CHAP. I

A Daniel Come to Judgment.

THE AUTHOll OF BORROWED AND STOLEN FEATHERS."

( WriUen for iJie Mornmg Chronicle, 2dlh November, 1878.)

Criticism, as an art, may be praetised eifchor wlth great advantasre or great détriment to a national literaturo. In comparatively young countries, like Canada, where literary material is not over abundant, nor remarkable for variety, great care should be taken to avoid the encouragement of a spirit hostile to literary enterprise in any of its legitimate departmeats. Few industrious and talented authors can be expected in any young, struggling community like ours, tho vast majoriîy of the membersof which must d3Vot8 ail their tima and abilities to the dry, practical work of winning a bare subsistence. With us the necessary, the indispensable occupations must needs absorb by far tho greater portion of our énergies ; yet our moral and intalleotual interests demand as much attention as \vo can spare to so refining and enlightening a pursuit as literature — a word of comprehensive raeaning. Even of the sraall numbor who possess the taste, time and information qualifying them for authorship, but few can be expected to appear in tho character of originality In one sensé, indeed, no historian — however fertile and brilliant-can lay claim to this quality, since he mainly deals with materials, in the shape of memoirs, antiquities and ancientor modcrn records of ail sorts the products of the most varied intellects, digesting, combining and arranging them in the manner thought most suitable for his purpose. Now the raen who quarry and hew th3 différent stones of an édifice are as indispensable as the workmen wbo place them in their designed positions, thus carrying out the architect's most skilful and symmetrical plans. Each set does useful work, being mutually complemcntary and helpful. Mr. LeMoine, the author of The Chronicles of the St. Lawrence, as an antiquarian, explorer and chronicler, bas done a great dcal to rescue many of our earJy legends and historical épisodes from oblivion, and to make the life, manners and circumstances of Canadians of tho olden, and even of later times, better known and appreciated than was otherwise possible. Tourists from ail lands, and writers on Cauadian and American history, biographcrs and littérateurs of every class have acknowledged the value of the materials so abundantly garnered in his sketch-books. Now, this gentleman, while not pluming himself upon wonderful oi-iginality, has undeniably rendered good service to Canadian letters. His compilations présent the best points and beauties, practical andfancifui, of many Works inaccessible to the gênerai reader. It would, therefore, appear anything but gênerons to applaud bitter, spiteful attacks on this author. Thèse remarks are suggested by the brochure "Borrowed and Stolen Feathers ; or a Giance through Mr. J. M. LeMoine's latést work — The Chronicles of the St. Lawrence," by J. P. Tardivel. The critic displays characteristic, innate modesty and the spirit pervading his pamphlet, in a passage on page 7, as follows : —

"The Gazette, the Mercury, and the Canadian Monthly having more than exhausted ail that is to bs said in favor of the Chrouidefi, I deem it meet that tho public should be shown the other side of the raedal, as the French say. And as no one seems inclined to perform this rather délicate opération, I, who am accustomed to the frowns and sullon looks of irato authors, take upon myself the ungratefui task."

How arrogant and sclf-sufficient I '-One accustomed to tho frowns and sullen looks of irato authors 1" Why, Jîlolus. from "tho native land of storms" happily described by Virgil, could not bave boasted a more trying and hardening expérience than this 1 No wonder this critic is merciless ; Peregrine Pickle being hun ane by comparison, and ancient Pistol, modesty itself I Surcly, "the giant's strength" should be wielded with mercy, and "not as a giant's," particularly in the case of an opponent or victim deemed so insignificant. But severe critics have always suffered the conséquences of their inhumanity and inordinate conçoit. A masterly English îritic bas "said :

" 'Tis hard to fay if greater want of skill Appear in writing or in judging ill." • •« «♦ « ««f

'*Let such teach othcTS who themselves exccl, And censure frecly, who have writteu well."

It îs impossible to glance, even hastily, at this hypercritical production of Mr. Tardivel's witliout seeing how much he miglit be improved by laying to heart the moral of the above lines. Ue commits tbe very faults ascribed to Mr. LeMoine, such as 'GallicanismSj" redundancy, tautology, inélégance, etc. ; and yet the former is understood to take a particular pleasure in searching ont real or supposed defects, minute however they may be, in the works and style of our most promising French Canadian authors, eittr' autres, MM. Faucher and Marmotte. In lieu of even such trifling provocations, he is said to "invent" mistakes for the pleasure of knocking thera down in the fashion of the old "Aunt Sally" sport, so attractive to bumptious youths at holidays gatheringï. Purely a boasted son of Ohio, -whom his friends speak of as "a better English than French scholar," shoiild prove above such petty (tevices in his self-imposed task of clarifying the parallel streams of French and English literature, in the Province of Québec. He has shown no sensé of the truth of the proverb touching the duty of those who live in the frailest of glass bouses, as may be further proven by a référence to Le Journal de Québec, of the 18th and 21st instant. In thèse remarks I do not apologise for literary thefts on the part of anybody; nor, in protesting against acerb criticisms do I undertake to be Mr. LeMoine's champion.

In the compass of a paper like the présent I can mention only somc of the mistakes, faults of grammar, bad style, etc., to be found in "Borrowed and Stolen Feathers." I shall, however, conclusively show that with Mr. Tardivel, correction like charity "should begin at home." Passing over, in what is designed as a plain préface or introduction, the after-dinuer rhetorical flourish — "this Canada of ours," — I find "public prints" introduced as an "invention." I have always understood "the ])rinting press" was invented, and that "prints" meant cotton goods ; but his "inventions" are neither understood nor valued. Afterwards Mr. Tardivel speaks of "gaining access to the outside worldj" a very vague, mystifying région, perhaps. Ile meaus probably the moon, as thpi nearest "outside world," and most suitable to bis mental condition. Should he undertake a journey to that orb, I will wish him lieartily bon voyage, as perhaps others will too. In an other sentence appears a spccimen of those "Gallicisms," so fréquent in this pamphlet, and which Mr. Tardivel, finds objectionable in Mr. LeMoine. "He did not give himself the trouble" etc., ar.d further on appears the following imitation of Western wit and profundity : ' A man, even if he t.« the editor of a newspaper, has a perfect right to be stupid if he 6ee« fit." How could a man be stupid if born clever ? What has "right" to do withit? And why bad grammar ? The author of such "smart" sayings will never need to feign dullness, his "right" t® appear in such a character "there is none to dispute." A subséquent sentence contains the assertion "this is digression tho indefinite article "a" should not have been so uncharitably crowded out. Liking Sound better than sensé, Mr. Tardivel remarks at the foot of page 5 : "Perhaps Mr. LeMoine hesitated a moment ère he rceolved to hurl his death dealing thunderbolt at the head of the ill-stared (s/'c) Chapin, thus allowing the wretched man to escape over the dark river and depriving the world of a priceless treatise on plagiarism." It would be instructive to learn how Mr. LeMoine could "hurl a thunderbolt" without the necessary opportunity — and how could Chapin be "wretched" by an "annihilation" never experienced ? Then again he writes of "fulsome, almost nauseating praisc bestowed tn the Chroniclcs of ttic St. Laiorence, exciting his curiosity." I cannot conçoive that anything "fulsome or nauseating" could "excite curiosity," except in a chemist or village gossip. At the 18th line of thesame paragraph there is a référence to writers "^h the re<jinns of the Lower St. Lawrence," which is a rathcr amusing classification. Mr. Tardivel also thinks that as to certain defects he has discovered in The Chronicles "none but the blindest of cridcs could have failed to perçoive them," and "no one possessing the genius of the English language" could have written them. How much of this may be applicable to Mr. Tardivel I leave to my readers. At page 26, "Ignorance of things most elementary" should be written "ignorance of elementary things." The autbor is wrong when he repioachcs Mr. LeMoine with having been the first to use the names of countries as adjectives. A glance at the advertisements of any of the English papers in this city will show his orror. At page 29, Mr. Tardivel tells Mr. LeMoine that he should have written "a good pair of heels," instead of "a pair of heels," whilst both are mistaken— "a clean pair of heels," is in true slang parlance. "Faro-bank advertisements" are alluded to at page .31: the law does not countenance gambling concerns, and thereforo such advertisements are never seen. On page 7 will be found a new commodity introduced in the shape of a "biased praise," which "has no more the right," etc. This sentence has nearly as many faults as words ; Gallic'sms, pleonasms, etc., being liberally strewn through it. Its writer should have explained "biased praise," if he is not fonder of and given more to "biased blâme." In the next paragraph he speaks of three journals having "more than exhausted ail that is to be said on the subjeot" To use Mr. Tardiyers own words : "That {sic) is one of those things which surpass

the ken of mortal maa" (vhle "Borrowed, etc.," page 28). At pa<;o .30 Mr. Tardivol writes : '-For loose, careless and ungrammatical sentences rreommend {nie) meto tlm Chronicles, they are as

"Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks , In Vallambrosa."

It may be a strange coïncidence, but when I read thcse lines, I felt liko substituting for "the Chronicles," "Borrowed and Stolen Feathers." Further on, in this pamphlet such literary weeds erop ont as the following: — "I tako upon mysclf" for •'undertake "to be performed by the unlucky reader," instead of "to the unlncky reader," etc. Alsoon page 7, "how can they (the public) choose if they are continually misled by reviewers of new books who iudiscriminately laud to tho skies every work that coraes under their notice?" What a blessing to have so pure a writer guiding one's judgment, and saVing one's pockets in the purchase of new books. Mr. Tardivel himseif "would have shown more respect for Latin grammar" if he had written ne ^:)^{(s ultra instead of nec. At pages 16, 18, 19 and 20 may bo found such literary gems as "This is how," "Lot us now behold," "Sets himseif deliberately," "Let us now gaze," etc., etc. Elsewhere we have the wrong words for synonynis, "paraphrase" for "parody," <fec. "The 'clippings' of which Mr. LcMoine's book is eomposed can be divided into three catégories "classified" would be better than "divided." I find also "showing up" Mr. LeMoine in a "new light" for "new character." "I might continue my strictures on 'Borrowed and Stolen Feathers' ad infinitmn, but enough has becn said, I fancy." To use one of this critic's misquotations as applied to Mr. LeMoine's errors, le Jeu n'en vaut 2) as la chandelle. Corneille says in Le Menteur, "Le jeu ne vaut ji'^^ la chandelle, cela NKvaut pas la peine, la frais qu'où ferai/. Et le jeu, comme on dit, n'en vaut pas les chandelles.'" Mr. Tardivel is scarcely more fortunate when he quotes poetry. The introduction to Part I, of "Borrowed and Stolen Feathers" begins with a sélection from one of La Fontaine's wittiest fables ; in the last verse a word of a différent number of syllables is substituted for the original, thus changing the whole mètre. If Mr. Tardivel's memory is faulty, he should not trust to it It is hardly fair to treat in such a manner the great French fabulist, making him appear a poor versifier. If he were a mcmber of La Société d' Admiration Mutuelle I might understand Mr. Tardivol's object in misquoting hira. The critic of The Chronicles of the St. Lawrence writes :

Il est assez de geais à deux j^ieds comme lui ,

Qui se parent kouvent des dépouilles d'autrui

Et que Von appelle plagiaires.

In the original the last verse rcads : — Et que l'on ï^omme plagiaires.

A strange inference from an alleged remark of the late Charles Lover, to tho eflFect that there is some incompatibility between genius and the mastery of several languages is introduced into Mr. Tardivel's brochure to help to lighten and recommend it. The author has not the pénétration nor wit to see the novelist's real point — in fact lacking the fulcrura of adéquate perception to work the lever — or labors in vain at the wrong end. But why enumerate other blunders and literary ejesores, such as the use of contretemps for "mistake," "truc honey," etc ? What is false lioney ? The critic's imagination has carricd him into the "wax" or the mud, and left him in it fioundering, where, in the hope of this predicament proving instructive and disciplinary I shall leave him for the présent. In conclusion I would remark that as literary men in Canada are not sulEciently rewarded and otherwise encouraged, under existing circumstances it appears as short-sighted as it is ungenerous to aggravate their difliculties, by detracting from their real merits and disparaging their well-earned famé. Ere I draw thèse Unes to an end I must, in fairness and injustice to Mr. Tardivel, add that "Borrowed and Stolen Feathers" is not without its merits ; there is humor and skill displayed in some passages, and with more study and less conceit the writer of them may yet make his mark in the annals of our literaturo.

Quebeo, November 28, 187?.