LIBER'S NOTEBOOK

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 140, 8 March 1919, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTEBOOK

In Dcfence of Journalism, There is a tendency nowadays, certain writers, to belittle mocloin jottrnalism, to sneer at it as "un-literary," to represent, it as being too "scrappy." 'J'lio case for tlie defence is put very ably by Sir Edward Cook in • a; chapter ou "Literature.ami Jlodern Journalism" in- his recently-piiblishcd boolc, "Literary "fU'crcatiuns." Sir Edward. Cook was, it may bo remembered, (lie editor of . the "fall Mall Olascotte'," and afterwards edited I ho hioiiumentiti Library Mil ion of iiuskin. Sir ftlwnft! 'admits a certain superficiality in the lal.ter-day newspaper, .but, as lie points out, evoil were it_ possible (o produce a newspaper written solely by experts, hardly anybody would Tend it. "The journalist," he eays slamlß in a. middle, position between the expert ami the complete, ignoramus. When he starts upon a .subject lie often knows very'little about it. .but-lie. sometimes picks up much <is he (toes aloiisr. 11l this respect f do not . know that journalism is very unlike a gnoil deal of. literature. Sir Edward has even a Rood-word to say for the "scrappy," "snippet" journalism, nowadays so popular. He says: Perhaps the best, .that can be said of scrappy journalism is that it affords to millions of people an im'ioceril pastime. Hut does that constitute <111 offence against'.literature!' -From some of the tirades levelled against it'olto'might sup-

poso that the fascination of "Tit-Hits" and its like had seduced seriouß minds from immensities, mid that if the greiu 11111 ]] i 0 -\vero .not pea dine., daily scraps and weekly- snippets it would lie into over and ever new editions all the weighty books that now miES that felicity. Hut tlio fact surely is that-the journalism of scraps is read to-day hy .peoplo who in on earlier generation would have read, nothing at all.. 1 But ■is it; not an open-'question whether peoplo would bo better- off did they read nothing at all rather than tlio tawdry stuff which is retailed so plentifully by the class of periodical which the Jlarnisworths and Pearsons and their trade imitators and rivals' have brought into existence? At ils best this "snippet" journalism savours to me of mere "mental dram drinking." That English journalism, even in the immediate pre-, war.decade, hiul sadly-degenerated-1 do not think Sir .lid-ward-Cook would deny. Victorian- journalism may have.■ been a little stodgy, but ijt least it was, in the main, laudably free from the sordid commercialism and the blatant vulgarity of so much that, passes for-journalism to-doy in the Old Country, Stray Leaves.

Clever Mr. Barry Pain suggests, I. .see, | in his Futurist bonk that" in .time to j como novels should be in four classes— j mild (grey cover), medium (pink cover), | full (blue'cover), extra-strength (asbestos j cover). "Books in the asbestos class," lie j savs, "will not be accepted at the; libraries of tho cash; chemists, iii spite of j the'fact that sal-volatile and other rosto-.| ralives are ready at hand on tlio pre-. j mines.'' It would seem, relates ' Barry I. Pain, that a young man was-sent, by-his , aunt—from whom' he; had expectations— to select' ii- book for her at tho' library, | Ho chose a novel, entitled ""Tile Vicar SI Voice," tlio title presenting such surance of safely that he iiiade no inrtlier examination. It proved to be liko Mr. Arnold Bennett's highly popular., work "Tho Pretty Lady," and on file following day his aunt executed a codicil and refused'to accept an' apology. ■'An asbestos or even a blue cover would havo prevented this catastrophe. "lim Hay,"' otherwise Major Tan Hay Beitlii the popular Sdots novelist, seems to have established himself in firm popularity in tlio United States as a .'lecturer. In the winter of '1917-18 - ho raised'- 'no less tliaii .£2BOO for" various patriotic funds, as well as doing useful- work in explaining to, American audiences tho true nienniiig'of Britain's national effort, in tho war. ' In December last lie commenced a second lengthy lecturing miir. in tho States/ Another British novelist who is now lecturing in America ;is dhe Very Rev. Monsignor Bicke.rstnffo' Drew, better known by his pen name of' ''John Ayswmgh." " .' That clever literary gossiper, /Penguin," who was at olio time a contributor, to "Tho Nation,"-has transferred his-ac-tivities to'the "Observer," a London Sunday paper*'which'lias always been-famous for the attention "it pays to literary matters. In' a'recent causerie, "Penguin" gossips agreeably upon a" collection of novels "written by men who have, won their fnmo in fields other than fiction.' .. In his list apnear Corlyle's 'unfinish-. Ed romance, "Wolton Reinfriod," wliicli first appeared in 1527. and is now accessible in" "The Last Words of Carlvle"; John Sterling's thrcc-volumo novel, "Arthur Coningsby"; and Frederick Denison Maurice's "Eustaco Conway." In tho last-named there .was a singularly uii- : pleasant character entitled - "Captain Marryat."-Tho author of "Peter Simple," essentially a choleric-individual, waxed very wrath, and had to bo solemnly assured by Maurice that tlio uso. of this namo was purely accidental. Pew people' know that* Fronde, tho historian, wrote two other novels besides "Tho Chief of Duiiboy," which appeared when ho was. comparatively an old man. Ono was "The Lieutenant's, Daughter!'; the other was entitled "Shadows, of tho Clouds," and issnid to be largely autobiographical.' Dean Hook (Theodore Hook's • brother) wroto a brace of rovels, and. Lord Brougham Was responsible for a romance entitled "Albert^Luiiel," which lio tried hard to suppress. Renan's ."Patrice," Taino's unfinished "Etienne Mayran," aro quoted by "Penguin," ns. also the usually slaid and sober Sainte ; Beuvo's "Volupte," tlio story of the gieat French critic's love affair with Madamo Victor- Hugo. I do not often- comc ; across tlio London "Observer," but for "Penguin's" .articles alono it is'Well-.worth looking,- lip by bookmen. ' . The egregious self-conceit of'tbe pyernge German professor is by this time world notorious, but it is too generally assumed that.Him megalomania had its origin in the victories of 1870. As « matter of fact the egotistical and conceited professorial Frit/, of tp-day is. no worse than his forefathers ..of .over a. hundred years ago. A, correspondent' of the New-York "Nation" writes to-say that lio has unearthed a curious anecdote in an old book, "Exercises to the Rules, and Construction of French .Speech," by Lewis Chamband, published in London in 1801. ■ Tho anecdote reads as follows:—"A Gorman doctor in an assembly where he wanted to refute Rousseau's satire against sciences -and arts thus .began his speech: 'Brethren, wcro

Socrates lo como back among us, and were, ho to kco tlio nourishing situation in which the sciences a\& in Europe, wliynlo I say Europe? in Germany; why do'l sav Germany? in Saxony;' why do T. shy"Saxony? at Leipzig; why do I say at Leipzig.? in this university. Then,, slnick-with astonishment, and awed with respect, 'Socrates would . sit down.anion;,' our scholars; and;-receiving our. lessons with humility, would soon lose among us (hat ignorance ho so justly complained of.'"