Part 75 (1/2)

This great change in the organization of the review called for certain corresponding changes in its staff. And it was here that Rickman came in. He had been retained on _The Museion_ partly in recognition of his brilliance, partly by way of satisfying the claims of Jewdwine's magnanimity. On _The Museion_ he had not proved plastic either as sub-editor or as contributor. He did not fit in well with the traditions of the paper; for he was, to Jewdwine, modernity incarnate, the living spirit of revolt, to be bound down with difficulty by the editorial hand. Looking back on the record of the past four years Jewdwine marvelled how and why it was that he had kept him. A score of times he had been tempted to dismiss him after some fresh enormity; and a score of times Rickman had endeared himself by the seductive graces of his style. But Rickman on the staff of _Metropolis_ was, Jewdwine considered, Rickman in the right place. Not only could he now be allowed to let loose his joyous individuality without prejudice to the principles of that paper (for the paper strictly speaking would have no principles), but he was indispensable if it was to preserve the distinction which its editor still desired. Jewdwine had no need of the poet; but of the journalistic side of Rickman he had endless need. It was a baser faculty, but his care must be to develop it, to train it, to handle it judiciously, until by handling he had made it pliable to all the uses of his paper. Jewdwine had a genius for licking young men into shape. He could hardly recognize that band of awkward and enthusiastic followers in his present highly disciplined and meritorious staff. None of them were like Rickman; none of them had done anything to rouse an uneasy suspicion of their genius. Still, none of them were precisely fitted for his present purpose. Rickman the poet, of course, you could not lick into shape. His shape, plastic only under the divine fire, was fas.h.i.+oned by the fingers of the G.o.d.

But Rickman the journalist, once get him on to the right journal, would prove to be made of less unmanageable stuff. If he had not hitherto proved manageable, that was no doubt because hitherto he had been employed on the wrong journal.

And yet, when he came to discuss the change of programme with the different members of his staff (some of whom he was giving their dismissal), it was with Rickman (whom he proposed to retain) that he felt the most acute embarra.s.sment. Rickman, although at the moment dining with Jewdwine, was so abominably direct.

”I see,” he said, after listening to a lengthy exposition of the proprietors' view; ”they want to popularize the thing.”

Jewdwine winced perceptibly. ”Well, hardly,” said he. ”In that case they would have been obliged to change their editor. We certainly want to draw a rather larger public than we have done; and to do that we must make _some_ concessions to modernity. There's no doubt that the paper's interests have suffered from its tradition. We have been too exclusive, too detached. We can no longer afford to be detached. We propose to abandon the tradition in favour of--well--of a somewhat broader att.i.tude.” He looked keenly at Rickman, as if he defied him to put it any other way.

”I see. We've either got to take a more genial view of our contemporaries--or scoot.”

”You may put it that way if you like. It simply means that if we are to appeal to a wider public, we must take a wider view. It's surely in the interests of the public, _and_ of literature, that we should not narrow the influence of the paper any more than we can help. Not make the best criticism inaccessible.” He continued to take the lofty and the n.o.ble view. The habit was inveterate. But his last remark started him on the way of self-justification. ”Of course I couldn't go on with the paper if I hadn't come to see this for myself. The fact is, you cannot run a leading review on abstract principles.”

Rickman forbore to smile at the fulfilment of his prophecy. Jewdwine's ”Absolute” had been obliged to ”climb down.”

”Not,” said Jewdwine, ”if that review is really to lead public opinion.”

”And certainly not,” said Rickman, ”if public opinion is to lead the review.”

”In either case,” said Jewdwine n.o.bly, ”the principles remain.”

”Only they're not applied?”

”They are not applied, because there is nothing to apply them to. In the present state of literature a review like _The Museion_ has no reason for its existence.”

”I don't know. It was a very useful protest against some forms of modernity.”

”My dear fellow, modernity simply means democracy. And when once democracy has been forced on us there's no good protesting any longer.”

”All the same, you'll go on protesting, you know.”

”As a harmless private person, yes. As a critic I must accept a certain amount of defeat at the hands of the majority.”

”But you don't happen to believe in the majority?”

”I do believe in it,” said he, bitterly. ”I believe that it has destroyed criticism by destroying literature. A critic only exists through the existence of great men. And there are no great men nowadays; only a great number of little men.”

”I see. Oth.e.l.lo's occupation's gone.”

”Not at all. Oth.e.l.lo's occupation's only beginning. You can't criticize these people, but you must review them. And I a.s.sure you it means far more labour and a finer discrimination to pick out your little man from a crowd of little men than to recognize your great man when you see him.”

”When you see him--”

”Ah yes--_when_ I see him. But where is he? Show me,” said Jewdwine, ”one work of unmistakable genius published any time in the last five, the last ten years.”

Rickman looked at him and said nothing. And to Jewdwine his silence was singularly uncomfortable. He would have been more uneasy still but for his conviction that the serenity in Rickman's eyes was reflected from the eyes of Fielding. Rickman, he thought, was rather too obviously elated at the great man's praise; and the exhibition of elation was unpleasant to him. Worse than all, he realized that Rickman, in spite of his serenity, was hurt. On the top of that came a miserable misgiving as to the worthiness of his own att.i.tude to his friend.

As for Rickman, he had no feeling that he could have put into words, beyond owning in his heart that he was hurt. He had never before had any occasion for such a confession; he felt it to be humiliating both to Jewdwine and himself. Sometimes, in moments of depression he had suspected that it was Jewdwine's coldness that preserved his incorruptibility; but he had so sincere a desire for purity in their relations, that he had submitted without resentment to the freezing process that ensured it. He had in reserve his expectation of the day when, by some superlative achievement, he would take that soul, hitherto invincible, by storm. But now, in his inmost heart he owned that he was hurt.

Jewdwine changed the subject.