The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-12 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Ruth. By the author of " Mary Barton." 3 vols.

Chapman and Hall

A sad tale, most sweetly told ; a Christian lesson
most eloquently enforced, is the new work from
the authoress of " Mary Barton." The admirers
of that former production, so full of quiet practical
wisdom and homely but soul-stirring pathos, will
turn with eager interest to a new tale from the
same gentle and yet vigorous hand. They will
not, perhaps, find Ruth what they anticipate, but
they will have no reason to be disappointed. In
order to acquaint those who have not yet seen it
with the spirit of this book, we must first premise
one enquiry. What is punishment, and what are
the objects for which it is administered ? Every
reasoning being will at once answer that the objects
of human punishment are twofold—to turn the
.sinner from his evil course, and to hold out a warn
in g example to others—in a word to prevent further
sin, either on the part of the actual offender or
of those acquainted with the crime and with its
punishment. Such must be the object of human
chastisement—with retributive justice we (sinners
ourselves) have nothing to do—that rests in the
hands of One who alone readeth the heart. While,
however, all may admit the truth of the above ob-
servation, many there are who act in a manner
diametrically opposed to that truth. There is
one sin especially which is universally visited
with most severe punishment, but a punishment
which, so far from amending the offender and protect-
ing others, is itself the cause of an untold amount of
sin. It says to the offender, you have sinned, you
have committed one fault, you may repent, God
may forgive you ; but you shall not turn from the
evil of your ways. You have chosen sin, and in it
you must abide. Such, in fact, is the language of
Society to such as, like Ruth—the innocent victim
of another's sin—have fallen from the path of vir-
tue, and who, with a heart as yet but little tar-
nished with evil, would gladly come with Mae-s-
-&le—

" And drop slow tears, and bathe those beauteous feet,
That brought from Heaven the news, and Prince of
Peace."

These lines from Phineas Fletcher have been
chosen by the authoress as the motto of her book,
and most happily chosen they are. Let no one be
afraid of these volumes, there is nothing of sin
here but its sorrow. Not guilt but penitence is
personified by Ruth. And, yet, we doubt not, that
many Christian professors, like the Mr. Bradshaw
of this tale, will regard the theme chosen with very
" proper" displeasure, and the moral inculcated
with sentiments akin to horror, and yet those
Christian censors have perhaps read of the manner
in which, at the supper of Simon the Pharisee,
"He who bore in Heaven the second name,"
received the tearful visit of " the woman who had
been a sinner." The indignation of the Pharisee,
and the gentle answer of the Lord, " her sins,
which are many, are forgiven her—go in peace,"
are familiar to us all—at least the words are fami-
liar, but the spirit is little understood. What,
then, is the object of " Ruth"—to encourage sin-
ners and to promote sin ? Not so. The lesson, which
in her, beautiful story, the authoress of " Mary
Barton" seeks to enforce, is the same taught us by
the Gospel of Jesus—" Go in peace, and sin no more."
Sin no more ! is what the author of " Ruth" would
say to those who, betrayed by their own weak
hearts, or by the cunning cruelty of others, have
committed one sin, and who, by the tacit consent
of society, are prohibited from emancipating them-
selves from that cruel bondage. On their own heads,
be the guilt of their first sin ; but you who forbid
them to rise—you who hold out no land to save
them—you who, like the Pharisee, would keep
them from the feet of Jesus—on you is the respon-
sibility of those years of crime which, by a stern
necessity, seem to be their inevitable fate. Be it
remembered that the authoress of Ruth in setting
forth this lesson, and we, commending her for
so doing, are not seeking to mitigate the horror of
sin, but, on the contrary, because of its enormity,
we would have those who are fallen speedily rescued
from their fate, and those who are yet innocent
preserved from the tainting influence of bad
example. "He which converteth the sinner from
the evil of his way shall save a soul from death,
and shall hide a multitude of sins." Having spoken
thus at length of the object of this work, we must
content ourselves with a brief mention of the work
itself. The story is very simple, and is simply
and sweetly told. The only fault which we
can find with its arrangement is its length.
The two volumes were sufficient for the
eventful history of Mary Barton, and three
volumes are too much for the simple story of Ruth.
The character of Mr. Bellingham is skilfully drawn,
and the good Bensons are beautiful and loveable
creations. The conclusion of the book is, in
many respects, the best part. There is a
noble dignity and a certain tragic interest
about the manner in which Ruth, no longer
simulating to be other than she is, by patience and
humble well-doing, earns for herself a good name,
and her child, who had blushed for his origin, be-
comes proud to call her mother. Watching by the
beds of sickness and death, a nurse at a hospital,
Ruth wins the love of grateful hearts, and dies a
victim to her devotion, penitent and purified.

" Letters by C. W. S."
A pamphlet has recently been published (10 pp.
8vo.) by Pelham Richardson, of 23, Cornhill. It
consists for the most part of four communications,
which first appeared in our own columns under the
initials of our correspondent. These letters are
avowedly in justification of the 2d of December,
and in condemnation of the scurrilities directed by
certain English journals against the Emperor
Napoleon 111. In the present reprint of his
epistles C. W. S. (who styles himself " one who is
really An Englishman") has prefaced them by the
following observations

"When Prince Louis Napoleon read 'Napoleon le
Petit,' by Victor Hugo he remarked, this book will do me
as much good as it will do me harm ;'—and he was
right. The prestige of his name and the boldness of
his acts had already gained for him the enthusiasm of
the snob, whilst the extravagance of his enemies was
likely to eclipse anything in his conduct, which that
moderate party that he was so anxious to conciliate
might dread as extreme. Men of substance and ex-
perience, who are accustomed to regard everything with
a practical eye, are converted by logic and not by
poetry, by reason and not by passion. The sympathies
even of an enlightened class are excited towards the ob-
ject of misrepresentation, whoever he may be ; and
many forget what they regarded as an error, in their
eagerness to deny that which they know to be false.
"The rodomontade published by 'An Englishman,'
in the rat's, shocked the common sense of the people
of England. Our philosophy remained undisturbed by
his very gaudy flowers of rhetoric :—we sneered at the
pseudo Englishman,' as we sneered at the author of
Napoleon le Petit ;' regarding him as one who struts
and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no
more ;' and his letters, as a tale told by an idiot ; full
of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
"The most influential people of this country, and the
best acquainted with French polities, hoped for the coup
d'etat of the 2d of December before it took place, and
hailed its success with delight. Had Louis Napoleon
failed in his efforts to restore order and to inspire con-
fidence, there was no other party strong enough to con-
trol the unscrupulous selfishness of the various factions
in the House of Assembly. Anarchy would have spread
from the House of Representatives to the people, and a
state of things might have existed which it is frightful to
contemplate.

" It is not to express this, which, owing to the courage
of the Emperor, happily remains a matter of opinion, that
I republish those of my letters upon this subject, which
have already appeared in the San. lam anxious to
follow the patriotic example of Mr. Cobden, and pro-
test once more my firm belief that the Times, when
attacking with so much virulence the French Govern-
ment and the French people, does not express the feel-
ings of the people of England ; I;ut that, on the contrary,
they regard the course it pursues as impolitic and un-
just ; impolitic, for it is likely to make an enemy of one
of th 2 most important persons in Europe, and opposes
a policy consistent not only with the interests of France
but of Europe. The Emperor has given to the French
people a Government strong and united, instead
of one rent by the conflicting personal interests of
various greedy or ambitious representatives ; pre-
senting to statesmen of all nations a responsible power to
treat with, in place of the discordant elements of the
republic, and has also materially served the cause of

freedom, by concentrating the mighty power of France,
ready to be hurled, if necessary, to arrest the encroach-

ing spirit of northern despotism.
" The want•of success of the Times, to assist the designs
of Russia, by exciting hatred between France and Eng-
land, will perhaps teach that journal this useful lesson,
that although it may be omnipotent to do good, the
sound sense of the peoplev of England will always render
it impotent to do evil."
We earnestly commend the little pamphlet, for
its ability, to the attention of every impartial man
in the community.

THE LONDON FEVER HOSPITAL.—The
the subscribers and friends of the insti-
tution took
place at the Freemasons' Tavern yesterday.
From the medical report for the past year, it appeared
The fifty-first an-
nual Meeting of
thatand
the prevalencepatients of fever b
in and a arounddm itadmitted
d the
during
the
year,
metro-
polis mentioned in the report for 1851 had not dimi-
nished, 873
The disease was both of long duration and great severity;
but the mortality was lower than in former years, having
amounted during the past year to only 8 per cent. of the
cases treated, and the nurses and attendants have not
suffered from their attendance on the patients, which is
fairly to be ascribed no less to the salubrity of the situa-
tion than to the improved arrangements of the new
building. A larger number of poor persons than usual
had been admitted gratuitously during the year, upon
their own application at the gates of the hospital. The
receipts of the past year amounted to 2,2121. Ss. Bd.,
whilst the expenditure was 2,3561. Bs. 6d., showing an
excess of oxnontlifiire nvornnonmo of 1421_ Ps_ 10d.