The Complete Works of Brann, the Iconoclast — Volume 01Brann, William Cowper
General
The Complete Works of Brann, the Iconoclast — Volume 01
Brann, William Cowper
Brann, William Cowper, 1855-1898; Essays; Reformers
these slight people's impotent wrath. While slandering the
prophets of progress and religion they have vented their
foul rheum on all the gods of literature. Kansas, I am told,
put a man in the penitentiary for sending through the mails
biblical texts printed on postal cards. Speaking of Goethe's
"Wilhelm Meister," Carlyle says:
" 'Meister,' it appears is a vulgar work; no gentleman, we
hear in certain circles, could have written it; few real
gentlemen, it is insinuated, can like to read it; no real lady,
unless possessed of considerable courage should profess
having read it at all!"
And yet "Wilhelm Meister" changed the whole current of
European literature--the work was practically committed to
memory by the noblest men and women of the world. We
hear the venerated Queen of Prussia repeating from it in
her cruel exile,
"Wer nie sein Brod mit Thranen ass,
Wer nicht die Kummervollen Nachte
Auf Seinem Bette weinend sass,
Der Kennt euch nicht, ihr himmlischen Machte."
Let the Philadelphia school board and the Baylorian
managers construe it if they can.
"Udi vura udorini udiri cicova cilti mora
Udorini talti hollna u ede caimoni mora"
What? I guess "nit." The idea of keeping "Les
Miserables" away from the ladies!--just as though there
could be found in the whole country a sixteen-year-old maid
with any pretensions to intelligence who hasn't wept over
little Cosette, been in love with Enjolras and "doted on"
Gavroche and Jean Valjean! So ultra nice has the world
become that we must skip the Canticles. Shakespeare's
plays must now be clapper-clawed to make them palatable.
Alexander Pope's philosophic rhyme must be deleted with
dashes. Walt Whitman's poetry is too strong for the
average stomach. But we continue to fire into the bosoms
of our families the daily press with its specialization of
Hogan's Alley and the Yellow Kid, reeking with its burden of
ads. of abortion recipes and syphilitic nostrums--even take
our wives and daughters to the Tabernacle to be told by
Sam Jones that if they don't think he has backbone he'll
"pull up his shirt-tail and show 'em!" Byron was vigorously
denounced by the vindictive Miss Nancys of his day, but
scornfully replied:
"I have not loved the world, nor the world me;
I have not flatter'd its rank breath nor bow'd
To its idolatries a patient knee."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account