New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-06-21
N-YORK TRIBUNE.
ew YORK MONDAY. JUNE 81.
s'essure Of the Dey-'st. Gle. and IT
gee james, Omoo'-' Martini
UP TIE LAkxs. June 8. 1911

UP raE LAKKs June s. 1917.
Blest, sinceieaving New. York, with a long-coy-
sted opportunity to devote some hours TO the DELHI
crate perussl Of few lately issued works OF re-
character, wish to speak Of them in re
ysal or confirmation Of what may have already
beep uttered
sr. GILEs AND ST. JAMES by DOUGLAS JER-
RoLp. is by far the best work have read from the
pen Of its author, indeed Of any living contuou
tor TO British Popular Literature, Carlyle only ex-
cepted. 1t is powerful story bat its merit lies
not in that, bot 10 the deep clear, feryent Philan
thropy which impelled and animafes It. IL is the
strongest protest yet addressed 70 the popular M
derstanding and heart against the black injustice
of oof Social institutes and 1ssges which doom
whole classes inevitably 10 lives OF ignorance, cor
ruption depravity and crime. and the hideoos. sui
cidal barbsrism of the enginery Of chains, dun
geons prison. whips and gallows ropes whereby the
body polite attempts 20 repress the evil propen
sites which It's own selfshness and wrong have
warmed into vitality and fearful energy. The ten
or ii St. Giles Is more wholesome, less destruc-
tive and snarchical, than that Of Bulwers Paul
Clifford and it 10 in wise obnoxious 70 the
charge preferred against the corresponding Prcduc-
tons Of sac Of lax morality with regard to Mar
rage. Aware as am that old Adam IS osuaDy
TOO strong for young Melsncthon 1t does seem 10
me that the general perusal Of this single work 10
eaooo oh 10 insure the overthrow Of the Gsllows
md ail other machinery Of yindcuve human pun
;.bmept. Why should not concerted effort be
made by Heformers TO give it the widest possible
circulation
--,Oxoo, by HERMAs Melville, is replete
alike with the merits and the faults OF its iorerun'
per Typee. All Of were mistaken who
thought the fascination of Typee owing mainly TO
its subject, or rather to the novel and primitive
state OF human existence IT described. OmoO dis
pels all such illusions and proves the author born
genius, with few superiors either as narrator
descrber, or humorist. Few living men could
have invested such scenes, incidents and persons
a. figure in 0moo with anything like the charm
they wear in Melvilles graphic pages; the adven
lures narrated might have occurred to any one as
Others equally exciting have done to thousands Of
voyagers in the South Seas but who has ever be-
fore described any so well7 'Typee' and Omoo.
doubtless in the main true narratives are worthy
TO rank ia interest with Robinson Crusoe and in vi
vacity with the best OF Stephens Travels
they are unmistakably defective if not positively
diseased ia moral tone. and will very fairly be con
demned as dangerous reading for those OF immature
intellects and unsettled principles Not that you
can often put your finger on a passage positively
Offensive but the tone is bad and incidents OF the
most Objectionable character are depicted with a
racy lightness which would once have been ad-
mirsd but will now be Justly condemned. A pen
chant for bad liquors 10 everywhere boldly pro.
claimed, while hsnkering after loose company not
always Of the masculine order, is but thinly dis
guised and perpetualy protruding itself throughout
the work This is to be deplored not alone for the
authors sake nor even for that of the large class
which it will deter from perusng his adventures
We regret it still more because it will prevent his
lucid and apparently candid testimony with regard
TO the value, the effect and the defects of the Mis-
sionary abors among the South Sea Islanders from
having its due weight with those most deeply in
terested 1t is needless here to restste the hack
neyed question as to the proper mode of efiectng
the desired renovation of savage, heather tribes
Preach the Gospel to them say the devout con
vert them to Christianity and their Civilization fol
lows Of courses-'Nsy interposes another class
you must civilize Mem, to some extent, before
they can even comprehend Christianity, much less
truly embrace and adhere TO 1.-THE Truth obvi
ousy lies between these assertions, or rather, EN-
braces them both. Christianity which does not
include Civilization. a Civilizing which does not
involve Christianizing. will not answer Above
all alike to their conversion and their civilization
change in their Social condition and habts-a
change from dleness and inetoiency to regular and
welldirected lndustry-is absolutely essential
Without this the convert OF to-day IS constantly IN
danger of relapsing into ayowed and inveterate
hesthenism. This 10 the moral OF Mr. Melvlles
facts as indeed Of all other impartial testimonies
on the subject Renerating my regret that he has
chosen so TO write that his statements will not have
that weight with the friends OF Missions which the
interest OF Truth requires, bid adieu to Omoo
-'MARrIS. The FoUSDLISe, by EUGENE SUE
let me endeavor 20 do some sort Of justice to this
noblest production OF generous and ardent soul.
Until three days since, had not looked into this
work, having heard that there something in
the early numbers that shocked the moral sensbil-
ties Of the Messp. Harpers, and constrained them
70 abandon its publication; and, in view OF the
character of some works they hare published.
jumped at the conclusion that book they had dis
cardod on moral grounds must be profgste indeed
In this did gross wrong to the author, as those
generally do who Judge without reading. If ever
book was in the highest sense moral then is
Martin deserving Of that distinction True, 1t has
scenes aud variations OF most revolving depraviy-
many readers of sensitive delicacy will be repeed
by them-and there two three which. not
being absolutely essential to the enforcement of the
great lessons Of Duty and Philanthropy which
Martin was intended to incuicste heartily wish
had been omitted Yet even in this view the book
is not Objectionable as those productions of lie
Sage. Smollet Fielding Sterne, etc to say nothing
Of Bulwerl which the wise world has long egarded
with scarcely qualified admiration, and which find
a place without rebuke IN nearly all considerable
libraries But il is not for its exhibitions of lcen.
toasness and depravity that this work will be ia
bcoed by the leaders OF Opinion among the upper
ten Thousand. but for the Eses made OF those exhi
billions, TO display In letters of re the wrongs and
outrages to which the poor and the lowly are every
where subjected-lhe general hesrtlessness or ig