american literary centers-第3节

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quality；　there　is　leaven；　but　not　for　so　large　a　lump。　　It　may　be　that
New　York　is　going　to　be　our　literary　centre；　as　London　is　the　literary
centre　of　England；　by　gathering　into　itself　all　our　writing　talent；　but
it　has　by　no　means　done　this　yet。　　What　we　can　say　is　that　more　authors
come　here　from　the　West　and　South　than　go　elsewhere；　but　they　often　stay
at　home；　and　I　fancy　very　wisely。　　Mr。　Joel　Chandler　Harris　stays　at
Atlanta；　in　Georgia；　Mr。　James　Whitcomb　Riley　stays　at　Indianapolis；　Mr。
Maurice　Thompson　spent　his　whole　literary　life；　and　General　Lew。　Wallace
still　lives　at　Crawfordsville；　Indiana；　Mr。　Madison　Cawein　stays　at
Louisville；　Kentucky；　Miss　Murfree　stays　at　St。　Louis；　Missouri；　Francis
R。　Stockton　spent　the　greater　part　of　the　year　at　his　place　in　West
Virginia；　and　came　only　for　the　winter　months　to　New　York；　Mr。　Edward
Bellamy；　until　his　failing　health　exiled　him　to　the　Far　West；　remained　at
Chicopee；　Massachusetts；　and　I　cannot　think　of　one　of　these　writers　whom
it　would　have　advantaged　in　any　literary　wise　to　dwell　in　New　York。　　He
would　not　have　found　greater　incentive　than　at　home；　and　in　society　he
would　not　have　found　that　literary　tone　which　all　society　had；　or　wished
to　have；　in　Boston　when　Boston　was　a　great　town　and　not　yet　a　big　town。

In　fact；　I　doubt　if　anywhere　in　the　world　there　was　ever　so　much　taste
and　feeling　for　literature　as　there　was　in　that　Boston。　　At　Edinburgh　（as
I　imagine　it）　there　was　a　large　and　distinguished　literary　class；　and　at
Weimar　there　was　a　cultivated　court　circle；　but　in　Boston　there　was　not
only　such　a　group　of　authors　as　we　shall　hardly　see　here　again　for
hundreds　of　years；　but　there　was　such　regard　for　them　and　their　calling；
not　only　in　good　society；　but　among　the　extremely　well…read　people　of　the
whole　intelligent　city；　as　hardly　another　community　has　shown。　　New　York；
I　am　quite　sure；　never　was　such　a　centre；　and　I　see　no　signs　that　it　ever
will　be。　　It　does　not　influence　the　literature　of　the　whole　country　as
Boston　once　did　through　writers　whom　all　the　young　writers　wished　to
resemble；　it　does　not　give　the　law；　and　it　does　not　inspire　the　love　that
literary　Boston　inspired。　　There　is　no　ideal　that　it　represents。

A　glance　at　the　map　of　the　Union　will　show　how　very　widely　our　smaller
literary　centres　are　scattered；　and　perhaps　it　will　be　useful　in
following　me　to　other　more　populous　literary　centres。　　Dropping　southward
from　New　York；　now；　we　find　ourselves　in　a　literary　centre　of　importance
at　Philadelphia；　since　that　is　the　home　of　Mr。　J。　B。　McMasters；　the
historian　of　the　American　people；　of　Mr。　Owen　Wister；　whose　fresh　and
vigorous　work　I　have　mentioned；　and　of　Dr。　Weir　Mitchell；　a　novelist　of
power　long　known　to　the　better　public；　and　now　recognized　by　the　larger
in　the　immense　success　of　his　historical　romance；　Hugh　Wynne。

If　I　skip　Baltimore；　I　may　ignore　a　literary　centre　of　great　promise；　but
while　I　do　not　forget　the　excellent　work　of　Johns　Hopkins　University　in
training　men　for　the　solider　literature　of　the　future；　no　Baltimore　names
to　conjure　with　occur　to　me　at　the　moment；　and　we　must　really　get　on　to
Washington。　　This；　till　he　became　ambassador　at　the　Court　of　St。　James；
was　the　home　of　Mr。　John　Hay；　a　poet　whose　biography　of　Lincoln　must　rank
him　with　the　historians；　and　whose　public　service　as　Secretary　of　State
classes　him　high　among　statesmen。　　He　blotted　out　one　literary　centre　at
Cleveland；　Ohio；　when　he　removed　to　Washington；　and　Mr。　Thomas　Nelson
Page　another　at　Richmond；　Virginia；　when　he　came　to　the　national　capital。
Mr。　Paul　Dunbar；　the　first　negro　poet　to　divine　and　utter　his　race；
carried　with　him　the　literary　centre　of　Dayton；　Ohio；　when　he　came　to　be
an　employee　in　the　Congressional　Library；　and　Mr。　Charles　Warren
Stoddard；　in　settling　at　Washington　as　Professor　of　Literature　in　the
Catholic　University；　brought　somewhat　indirectly　away　with　him　the　last
traces　of　the　old　literary　centre　at　San　Francisco。

A　more　recent　literary　centre　in　the　Californian　metropolis　went　to
pieces　when　Mr。　Gelett　Burgess　came　to　New　York　and　silenced　the　'Lark'；
a　bird　of　as　new　and　rare　a　note　as　ever　made　itself　heard　in　this　air；
but　since　he　has　returned　to　California；　there　is　hope　that　the　literary
centre　may　form　itself　there　again。　　I　do　not　know　whether　Mrs。　Charlotte
Perkins　Stetson　wrecked　a　literary　centre　in　leaving　Los　Angeles　or　not。
I　am　sure　only　that　she　has　enriched　the　literary　centre　of　New　York　by
the　addition　of　a　talent　in　sociological　satire　which　would　be
extraordinary　even　if　it　were　not　altogether　unrivalled　among　us。

Could　one　say　too　much　of　the　literary　centre　at　Chicago？　　I　fancy；　yes；
or　too　much；　at　least；　for　the　taste　of　the　notable　people　who　constitute
it。　　In　Mr。　Henry　B。　Fuller　we　have　reason　to　hope；　from　what　he　has
already　done；　an　American　novelist　of　such　greatness　that　he　may　well
leave　being　the　great　American　novelist　to　any　one　who　likes　taking　that
role。　　Mr。　Hamlin　Garland　is　another　writer　of　genuine　and　original　gift
who　centres　at　Chicago；　and　Mrs。　Mary　Catherwood　has　made　her　name　well
known　in　romantic　fiction。　　Miss　Edith　Wyatt　is　a　talent；　newly　known；　of
the　finest　quality　in　minor　fiction；　Mr。　Robert　Herrick；　Mr。　Will　Payne
in　their　novels；　and　Mr。　George　Ade　and　Mr。　Peter　Dump　in　their　satires
form　with　those　named　a　group　not　to　be　matched　elsewhere　in　the　country。
It　would　be　hard　to　match　among　our　critical　journals　the　'Dial'　of
Chicago；　and　with　a　fair　amount　of　publishing　in　a　sort　of　books　often　as
good　within　as　they　are　uncommonly　pretty　without；　Chicago　has　a　claim　to
rank　with　our　first　literary　centres。

It　is　certainly　to　be　reckoned　not　so　very　far　below　London；　which；　with
Mr。　Henry　James；　Mr。　Harry　Harland；　and　Mr。　Bret　Harte；　seems　to　me　an
American　literary　centre　worthy　to　be　named　with　contemporary　Boston。
Which　is　our　chief　literary　centre；　however；　I　am　not；　after　all；　ready
to　say。　　When　I　remember　Mr。　G。　W。　Cable；　at　Northampton；　Massachusetts；
I　am　shaken　in　all　my　preoccupations；　when　I　think　of　Mark　Twain；　it
seems　to　me　that　our　greatest　literary　centre　is　just　now　at　Riverdale…
on…the…Hudson。








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