the detection of indecency.
The book is interesting to Europeans who care for literature on account of its indirect revelation of what happening in American literature But the admirable essay on Origiality would in any case justify it, 1 do not know that the real poet' function. could. be put more clearly than Professor Erakine puts it.
mankind. will isten to authentic poet snd "wil say 0 completes thole
somewhat. wit the "wontaa
th ever 1 did" told me all tha things
T should be happier about Professor Erskine's cannons of criticism if his examples were more con} 1g. But the criticism of The cenuneiatee hig tre ideas Ip diferent Segue wiienc, unit The author nim stvanged inthe Zoor "us seems to me a most extraordinary piece of perversity. The whole veal theme of the play—the heartrending tragedy of the man, who "does not belong" anywhere, ending with the final demonstration, fantasie and violent if you like but surely logical to the last possible point, that even the brutes disown his" felowsh seems deliberately and contempt: nously. ignored. If this is where the rules lead us we shall do better blind,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.