Mr. Wilde published a book, and (presumably) submitted it to criticism: we exercised our rights as critics of contemporary literature by pointing out that we thought the book feeble and offensive. Mr. Wilde replies, defending his book against our unfavourable criticism, and we have again the right to point out that we do not consider that he has satisfactorily met our arguments and our objections. For the rest, we are quite willing to leave "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to the "immortality it deserves." We must add one word. We congratulate Mr. Wilde on his emphatic disavowal of the ridiculous puff preliminary which his publishers had chosen to circulate. Two days later (July 2nd) the Editor could not resist one more word:-- Modest Mr. Oscar Wilde. He has been having a little dispute with the _Daily Chronicle_ as well as with the _St. James's Gazette_ and this is what he writes to our contemporary:-- My story is an essay on decorative art. It re-acts against the crude brutality of plain realism. It is poisonous, if you like, but you cannot deny that it is also perfect, and perfection is what we artists aim at. [10] June 30th. * * * * * _Art should never try to be popular. The public should try and make itself artistic._ * * * * * "THE DAILY CHRONICLE"[11] ON "DORIAN GRAY." Dulness and dirt are the chief features of _Lippincott's_ this month. The element in it that is unclean, though undeniably amusing, is furnished by Mr. Oscar Wilde's story of "The Picture of Dorian Gray." It is a tale spawned from the leprous literature of the French Décadents--a poisonous book, the atmosphere of which is heavy with the mephitic odours of moral and spiritual putrefaction--a gloating study of the mental and physical corruption of a fresh, fair and golden youth, which might be horrible and fascinating but for its effeminate frivolity, its studied insincerity, its theatrical cynicism, its tawdry mysticism, its flippant philosophisings and the contaminating trail of garish vulgarity which is over all Mr. Wilde's elaborate Wardour-street æstheticism and obtrusively cheap scholarship.