The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-21
ERATuRE.


Criticisms Of New Books.
REGINALD ARCHER. novel. BY Anne N. Crane
Seemuller. James r. Osg0od Co., Boston.
"The old saying runs that there Is a woman at the
bottom OF everything. II there be an exception 20
this rule II certainly Is not In the OF novels In
them. at least the female element Is sufficiently felt,
generally forming, not only The foundation, but
large portion OF the structure OF the tale. four
heroine is q necessity, and the motive power which
makes the world go round here appears In It's full
proportions; here, at least woman ana love receive
credit for all they accomplish, Be the lady what
che may, she is, er-ogcio the centre OF the story"
Thus saith the author or "Reginald Archer.r and
truly enough OF her own work. It is writ
ten by woman, portrays the fate Of one
woman and deals with considerable force
with that momentous question, the relation OF
the sexes. Prudes, intelligent minds OF provin-
cial towns whose socesy represents the best phase
Of humanity and persons Of limited observation.
Will denounce Mrs. Seemuller for drawing q
thoroughly false picture aad advocating pernicous
doctrines. We believe neither accusation. We
know that the authors motives in writing "Regi.
maid Archef'' were NOBLE and We know by expert
ence that every character conceived by her has Its
counterpart In metr0t oltan cities. We should as
soon think OF branding the missionary OF Baxter
street as panderer 10 vice when he stands before
the public to relate the foul things done there as
TO accuse Mrs. Seemuller Of impure mo-
tives in unyelllng the wickedness rampant
In certain phase OF fashionable
ciety. Reginald Archer, the hero, is drawn
from life. He Is physically beautiful, intellectual,
brilliant and fascinating. He possesses the double
power OF SHINING like man and sleeping like an
ANIMAL" Certain good people believe this to be I'M
possible. We know 1t to be fact. Reginald Archer
IS thoroughly pad man, but he Is also also thor.
ougnly well Dred one. He would calmly ruin wo-
man for tune and for cternity but he is incapable Of
offering one what he would consider an unnecessary
insult. Repudiating the possibility OF any woman
being ruined for eternity o creed which can hardly
be believed by the author, we recognize the truth of
her photograph. This handsome devil fasclnates and
marries rich young girl merely for the
sake OF an Establishments silent tragedy
that we enacted many times curing the
year. and always With mingled feelings OF sorrow
anu surprise. For this strange spectacle Mrs. See
muller gives good reasons Women" she says,
"marry men with apparent disregard for their
lack or purity, sometimes because they know too
little, and sometimes because they know too much.
With one class II Is the seeming indifference Of g-
norance; with the other Is the real careessness OF
experimental knowledge and natural taste.n II was
ignorance with Christie Macaaster. She had faith
In the man she loved, and 1t was with her as with
the majority OF women "a perfectly pure-minded
reared in An innocent home, who carries
ABOUT with her spiritual atmosphere into
which evil cannot enter, has not the power
to take in or understand the actual quality of wick.
einess. To talk to her Of such things Is speak
foreign tongue and the words fail to convey their
true sense. knowledge OF the worst side of life
may be forced upon woman, or she may roll I'M
purity q sweet morsel under her tongue; the fruit
OF the tree OF the knowledge OF good and evil may
be held TO shrinking, rec0iling lips, or to those
which long after and seize the horrible, tainted ood
but she must IN some way have become acquainted
with 1t before any description appeal to her per-
ceptlon In the slightest degree That dreadful intro
duction to sin must nave been undergone before
she can recognize it. sadly or gladly, as it
may be In her nature to do. When Words
worth sang OF that little girl who, though she
had seen the graves OF her brothers ana sisters,
could not take In the idea OF death, and believed
that they seven were still unbroken band, when
the great poet told that simple story he conveyed
the Same deep principle OF life-that We have but
the ability to comprehend that which IN some de-
gree corresponds to our experience and our nature"
Regnald's approaching marriage being discussed in
the clubs, extends to the following dialogue;-..I
suppose" says one young man, "that Reginald will
give up his pretty ways, in mere decency, when he
Is married; he will be ashamed to 20 as he now
does" my young friend" replied an elderly
gentleman neither o mans nor womans ma
ture is changed by having few words said |
over him or her. What Is born In the |
bone Will come out III the flesh. II man has not
suffcient conscience and honor and fixed stand |
ard Of right and wrong to restrain HIM before
his marriage, tho wedding ceremony Is no miracle |
TO give them to him. II far less abandoned man
than Reginald Archer plants certain seeds in his
nature they will crop out time to time in spite
OF himself; at least, sufficiently to make his wire
very miserable woman If she possess conscience, a
heart and heightened honor and, above all. is striv
ing honestly to keep her marriage VOW That
elderly man speaks such truth as all unmarried
women should learn by heart. They blindly
deceive themselves In supposng marriage
10 be panacea for vice, as though
man could ever be raised by an outside
process by anything but working out his own
salvatlon.' These pItiabe. blessedy ignorant
women believe that as a man can thrust his hand
In filth, and afterward wash It white and clean, he
can dip his soul and body sin and not absorb it
into very essence Is the ignorance ''bessed,"
Mrs Seemuler2 Does 1t not perpctuate the very
evil your novel exposes2 Christie Is not long In ais
covering the true character OF her husband, and
then follows the dreadful, inevitable struggle.
"Christie and Reginald Archer mad one thing In
common-ther necessity to look at facts for
themselves. The clear lntellects OF each en-
tirely refused TO accept two standards or right
aud wrong, or TO hold that there can be
any key In SIN. = The absolute scrupuious-
ness OF one and unscrupulousness OF the other had
brought them to the same clear PERCEPTION I'M
clouded by earthly creed or custom. Christie meas
ured ner husband and his act by the same i'm mutar
bic law Of God which would have been applied to
her had she been tue criminal No drop OF bitterness,
which, in like circumstances, would have filed
mans cup to OVERLOOKING, was lacking in hers,
&C., &c.n Yes, strange as it may seem, for is gen.
orally the case that the more abandoned the man
the more relentless he Is in avengng the very inf
deity brought about by his own Inconsistency.