Current:

Tomahawk (1867-1870), 3rd October 1868, Edition 1 of 1, Page 147, TIIE ABUSE OF CRITICISM.

Page 147
Page 11
11 of 12

On this page

  • Departments (2)
    • TIIE ABUSE OF CRITICISM.
    • OJST CHINESE AMBASSADORS.
  • Text (5)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Stirring Signs Of The Times Abound. A "F...

      but is still that in " freedom the memories and peace of men " in , and 1868 there have been is very quite little up to doubt the mark they scored in 1867 . If nothing worse has happened at Berne than a few broken heads , a street row or two , and a slight addicion to the cases of" drunk and incapable , " the inhabitants of that mild but charming place are to be really congratulated . To scout , therefore , as utterly monstrous and frivolous meetings idiotic of nonsense this class about , where matters a set of of which unwashed they know nobodies absolutel spout y nothing , would be almost a waste of words . The thing is evias dent understood . But turning on the from banks the of blessings the Aar of to freedom the ambitious and peace - , gramme set before the world in the vicinity , of Charlotte street pro it is impossible not to acknowledge that the latter has a sort of , what purpose they about want it , . while These the gentlemen free and peac , it is eful to devotees be presumed most , know certainly do not . A return to the principles of 1792 , that is what Leicester square craves for , and hopes , too , to bring about by a little occasional savage spouting and a good deal of indifferent French . their Fortunatel being very y for successful the peace at of the present world . , France there is , no according chance to of their views , may not be the pleasantest place to live in : for things and gentlemen are very who dear are , society enthusiastic generall about y is bent the guillotine on being are quiet not , much in favour with the Government . It is a matter for conpol gratulation yte are far that better such is off the in case le . Al Great phonse -Vindmill , Jules - , street and H and ypthereabouts than they would be if figuring away in a fresh " Convention " and repeating the atrocities of Barere and the Mountain . fact loves Le . Leicester It mark is very at sguarr billiards ungrateful , howe and . ver do , It a oug hundred is ht all to owed be and reminde to one consp other d ire of , little one sell g things , inseparably associated , with Afossooand all thistooon good British soil . As it happens , then , the , principles , of 1792 , were rather of an unfriendly character to this country . " War to National the death Convention against every . " Humanity English soldier consists , " cried in exterminating Barere to the our enemies . No mercy to the execrable English . Such are when the sentiments victory places of the Englishmen true Frenchman at your . mercy Soldiers strike of ! liberty None , of them must return to the servile soil of Great Britain ; none before must pollute us , what the wonder free soil that of we France congratulate ! " With ourselves this princi on the ple fact that patriotism is obliged to relinquish its more arduous and duties oth and er humbl take to e but selling not chocolate unlucrative drops pursuits , small . J ^< oking 3 / 2 " -keep apart ing , , if free this soil is " the of Fitzroy meaning square of 1792 . , it really almost " pollutes the

      October 3, 1868/} The Tomaha Wk. 147

      October 3 , 1868 /} THE TOMAHA WK . 147

      Tiie Abuse Of Criticism.

      TIIE ABUSE OF CRITICISM .

      Critics To Pretend Of The Present A Beli...

      critics To pretend of the present a belief day in would the imp be artiality a stretch or of efficiency faithof of which the , we the are sort not of likel poth y ouse to be cliqueism guilty . which We have is the too first often , if not pointed the onl out y , our requisite contemporaries of the literary . We and know dramatic what Brown critics ' s attached opinion . of many Smith of ' s " play or Jones ' s novel will be before he writes it j in factthe has wonder could not be con is filled that trived up some according to hit bri on ght some to intellect the sim nature p among le lithograp of the these work h literary form to be , which criti stars , - l cised abour , . and so course save the it is critics very difficult a great dea a l of writer unnecessary in the Saturday manual Review to criticise one of Mr . Beresford Hope ' s speeches or one impar of tia Mr l and . Palgrave acute j s ud delicious gment as nursery he would rhyme doubtless s , with the bring same to bear on any outsider s work . But partiality is one thing , gross m other isrepresentation . At the risk , whether of alluding laudatory once more or condemn to the atory Prize , is Holy an- - cri well ticism street of N " ovel Sweet of Anne the Page year , " we in a will cert draw ain periodical attention , which to a the once Horace was happy of the enoug nineteenth h to number century , among . its Here chief is the contributors opening paragraph : — " On taking up ' Sweet Anne Page' we were delighted to find

      Critics To Pretend Of The Present A Beli...

      but that of it Mortimer was the work Collins , not , the of Wilkie brilliant Collins , the , poetical the dull . " , the prosaic , This is pretty good to start with ; but all that we will now remark is , that if Mr . Wilkie Collins has as much right to the title of dull as Mr . Mortimer Collins has to that of brilliant , he must be one of the most interesting writers that we possess . sition The to critic Rousseau further ' s on definition defines which a good he novel has , quoted somewhat : — in oppo" A good novel is , as it seems to us , a novel which has the effect of stimulating the intellectual faculties of the reader . " Here it seems , in applying this definition to " Sweet Anne Page , " the writer has confused the intellects with the senses . " It may leave actions him at disposed all . The to essential perform good thing actions is that , bad it should actions awaken , or no attention , excite emotion , engender thought . " That " Sweet Anne Page" fully comes up to this standard of perfection we admit . It certainly does " awaken attention" most unpleasantly to the fact that such a novel exists as " Sweet Anne Page , " and that such an Act exists as Lord Campbell ' s Act , and that the latter is unfortunately not brought to bear on the former . It " excites emotion " most decidedly , and very strong emotion ming too , in led " which the first two re of s the ult of elements which of emotion passion is , a fire wi and sh to water fling , are the filthy book , into the fire , and the next to fling any amount of cold water on the efforts of its author to force it into notoriety . It " engenders thought , " too , of a profound if not of an agreeable kind : it makes us think who the people are that of their own free will read such detestable trash as this book .

      It We is impossible do not wish , that bit b any y bit man , to wade can have throug read h this the criticism bookand ( J ) . have honestly written such an opinion of it , unless he is utterly , destitute of a sense of purity and truth . Imagine any sane and decent person writing of " Sweet Anne Page " that " for those grace who can , there appreciat is the e poetry entire , work every , which literary is form interesting , and every , engag literary ing , and , above all , inspiriting , from beginning to end . " Inspiritthan ing ! to To see a a healthy combination -minded of man pruriency , what can and be ribald more blasp depressing hemy put forward by a respectable publisher in such a form that it is likel and y the , with thoughtless its deceitful , who title at , any to fall rate into ought the to hands be protected of the young from the danger of imbibing such poison under the guise of an " interesting" and " engaging" novel 1 We have only heard as yet of two journals which have had the bad taste to admit a laudatory notice of this work into their columns ; we cannot see unimportant without deep instances sorrow the ; we office cannot of critic allow so such debased a fraud , even upon in such the public to be uttered by any print , without raising our voice in protest against a system which allows the mutual toadyism of vulgar boon companions to intrude itself on however small a portion of the reading world , under the guise of criticism . If would Mr . Mortimer prove their Collins friendship 's friends much must better review by telling his novels the , truth they , decency however and coar morali sely , than ty as " encouraging Sweet Anne him Page in . " such outrages on

      Ojst Chinese Ambassadors.

      OJST CHINESE AMBASSADORS .

      Thorns Anybody , Tea Or Interested Chop-...

      thorns Anybody , tea or interested chop-sticks in must the respective be glad to prices hear of of paper advent Ian of - are Chin g - lad chi- to choong say , - arrive jett-facheu d , and * for Th what e Chinese we know Ambass to the ador contrary has , we may at this moment be lodging in company with many other worthy and distinguished foreigners at that world-renowned establishment Princes street , VHdtel Leicester Imperial . de Cranbotcrne et du Louvre ' , the Where nature his of Excellency , his ultimate w square ill duties eventuall , it migh y put t be up , perhaps or what at will this be mer moment efforts indelicat of a di loma hint tic character But still , from bearing the Court mind of Pekin e forwe cannot help indulging p in the gloomiest—of course purely , from a political point of view—forebodings as to the future wi awaiting th the most Chiti- exal chi- t choong ed intenti -jeu o - ns facheu , and . has Doubtless in his portfolio he has come some dozen treaties only awaiting the signature of her Majesty ; but who can fathom the destinies of a Chinese Ambassador in England ? How long will it be before he appears precisely at a quarter to ten every evening at the Alhambra in the cele-

  • Citation
    • Tomahawk (1867-1870), Oct. 3, 1868, page 147, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/t/issues/ttw_03101868/page/11/