, 1866-12-17

motives for the nohless ae.tn- ho reok
and RIO In levclalions Of Domestic sin nd
shame.
"A. Il II werc A pleasant lhlug 10 Ind ~,
The racer stumbling, and The ::aze-hou sllnd.";
II Is In valn that Mr.. Rende, In reply to
thr cha,ge Of tlnrusity, cries )" Aoni soft Qu
NAL u ptnsr," and de1ounccs his critics al
"prur1ent prudes." Mock dcllcacy-that
rIudery which betrays Us lack Of the reality
Of virtue t1 its nlccness about the shadoH
which ahhors plain noun.substanttyes,a and
tries to hide Its Improper lmaciuiogs ii
studied eircumlo when . v ord
is used that has two meanings, is senaitiycly
conscious OF the ToEst ono. and Is Us deeply
shocked rs If the better one could never be
'nttnccd-which leads young ladies TO panta-
lette the legs Of their pianos. aud 10 Throw q
veil over marble Cnplds and Psychcs-that
spurious feeling which led swift to define 8
nicc man AZ ~ H,an Of nasty ideas I'VE
dcscst as thoroaghly as Mr.. Read4. Bat to,
say that every man who deDounces inpurIty |
In poem or novel, Is conscious Of impurity
IN his own thoughts, and reads the work, to !,
quote Mr.. RS own words, "by the light Of
his own foul Imagination" Is simply absurd.
Purity can detect the presence Of the evt
Which It docs not understand, and Of which
1t Is wholly roid, just ns tho dove which has
never seen hawk treml,les at Its presence
Just rs a horse rears uneasily and qulvcrs
when the Wild beast, unknown aud
new, Is near, so Innocence is startled
by, yet understands moi, the unboly look,
the guilty tone, the impure suggestion. at
ah,,f1ncrs md shrtuIs trrnn II 5peffnostrrJv
by a power like that which God has, con-
ferrcd on the unrcasoniuc mlmosa." The
great objection 10 Mr.. Readc's work Is not
that he openly excuses bigamIste, seducers,
and other misc.eants-not that VIC cau here
and there select proposition formally false
aud petnlcfous; but that he leaves an fn,-
preston uutavorsblc 10 hca1thfu1 state OF
thought md feeling, and which Is peculiarly
dangerous to the young and inexperienced,
/ who swallow without suspicion the insldfoua
poison that turks under the honcJcd words
ofthe elegant and philosophical apologist
for vice Mr.. RS brilliant creations arc, as
Professor Frfsbic said of Byron's, "thc
scene Of a summer eveutng, where all is ten
der, and beautiful, and grand; but the
,damps OF disease descend with the dews Of
Heaven. and the pesiIient vapors of night
,src brcathed tu with tue fragrance and the
| balm, nnd the delicate and the fair arc the
s,rcst Victims of the exposure"
We cannot leave this subject Without cI-
| pressing doubt which has uriscn In our
minds touching the tendency of minute criti-
cisus-eycn deuunclatory criticigms--of such
books as Griffith Gnunf. Concerning many
enses Of wrong-doing, 80 much pains hare
sometimes been taken to show icoplc the
way not to be naughty, that they hare been
thereby. Eor the yery first time In their 1lycs<
taurht hou. and TEMPTED 10 Be
20. Es1ecia1iy docs this hold tsuc OF
n,ornl refoym soei.t5e.. tienuncf.tfons nj In
,nnrnl hooks and thratricsl ner,orm,ncrs.
aud nuhl,-.Iion, 1nt.ndcd ~ no-tn.v tho
Grtoht,;t ;,c,casa md tc-r5h,c coneoonc,cre
.,r,;,cnt;,n.,.sr Il, , co,n,onu,tv suc,, NH,
I,c.,fors oncrotc IN ,.,any cases on,y AZ In.
,ly ,o.,, and a5,,,,tk,ornt, tn those whose
G.rr,,} uass;ona- notwithstanding THAR pres.
cnt r,,rity and iuuoceuce. are but too ready
10 IL. famed. BIZ tho slightest suggestion.
into a yioleut and uncomfortable annno and
H. the writer who, like Jauues In .4s Ioa
,;Ex n world inns hv usne,tfnr III.
.,in5.,o
a,hropr,, md ,hronrb
Cleanse tbe foal body Of thr Infected wosld,'
NC may say with the Duke:
- Fie Ut, ther! can tell vaai thou wouldst do
Aost n:ssca,troas toni SIN In eisdsn1 sin."
When William Put was Prime Minister o.
England, a llll was nassed for the rrcycn
tion G. Smuggling. prohjhitine boats If a Ger
i lain 1cu.th of keel. breadth Of leam, dsauyh1
Of vntrr, etc,. from being built @v any sub'ec,
! or Efur GEORGE. The ,nolct urohiiltea va.
I 80 cxau;sitcly f1u-ol such matchless pro
portions-that all The smusy1ers at ono,
adontcd 1t, and had their craft CONSTRUCTED
in French ports caactly according TO til,
| measures forbidden by the statute; and til,
! I,za} boaimen used 10 say that thcs ncve
knew how to build boat for smuggling til
EWv Pitt taug,: than the ,ruy. The npcc
Cote forclhly illustrates the pcrniciou
effects nron the morals Of soclct,
resulting from even vcll-futendcd pub
,:..s.;.. .,..,n,,,es,. t,,w,-., haats
! "'"''"p' "'se "H'"'