New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-01-17
", - = = - 8 : :
Female Novel Readarz

One of orr exchanges has the following .s4;cJe a
. sn1ca Is worthy Of wide Peruas Il ascss siten,
Many girls, of really fine intellects are thfuwinr
away all hope Of vigorous mental culture by n ~
sasiate craving for fictitious works. These works
Egypt, are destitute, for the most part, n mssrs
ton and good taste, and have power to inyfrr.fe
the mind or improve the heart The next generaticn
of American women may furnish robust minds and
characters; but the prospect is dfeary one when
one thinks Of the unsubstantial food which Is The
only aIfment Of many. stt5 "
1t is said that fourfffths Of the novelreading 10
this country at the present time, il achieved By jes
So true is this that publishers eater almost exciu
sivey for the female taste, in the selection Of WORKS
for issue. The consequence Is, that the market Is
flooded with high-wrought pictures Of high life for
one class Of these lady readers, and highwrpught
pictures OF low life for another Glass; while the sapIe
article-the article which finds its wsy into the best
Of fames-is sureharged and sanctified by sieky
and slender religious sentiment that is hardly Iess
enervating than the story which forms its vehicle,
Now, this is not very complimentary to the ladjss,
we admit but we are not to blame for the fact, and
certainly take no delight in stating IT, There Is .
slightly complimentary to them, or their natures.
They show sgns Of surfet, and these books are be
ginning to be drug in the market. This fact will
mnistering to unhealthy appetite and low stand
ard of taste They have brought literature into dis
repute by dissipating, rather than cherisfing, .
sas manty To apRas and i will ae
if they will take as much pains to crowd before the
public good books as they have inferior ones, they
will sooner or later regain their ground. $ H.
There is something in the, position of American
women which exposes them peculiarly to the infu-
ences Of an unworthy literature They patake Of the
national restessness Of mind they are all readers,
|and there is very large class, especially in cities,
lar pursuits units them for anything hpt light read
ing. They have not the habit'of apphcation-time
hangs heavy on their hands, and they simply seek
for that kind of reading which can be pursued with
the slightest outlay of effort They cannot suhsst on
this kind of intellectual aiment long at time, but
they live on long enough to insure several monster
editions and to stimulate production to. asickenng
sueit. There is another class larger, perhaps, than
this-a class living in the country-iptelgent
them tasteess life, grasp eagerly at such literary
eXcitements pressed to their taste and 80 learn
to live in an artificial atmosphere while moving
in their daily detail Of duties There is still another
class, scattered everywhere-reiigio igious women, who
wish for amusement, and who, while condemning
novels generally, will swallow story eagerly, i
only happen to be peppered with pious lessons and
1 salted with moral. 9 49, =
| American women should be something more than
mere story swallower They have reversed the order
of things elevated novelreadng to pursuit. Novels
though an important department OF literature do not
form the highest most Important department.
They are or should be, incidental or suhsidisg.; and
when history, biography, natural philosophy and
criticism have fed the mind, and built up within r
sound views of life true comprehension Of the rea
ton of events and insight into human character,
the choice Of novels, for RELAXATION study, will fall
upon altogether different class from that upon
which We have animadverted These stilted and silly
fictons have no charms for healthy mind and are
cast aside as the most unsatisfactory ehaE