Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-10-20
DAILY VIRGINIAN.
WHAT ARE INJURIOUS NOVELS.

While the human mind remains what il is, the
reading Of fiction will continue popular.-To pre-
vent the young from perusiDg novels is simply
m impossibiliiy. The wise parent will therefore,
control what he cannot prevent, and by exerci-
sing n supervision over what comes into the fam
,y preserve the morals Of his offspring.
There is certain class Of fiction about whose
vicious influence there is no dispute. VI these
we shall have nothing to say. There Is another
description of novels, chiefly translated from the
French, respecting which there's some difference
of opinion. These mostly consist of extravagant
incidents, of highly -colored pictures Of life,
of false social and religious theories dirgnis-
ed in sophistry. cloquence and pretended pbilan-
thiopy At one time the country was flooded
with such books. Respectable publishers, we
regret TO say lent their names to give them cur
roney, and thus smugg'ed them into h. useho'ds
where, otherwise they never could have found
entrance The rage for such fctions, however,
hns exhausted itself Comparatively few Of them
are now sold, and still fewer find passport to
respectable society The days Of "The Myste-
ries of Paris" are over.
They have left the brand of their injury how
ever on the mind and morals OF the land. FOR
they have been succeeded by original American
fciona which initiated their vice without exhibi-
ting their ability: and olas that we must say IT,
publishers of repu alton have been found to en-
dorse these also Under the guise OF narratives
If renl experiences in life, and while protesting
20 nculcnto n dviner phase of Christiananlty
,hnn the Church itself tenches. they nssnil the
snnet.y Of the marriage tie. advocate living par
amours. and defend changing partners as often
whim or passion tempts them astrhy' W. 90
not exaggerate in the least.
Novels If this de, cription nre actually publish
ed by leading publishers; are adves''sed as emi-
nently beneficial in their morals; and hnd their
way in consequence, into the households Of un-
suspecting parants 10 lead captive their children
down {, The gates of destruction. Stripped OF
their spccious pleading. they teach this, and this
alone. They put ON garments OF Ignt-in uso
the figure of the poet-in which to do the devils
work. And by this impous trick they reach the
ear of the innocent and young, where they squat
like oathsome toads. as in Eden, TO whisper foul
sophistres and bring sin and death on their de-
luded natures
The press is not without its share of guilt for
the carelessness good nature OF journalists Of
ten induces them to praise sneh novels without
having perused them, especially ifthe publisher
is personal friend or Il profitable ndvertiser,and
thus farther currency is given to tn" books
The moral epidemic, instead OF bel ~ quarantlned
SO To speak, is by this process; brought INTO the
family under the direct sanction ~ those VINO
should be tho conservators OF virtue. silently
tho disease RACES, sapping principle, destroying
victim after victim, emphaticolly "a pestilcnce
that walketh at MONDAY" Nor are the ravages
of the insidious foe revealed, until some son
brings shame on his mothers gray hairs, or
some tenderly nurtured daughter becomesa hiss
aud scorn. Yet to this moral disorder and death
editors aud publishers contribute; n few innocen-
tly but more, alas. with more or less of guilt
In these remarks do not aude to the coarse
novels reprinted from English originals, or even
to the vulgar fctions of similar type which
have an American parentage. Such books, be-
fore they will he rcad, must find tastes sufficient
ly depraved; and this practically almost totally
! excludes them from decent households.
! ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO AssAssINATE LOUIS
NAroLEoN.--A correspondent of the New York