THE SERVICE OF IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10598, 16 September 1896, Page 4

THE SERVICE OF IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE.

The Rev. W. H. Asb dolivored a lecture last night in the Howe street Hall in connection with the North Dunsoin Presbyterian Church Literary Society, oa the "Service of Imaginative Literature," there being a good attendance upon the oecaeion. Tho lecturer began by intimttirig that be b*d chosen the title ''Toe Service of Imaginative Literature," not becanse that exactly covered his subject, but because it was the most suitabie one he could find. H« did not confine hiimelf (o noveli and poetry, but he excluded pare!? philosophical, scientific, or historical literature. Writers of the sort he had in his mind were now exceedingly numerous, and he quoted Mr Trollope's opinion that they had more influence even than parents. Such writers sought to put the mind into leading strings, and their object was nttained when the reader identified himself with the charactc/s of the book being read. Moreover, the litterateur gave his readers a larger circle to live in and greatly increased a man's list of acquaintances, the friends of fiction being as real persona as one's friends of flesh and blood. It was exceedingly important, then, that if a man was to allow another to think for him and control his introductions that that man should be worthy in himself. He considered the literary man to be an artist, and he had all the artist's responsibilities. Art for art's sake.he condemned, and he quoted Bafikin,'Leighton, and Holman Hunt in favour of hie view. The artist, to be true, must see into the soul of things, and also hold things in their proportion. Many of our modern novelists failed seriously here. " Trilby " failed in this respect, though that book was not nearly as evil as many which were extant. There was, however, a great body of magnificent works which were worthy of the title given them by Phillips Brooks, "The Younger Brothers of the Bible," and the service they rendered—a service not equalled by similar works in any other language—was of a very noble sort.

The audisnee, which comprised a great many atudenti, expressed a hope that the Rev. Mr Ash would again favour the society with a similar lecture, and a cordial vote of thanks having been accorded him the meeting was brought to a close.