The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-08-25

'Iwhoio Of R0dertck Ra,,3O56, and ever
! offsrca TO oommitto n6csaory 8 com
pleto volume Of the Morning CRroni
Gle ID d week. IN,
i There il no escape from the con
clusion than the land il flooded with
brilliant writer's. Creative geniul
rivaling that Of Defoa Or Scott, ID la
dicrously abundant. II il ike gold
madc plentiful as the stones in the
street, 80 that ID il scarcely worth
while TO pick itup. One Is led Ia
imagine that literature must have
played the part Of Midas, 80 that It
her touch, every blockhssd might
become genius. Ne fear, how
however, thnt there Is 3 sliohtrmis-
take about tho immortality of their
reputation. We are inclined to be-
lieve that they are immortal in the
lump and not as individuals.
The memory Of fpostcrity must grow
out OF oil proportion TO its other fac
ulties, If it is ever to retain any i'm
preston Of their specific merits; and
If it did retain them, 1t would have q
Heterogeneous compound Of frailties,
virtues, follios and vices as ridiculous
" blended 40 Addison's unique COM
bination, The Mount Of Sorrows.
The multitude rushing for stimuli
taneoas immortality, reminds one Of
those naples near the Horse shoe Falls
of Niagara, where name covers name
cut on the bark, and the only thing
'fmmortap is the Disagreement Of
the tree.
As to the causes which have led to
this lavish profusion of Genius, ,squan-
dered with the prodigality Of the
Scriptural, spendthrift, they are va
rious, and God in the wisdom of his
providence has allowed them to.op-
crate as we believe he did natural
causes in the case. Of the frogs Of
Egypt, and for much the same reason
asa judgment-although there might
be mercy in it, if only the profusion
should nausiate.
One Of the causes we alludo to, is
the success which have attended somo
remarkable productions in tho novel
line. a e 4asasts zt 3ft
Man is an initiative animal, and the
ape clement Of his nature is nowhere
more conspicuous than in blowing
literary bubbles after some distin-
guished pattern. The novel world,
like vast boiling cauldron, IL kept
in continual state of ebullition, for
all around it the great circle Of au-
thors, some with pipes, and somc
with straws, are copying, with eyes
intent, all the motions Of Tho master
spirit, who. with golden tube, sets
them an example. To preside in this
school of mimicry, TO Kold this ideal
court, to be the cynosure Of such a
circle, may to some appear high
ambition and lofty, privilege, but
the true description Of It is, "king of
mimici." sss
For ourselves, we deem it prudent
to DO extra cautious in the company
OF apes, and in such world as ours,
example, especially if attended with
success, is almost otrinipotent. Ma
poleon had his living imitators.
Scores have attempted to write
la Coteridge. Caricatures Of Byron
honestly meant for facsimiles, and
turned into daubs by mistake, are
abundant. And it is so in the novel
world. The success of genius may
bo public calamity. It is whenever tho
influence of tho school 1t originates, is
deleterious to mind OF heart.
Another cause OF this evil is the
lenity or favor shown by public jour-
nails to this class of productions.
Half of the novels arc reviewed be-
fore they are read, or receive stere-
otype laudation on the ground Of the
respeotability of tho publishing
house thit endorses them. IF th ey
are entertaining, that is enough. IF
they are stupid, they have the merit
of profundity. If they advocate
some reform even by injudicious
measures, they are Illustrations Of
Christian truth. is sta s.
There is miserable lack Of con.
science in the eulogies indiscrimi.
nately bestowed upon them. NJ
The writer of the eulogies are of
ten Intellectually and morally on
par with the authors they license.
But a cause equally prolific, is the
lack on the part Of the reading COM
munity Of any proper sense Of the
evils which attend the perusal Of this
sort of literature. It dissipates the
mind. 1t corrupts the taste. 1t dis
enthrones reason and Judgment by
exciting . morbid appetite that re-
fuses any longer to relish wholesome
food. Don. Quixote like, the beard
less goatleman pictures to his mind
and ideal Dulcinea which, alasi he
never finds, while the youthful maid
en- rejects the sturdy farmer or hon
est mechanic, and sighs for q Count
or a milliopare. There are, perhaps,
a few works Of fiction that may be
safely read, that are morally healthfal
in their tone. but they are far fewer
than is generally supposed. We
havo strong sympathy sometimes
for them, for like "poor Tray" they
are in bad company, and fare the
worse forsit. But the great majority
are the abominable nuisapce of liter.
ature, and ought to be abated. Their
influence is bad, and only bad, and
that continually. They are senti,
mental shP Pslops of intellectual poi
son. Their pictures of life are false
and only serve to mislead. They new,
or reach to the death-bed, NOR glance q
thought at the Judgment TO come. In
i trigues, courtships, marriages, williams
bellies, misers such is the pantomime
Of their scenery. We believe that
.God instituted marriage for the
comfort and happiness Of mankind,
| but in the novelist's creed that ii
| mistake. 1t was only instituted Il
roand of a popular tale, and give it {
chance to stop before life's grave ro
alities como in sight. We believe
John Foster was right. "Fiction ma,
BE- moro instructive than real history
but tho vast rout Of romanccs ant
novels as they are,do inealculablc mis-
chief. / wish we could collect them al
RI together and make one vast fire o
thom. | should cxult TO see th'
smoke Of them ascend, like that o
So.iom and Gomorrah. the iudemen