, 1866-12-17
E:,fG>ElTtF e.ICNT AND Pre-
AfINE pRUDE~.ss

The publication Of Mr.. keadc's new novel, |
Cf;I;th Cc4.st, has proyo.sed aerce contro-
Very between him and s.mc American
!jstuErsls concerning the morality of that
wt'k- shout onrc In year VIC have perl
od'rai iii Of tnoralfty in this country. when
tEE newspapers, from, tho mammoth. daily |
ta tic ecyc:-1y weekly, think it duly |
they owe to Tue rising genesasiou to It, |
Cunnce I'll" flood Of pernicIou<, dc,norallx- |
fn!- trash. which. Under the name OF cheap !
literature, l. delaying cur country" Many !
a.;l scaling &c 1hc insrctiycs WI hare read |
Gt this tl4rinc lE ineu wh1 hare seemed pro- |
f1'.nsl!k c&nves>aut with the works t,lsy !
havt dse,icd; a:A ehtcSst. indeed, haze l,rcu |
II" a'GENrHts inr sSrureltea ct'isina@ nf the
t"g'!+l n'td the Iatia classics by mca who, ]
sf!,' grin" through gallery Of a:': :qnes, uaa I
s;eNiue 'ic ma:uhitss Apollo, Venus and ]
lIrc0n, could come away wish imayina- !
ti.ns Impressed only with the remembrance !
tia: The: WERE naked. II Is I delicate ard !
1crp!eS,:E question, in su,nc cases, to what
extent tho cIFcF:s Of these nice persons
should l.c nrr1audcd. That writer with
t.r fine ccnins Of Air. Rcudc can, hy de-
iauehirc Tie ilna.inatfops, do incalcusable
damage 10 his readers, Is bat 4 tru.sm. But
t!s:'li VIC thrrcftte proscr.ls" all novels but
tlr.sc th.: con!ai" no descriptions Of vice
.ad uitlttr.ss, an1 If wh{rh tbs l,erocs and
hr.f':;!cs arc nelc.s OF Impossible excel
!e;.ec.
To this Question not few mn-.lfats will
rcly With an emphatic No. They thin, IT.
tie Of that ''::,;.itive and cinistcrcl rlrtue,"
A. MI, :: e.,'s il. wllixh, "unext.cised aal
upls, aEnr.:,' is Kept healthy only ty shan.
n'n= III c'.n'act with the real w.'r!l. That
s=est hsch-sr5est Of literature and profound
Il: r.f H. f,,1,p
,:aA, II is ce-:atp, no srch n:cr-fa:;idi"us del
ita.cy. TO, 20 say sIucamishneSs, III :esArd to
1hs lro,cr,hrl c!css Of Writings. lie wns
wiling 10 sr:ss. 1cor,e With booSs sha. have
a:ea; lsal:s. r7u:idra they have great cSerl-
1r:,s.les 70 s-dcrm them !; aad Is 5or mere
st*~A, h. ;.ucw 1t would proi:'cc surfeit
N;-:cn wsuii make it ever uttcr disgusting.
NAc1, III. Shcr;Ia1l's e.deS: dsarll,rr besaa
IT, Give :l...s C.! thl. soyc o! literature far
HH1ca II" was afterwards Distinguished. and
w. ncticcd l,v johnson onc day reading his
"i.s;n!s,. RS h. i ul.lt.er lsastcael tu assure
the :. q. ,ltuslfi+t that 1t was only works Of
liza: ut'Sct tutiouahlc description which she
ss:s!rrn,l to meet The <ycs OF her !it.ie GIRL
-" .e-c.al," added the ta=liii.ns mother,
eyi c'....I, doubtless. to be- cnle,tztd lor he
1s1 icrr.. u a1n very careful 10 keep f1o1n
l,os :,t1 ~4ir books Is nrc not calculated by
t:..'s uan;al tendency. expressly for the pc.
1.:-.l of ys'ath." ~ Tim y~s are -fo,1,
At:sist,, ~ l,luntly vocifsrntcd the Doctor.
"Tu.1s .eIr daughter loose into the library" :"
fo..:.naed Ec, 10 the establishment uf his
hr..1er; If she is we'll tnclinrd. she Will
cAorsetrly nutritious food; II otherwise, NIL
yrnr ca.:iinn will avail nothing to prevent
i!e! t>1i,wiaC the bent Of her snc.inAtions.''
Pcrti.,-a.ly TO this subject, VIC notice that
tin. Scotch ioet, Mr., Buchanan. has AZ essay
ir Tie last F17enic1s:ly Rerier. in which he
maintain: That no literary production can bs
n,ra;ly dc.eiesinas 10 tue;a Of rl'tnrr. ii II be
siEcere and real In its eonception-that il,
written jru,a lie A<ar, with the full consent
6f all :.e aathor's faculties Of be!ieE Tho
n,:re 4na1ity Of thorough and absolute SID
cc:ity ct literary purpose didu=cs he thinks,
charm orer The writer's style, and steep:
i, in an atmosphere Of art. which, to u reade'
ablc to PCT cciSc them, operate practically q.
safeguards against every corrHptinE iuhu
cnce. That shls theory is as true as 1t Is In
Eenious and original. IN regard TO inaEina
tit. or artistic pictures Of evil actions, fcs
thoughtful persons can doubL. The tna1
who finds his imseipsstou debsoched afts
rcadtrc ar q Shaespearc's masteTpieee.
may be sEye that the mischief was a1Tead
done before he felt the necrosnaury Of th
great magician Of the pen. Tue picture {
U,lel.o never tempted any man TO stide h'
wife IN 1T OF Jealousy nor did that
1..dy Mscscth ever teu.pt any woman vi
could comprehend Il into nnhcrupuions N
hilton for her husband nor did thai OF Gle
yatrs ever fill With sensual feelings mir
that could grasp It imaginatirely, iu all !
nrppo.4{ons. True art. Us aucthes has :
marked, has the power 10 ttans6gufe MI
human passions, desires, hopcs, or fears,
.hc experience Of which It appeals, In
something different from ourselves
In spite of pll this, however, VIC doubt
81 sar.cious mora11st Us johnson woo'a
1,ovsly recommend to any yoang man
woman such uovel as GrtClh Gaua. !
rr.at objection TO the work is not that
author apologies for The guilt Of tta hero
bi.amlst. br kay1ng that +*he was the sps
al circumstances" which might be said
the yilest niscreant that ever lived; not Il
ali his scopndrels 70 unwhipt OF JUST
while The chief seonndrcl Is rewarded iof
villaiuy by receiving large fortnn but I!
biz work deals almost exclusively with
darker 1asslunt Of msn-that 1t tends to
our belief 10 human virtue, to make us ek
tlca1 of It's very existence, OF MI the
,ncralizing works Of the day, there arc nj
1r,,c1, sbou,d be more studious1y stunned
Axe young than those written BY cyuics-
..r;t.rs whose drd,nufis pfTeoae are drn
o,de seducerg. courtesaus, iiars, and ny
c,,t.s-whose heroes are "len of "one viii
,i.,-ad N thousand crimcs"-Who aiu
..otomixc the human heart, tnat they
SHOW how black aud foul It is-xho dlsl
e1rnr.eycd acutcnEas IN detecting the r