New-York daily tribune., 1843-11-24
THE T r Blu n E
sThe Mysteries of Paris


-, .bat the translation OF Eugene Sues famous
~o-s M bv Mr.. Charles Fl. Town does gross Unjust
20 70 the author, and is comparatively worthless
the reader. We proceed to state some part of
ofour reasons;
Sne IS Fourlcrist, Or rather one OF that ell
,rbtened and increasing class which, IN France
- elsewhere, has been awakened to the necessity
doing something for the ignorant and destitute
,sside providing scaftods whereon to hang them.
He has written this work avowedly to illustrate
and advance these views, and he finds and I'M
moves many opportunities to press them directly
noon the minds of his readers. These portions OF
the work Mr.. Town has strangely taken the re-
.oonsibity of suppressing SO to give the lovers
Of depravity and murder an unalloyed surfeit Of
tbosed ainties. Now we doubt the policy of just
such exhibitions Of Crime at any rate; but surely
there can be no doubt that to chronicle the horrors
nda suppress their moral-omit the very passages
that can alone excuse such exhlbltlons-ls the
wrong way entirely. 1t renders work, before of
doubtful tendency, palpably exccptlonable and
Dernicous Take the following, for example, from
among the many similar passages MIR. Town has
ventured to suppress-passages which we consider
worth far more than all he has retained
From The Mysteries Of Paris Part VI Clap p.lsl-
Let me repeat this fact for ever Society thinks
only of furnishing, never of preventing guilt
One criminal shall be sent to the gaeys Tor life;
another shall be decapitated. These convicts nat
urally leave young children: Will society take
snv heed of the condition of these orphans of
these orphans uhich it has made 0,phans' by
cutting off their father by civil death if not by
actual decaptation. Will it substitute a salutary
and conservatory tutelagc in the default of his
guardianship whom the law has pronounced lnfa-
NOUS incapable in default OF his guardianship
whom the law has slain? No. When the reptile
is destroyed, its poison dies wiM it: SO says socl
ety. 1t is mistaken: the poison of corruption IS
so subtle, SO corrosive, so contagious, that 1t be-
comes almost hereditary but if resisted IN due
season, it never will become incurable Is this
fantastic contradiction Does not ocular de-
monstration prove that man has died Of a trans
Missile disease? By means of careful preven-
tives his posterty shall be preserved from the
affection to which he fell a victim. Surely the
same means will produce the same efiectsln mo-
raj as in physical science.
Suppose it be demonstrated that maefactor
almost always bequeaths to his son the germ Of
precocious crime Will society do that for the
preservation of this Young soul, which the physl-
clan does 1or the body, when he combats hercdlt-
ary disease? No. it will not. Instead of during
that unhappy wretch, it will suffer him to putrty
Ito perish,
And then, as the people suppose that the son OF
the executioner must of consequence be an eXecu-
+bo,,c that the Of teiOn
must of consequence be a felon. ln the next de-
gree it will consider corruption caused by the
seishness of society, as the proof of hereditary
tapt. Sc that, if in despite of his fatal teaching,
the orphan-whom the law has made an orphan
by chance, remains industrious and honest,
barbarous prejudice of mankind will cause the
paternal blight to rest upon hlm. 10 complete
his unmerited condemnation, he will scarce fnd
work if he seek it, And instead of coming to hls
assistance, of saving hlm from dscouragemcnt,
from despair, and above ALL from the dangerous
Indignation against injustice, which sometimes
drives the nobest spirits to rebellion and to guilt,
society Will say lfhe turn out a rascal we will
take care of him. Have we not our jallers, our
turkeys, our eXecuuoners "
Thus, for him who preserves his purlty-an
accident as rare as 1t is gorlous--ln spite OF the
teachings of detestable example, there is no sup
port, no encouragement Thus, for him, who,
plunged from his very birth into a hotbed OF do
nestle depravtv, is vitiated in his very youth,
there is no hope of cure!
'Ycs YES | will cure the orphan, whom |
have made an orphan says society; " but at my
own time, in my own place-by my own method
sometime hereafter.
"'To extrpate cancer, to excise an lmpoS-
thume, action must be had on the instant. \
criminal calls for attention.
1.-THE prisons and the gallcys, these are my
hospitals; in cases quite incurable, there Is the
guiotine AS for the preservation of my orphan,
Twill think about it by and by. But patience.
tell you, patience! Let the germ of hereditary
corruption, which is now Matching in him, rpcn
Jet it grow strong-let it extend It's ravagcS
deeply.-Patience. then patience be it When
our man shall be rotten to the hearts core; when
he shall swea, out crime through every pore;
when desperate theft or brutal murder have
cast him on that bench of iniamy, where his ia-
ther sat before him OH then we will cure the
nhertor of crime, as we cured the legator Al
the galleys on the scafoid, the son Will IND ms
fathers place still warm for him..
Yes. IN such circumstances, so reasons soclc-
ty. And then it is asonshed, it is indignant; 1t
Is tempted to see transmssions of hereditary theft
and murder handed down. generation after gener-
ton.
In proportion we advance with this publlca-
tlon so furiously is lis moral end attacked, and as
We think, SO unjustly, that we must be permitted
10 insist upon the serious and upright intention
which has sustained and guided us thus far
Many grave, delicate, aud exa4tcd minds have
thought good to encourage our attempts, and TO
send us the hatterng proofs of their advocacy OF
our views We oweit, therefore, perhaps to these
friends-both unknown and known-to answer
once for all. these blind and obstinate criminatlons
otour purpose, which have resounded even, we are
told, in the chambers of the legislative assemble
To proclaim THE oDlous IMMORTALITY OF oal
work, is, as it seems to US, to proclaim implicitly