The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-11-15
From the Memphis Sunday Appeal
ssMy ROses.'

my Roses" which the papers generally
are condemning as Of very Objectionable
morality. It's heroines are taken from
that class entitled in France only to
wear the badge of the camelia, the in
sigma ofshame. "-Memphis Daily Press
September 81.
In the foregoing paragraph, the editor
of the Press has registered himself as a
member of a family whose name is
legion" and whose influence for evil is
beyond all computation-"the large
and respectable family" Of They Say
In passing judgment upon book, il
is due to the author that the censor
should, at least, skim the book over, be
it ever 30 lightly; but in this instance
our critic would fain sweep the "un'
clean thing" from the face Of pure and
Immaculate society with the bosom Of
wholesale condemnation, and that
without having even seen the book al
all.
"Its heroines are taken from that
class entitled, in France, only to wear
the badge of the camelia," so says "our
reliable correspondent" Those who
have read the book can tell him that
one heroine is not only of aristocratiC
lineage, but is, herself, most pure, and
lovely, and lofty type of womanhood,
whose life and character are unimpeach.
able; and the other, though "a brand
plucked from the burning" is still one
who has kept the lilies OF her heart and
life spotless and pure, and has no title
whatever to wear the badge of the
camelia."
Possibly, however, / may misjudge
our editor, and his apparent timely
warning to highly moral community
may be in reality, only cunningly de-
vised bait OF some shrewd bookseller,
wherewith to catch an unwary public;
who are so prone to trample under their
feet the beauties of Shakespeare and
Sheridan Knowles, and sigh for the
gorgeous lasciviousness of the "spec-
tacular drama" If such be really his
object, I congratulate bin upon his
happy conceit. 1t will be certain to
give the book IAN immense run" Still,
it were a pity that the deluded victim
should waste his substance" upon what
he fondly hoped would prove to him a
feast of depravity, and flow OF vile
imaginings. for to such one my
Roses" will prove weary, stale, flat
and Improbable" reading.
Itis not my purpose to "review" the
book, for it has been reviewed, and crit
icised and dissected, until there is not q
shred left for me to stick sword point
into, but l feel constrained to give to
the readers Of the appeal somewhat
more correct idea of its tone than has
been given to those of the Press.
A candid and practical reader could
not award to the arthur unqualified
praise. The book has its faults, of
course, and one very prominent fault.
The plot is most ingenious and origin al,
but it as far from being either practical
or probable. The "plan Of redemption"
adopted by the heroine, though most
curiously and ingeniously conceited,
and successfully carried out in the
authors Imagination, is still too near
akin to an impossibility to be of any
practical value whatever 1t is q most
glowing and gorgeous dream OF beauty,
viewed in the noon-tide glare of poesy,
but most improbable and impractical
BILE chimera, when looked calmly upon
in the cold, gray twilight of common
sense. This, however, is a fault only
when viewed from one standpoint. 1t
does not detract one atom from the
purely literary merit OF the book, but it
must of necessity lessen its rsformatory
force. 1t is human nature to wish to
be told not only what to do, but hOO ID
do ii, and in a work written solely for
the purpose Of reform, the plot should
be Of so plain, simple and practical a
character that the author can, at it's
close, say to each individual reader, "go
thou and do likewise" which injunc'
ton could scarcely be laid upon the
leaders of my Roses" Still, the book
is pure, earnest, eloquent and power
full plea for reform, and its author q
true and devoted champion Of woman
hood, whose independence Of thought
and speech are worthy the imitation Of
every woman in the land who yields a
pen, and whose moral heorism is thus
daringly scaling the ramparts of popular
prejudice, and walking boldly into the
bristling cannon's mouth, is above that
OF score of itary::chieftains.
"The papers generally are condemn
ing as of very objectionable morality
Thus saith our friend OF the respectable
family of They Say" If the life and
teachings Of One who has said, Neither
do l condemn thee; 60, and sin nc
more" be of objectionable morality,
then is the tone and sentiment of MY
Roses" most objectionable" indeed
If charity for the erring, comfort fol
the desolate, hope for the despairing
pure, devoted, long. suffering love fol
the lost and wretched, be Of objection
able morality" then l earnestly warn
YOU, pure and stainless sisters, and mos
immaculate brotherhood, touch not the
book with the hem Of thy garment,
for "can a man touch pitch and not be
deflsdf" Who knows what a miracle
of depravity might not be wrought by
such weapon of the h.fend? Ever
into thy brain, empty, and swept, and
garnished," oh most amiable Of women
might this woman Of loving heart and
pleading pen infuse some vague, nebu
lous dreams of charity and federation
and in a moment Of rash impulse you
might even drop an infnitesimal crumt
of comfort to some poor, desolste wretch
who, having departed from "the straight
and narrow path, has still the brazer
effrontery-to be one Of your o'on ser
Just think of the enormity of the thing
and what would Mrs. Grundy say, anc
put the book behind the fire.
And thou, oh most pious, and
proper, and prudent, and pragmatica
brother: thou concentrated embodiment