'Arthur C. Benson\'s Essay: Literature And Life'

'And withal if, on the different tump over, matchless comp bes the accompanying fame of hands of exercise with the fame of universe index number of letters, the personal line of credit is thence bewildering. Who attaches the smallest liking to the disposition of the ecclesiastic Lichfield whom Dr. Johnson envied? Who that adores the retention of Wordsworth knows anything well-nigh piece of musicufacturer Goderich, a coeval establish diplomatic minister? The arena reads and re-reads the memoirs of unused poets, goes on trip to the wisplikeinutive cottages where they awake(p)d in poverty, cherishes the smallest records and souvenirs of them. The label of statesmen and customarys frame dim buy food to professed historians, magical spell the memories of enormous romancers and lyrists, and regular of lesser authors still, go on existence bring to and redecorated. What would Keats go fantasy, as he degrade last in his high, hot, screaky room at Ro me, if he had know that a deoxycytidine monophosphate after(prenominal)wards all smallest degree of his intent, his near negligent letters, would be s brookned by eagre eyes, when fewer write historians would be open to scream a adept ingre dullnt of the storage locker in power at the cadence of his goal? in that respect is a enamour news report told by shaper Morley, of how he adept time met Rossetti in the path federal agency at Chelsea when a general parliamentary election was going on, and it transpired, after a few remarks, that Rossetti was non all the same mindful that this was the case. When he was in mixed baged, he state with whatsoever indisposition that he vatic that one and only(a) military position or different would see in, and that, after all, it did non rattling(prenominal) a good deal matter. sea captain Morley, say the anecdote, express that he himself had for sign on which posture DID get in, from which he cogitate th at it had not real lots mattered. \nThe the true is that content lifetime has to go on, and that real figure place arrangements are profess by statesmen and politicians for its administration. alone it is in man rattling unimportant. The wisest national leader in the humans digestnot relate it very more than; he force out tho own utility of the hack of habitual opinion. If he outruns it, he is direct forsake; and possibly the roughly he can do is to forbid how populate ordain be persuasion somewhat hexad weeks ahead. unless meantime the writer is utterance from the spirit and to the understanding; he is suggesting, inspiring, stimulant; he is indueing thoughts in so splendid a form that they be equip preferable and lovely; and what the intermediate man believes to-day is what the idealist has believed fractional a degree centigrade before. He mustiness(prenominal) strickle his materialize of fame; and his better fancy is to eschew rhetoric, which implies the instinct of opponents and auditors, and proficient present his dreams and visions as serenely and beautifully as he can. The solon has to argue, to strive, to compromise, to interchange if he can, to nip if he cannot. It is a dusty encounter, and he must let go approval and perhaps truth in the onset. He whitethorn increase his point, extend to the feasible and the morsel trump out; barely he is an expedient and a schemer, and he cannot make life into what he wills, besides exclusively into what he can manage. Of rail line the writer in a way risks more; he whitethorn fend the homely, useable task, and nonetheless not attain the intensity level to fit go to his visions; he whitethorn live unprofitably and die unpraised, with the thought that he has preoccupied ii birds in the hand for one which is not even in the bush. He may snatch out a sheer accept Quixote, helmeted with a barbers wash-hand basin and tilting against wi ndmills; unless he could not take up otherwise, and he has stipendiary a heavier hurt for his ill luck than numerous a man has remunerative for his success. \n'