LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20328, 29 August 1931, Page 11

LITERARY GOSSIP.

In Mr John Cann Bailey, who died on June 29th at the aga of sixty-seven, we have lost a literary critic of rare distinction, said a recent editorial paragraph in the "Spectator." A Norwich man, he was educated at. Haileybury and New College, Oxford, and was called to the Bar, bat he gava his life to the study and interpretation of our great writers. His un signed articles in the "Times Literary Supplement'' had for years delighted many readers; some of these articles were reprinted in "The Continuity of Letters" and "Poets and Poetry." Among his other books was a good edition of Cowper. Mr Bailey in his youth tried without success to enter the House of Commons. He found scope for his organising ability and his wish to render some service to the community in the National Trust, of which he had long been chairman of the executive. Many of the gifts of land and buildings which have come to the Trust were directly attributable to Mr Bailey's persuasive enthusiasm for this great cause.

The Sunday "Observer" recently quoted the following news paragraph, and offered a prize for the best translation into the manner of Thomas Cariyle: Barcelona is almost the only city in southern bpain where religioua buildings hav» not been ravaged. Minor incidents, however, occurred. A woman cried "Long live the King." Th«> ciov.-d beat hsr, and when the Civic Guard arrived she was made to cry out, "Long liv« the Republic," though she had tears in lier eyes. She was then ordered to write tb» words with paint on a plate-glass window, and had to repeat it several times befor* the crowd was satisfied with the size of th» characters in which she wrote the words. The prize was awarded to the following version: Barcelona, indeed, maintaineth her calm — remaineth unmoved through Hubbub o; Monarchism and Turmoil of Anii-ilohireb-ism. Incident but one is reported thenee. Dark-eyed damsel raises shrill cry, "iiivo the King!" Sans-Culottism seizes her—maltreats her. Is there no Quixote, in Barcelona? The clamour brings the Civie Guard. "Help!" No help here; maiden must recant! She obeys—dark eyes tearftlled. "Live the Republic!" "Not enough!" shouts Sans-Culottism. She' must write it. Where? On haberdasher's plate-glass window; witK workman's forgotten wliite-pa.iiit-pot and brush! "Write agaia—write.larger!" Pour times does she write before fifani-Culat-tism is satisfied. The reissue of Mr Middleton Murrys literary criticisms will be welcomed by niany tedders, foi- v6ry little th&t been written in this century respondfl more faithfully to his bwn bf the ideai in critical intferpretatibii: The {unction oi criticism Is primarily the function, of literature itself,, ..to provide'*® means of , self-expression |or the critic.. He . . . stands or falls by the stability, of his truth, and necessarily by his skill in communicating his troth. .. . It:Is not, or ought not .to he possible for a, critic ; fco play,, the traitor to ..his art in order to get a bigger audience for his raree-show. Beicinse. • sculptor knows thai, sculpture .Is.,not popular, he does not pflint moustaches (in his figures or plant billycock hats on the top of their Heads. . . . A work o,f literature may possess significance of various, .kind?; itmay have historical, ethical,, or aesthetic .significance. . . A critic is bound to fav# * predisposition towards one of these kinds cf significance; he will be. predominantly ■an historian like Sainte-Beuve, a moralist like Matthew Arnold, or a technician lite Dr. Bridges. He ought to be aware of his predisposition and, alert to prevent it from running away with .bin,.* • Once criticism ia accepted as an independent, literary, art ther* need be no heart-searching among critics because they have so little practical influence on the sale of books. . . . The critic should be conscious of himself as an artist., Ha should be aware of the responsibilities Imposed by his art; he should respect the technique of his craft. . . . Above all, la these modern' times, he should not be insincere in praise.

The first series of his essays, gathered under the general title of, pnet of Ma books, "Countries, of the Mirid,;'' has just bee®, issued by the Oxford University Press.

Mr W. Chapman, In a recent letter to the "Times Literary Supplement," commented on the df f&Ssimile reprihts. ; He had received & prospectus of a proposed reprint of .Edgar Allan Poe's "Xamarlane,'' which is supposed, in the words of l*i piitilishers. "to reproduce completely all details of the pamphlet including the original covers," at twenty shillings a copy, and his fears were aroused. "Are. not the publishers," he asked, "courting unnecessary risksf If they are successful in theifr ifltentioiiij how is a (Suitably sailed and frayed) eopy to be distinguished froin the authentic piecef When I designed the modest series of type-facsimiles published by the Oxford University Press, I was advised of the dangers, and I have been eareful print facsimile, with a date, in a place (usually the verso of the title-page) froin which it would he difficult to remove it. But a simpler and more adequate precaution is the use of s paper with an unambiguous modem watermark." Mr Chapman 'a fear does hot rest on mere supposition. A few years ago several colletf id./s were by a facsimile of an eu-.y work of Shelley.

In a recent symposium on the relation between science and religion Professor L. P. Jacks leaves reconciliation to the future. It v?ill take care of itself, he thinks, if sciencS aM religion honestly take care of their own business.

Such ' being the nature of the conflict, how can it be. brought to an end! In ane way only, |o tar as I «»& , each tide resolutely iolig ( on, with . jnini, .wsgk. (be one bf affirming, troth against. error, the other of affirming good against evil, making no attempt to force a verbal reconciliation, but confident that the deeper they get into their btigin&s the nearer will approach one another, until, finally they meet at tha eam„e have been serving the lime canto and Obeying the same ,inaster. . . . Let none .of as imagine, as injray did in the liii century, that the . progress of msufcind li going to be a walk-over, or a comfortable ride home on., the s beck of a, friendly monßter named "evolution." There W.l}l. be hard fl|litrng all along the line. Arid when the prize Is wan. if ever it should be, valiant men will ctiU be needed to , risk .their, .ftll in guarding the from corijiption , spioliationThen, as now, coiirage. mil be oar only security, both for science and for religion.

In the old days, Sayii Mr Comptos Mackenzie, the yoting author set ontfull of ambition to write novels, but first of all served a long and weary apprenticeship some obseure provincial newspaper. Nowadays he becomes a novelist right awa£. iia,. tt he writes one bit two books, he event ually becomes a journalist.

"lies Nouvelles Lltteraires" reports that Beriiatd Shaw paid k recent visit to Paris. Accompanied by his wife he attended a performance of his "Apple Cart," which was running at the Theatre des Arts. He wis recognised by the actors and prevailed upon to say S few words before the curtain. He remarked that Georges Pito2ff had pltiyed his Kiiig Magnus aa "democratically" as he could have wished, and much more bo than had been the case in Ilhgldrid, Poland and Gerinany. Another member of the same audience was the Soviet Ambassador. M. Dovgal ewsky, wh<j is reported to have tppkwUd &ps*§do&TO]jt,