For
if it is difficult to guarantee in a few that sympathy with all
earnest books which does not preclude rigid honesty in the
application of firmly held principles, it is more difficult with
the many. And if it is hard to exclude bias, inaccuracy, over-
statement, and inadequacy from the work even of a small and chosen
group, it is still harder to be certain of complete competence if
the net is thrown more widely.
In fact, there is no absolute insurance against bad criticism
except the intelligence of the reader. He must discount where
discount is necessary, he must weigh the authority of the
reviewer, he must listen to the critic as the protestant to his
minister, willing to be instructed, but aware of the fallibility
of man.
Hence, a journal of comprehensive criticism must first select its
reviewers with the greatest care and then print vouchers for their
opinions, which will be the names of the reviewers. Hence it must
open its columns to rebuttals or qualifications, so that the
reader may form his own conclusions as to the validity of the
criticism, and, after he has read the book, judge its critics.
All this is a world away from the anonymous, dogmatic reviewing of
a century ago, But who shall say that in this respect our practice
is retrograde?
It is a great and sprawling country, this America, with all manner
of men of all manners in it, and the days of patent medicines have
passed, when one bottle was supposed to contain a universal cure.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233