The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-02-19

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Under this queer and apparently .frivo-
lous. title of ''Ginx's Baby" book has
been recently published, which evidently
has deep purpose, dealing with great
public evil. The work is rather unique,
being both satire, q novelette,, and an es-
say. Although apparently Catholics seem
to be included, it will be observed that had
the Sisters of Charity been permitted to
retain possession of the child, Ginx's
Baby" would not fill suicides grave.
But the sects couldn't bear this, and hence
the disastrous sequel. The following is q
rapid summary of the work:
Ginx's baby is the thirteenth child of a
London pauper, and his arrival into the
world only adds to the load of misery and
poverty under which the family is stagger-
ing. In Q fit of desperation Ginx deter
mined to destroy the child by throwing it
off Blackfriar's Bridge, and while on his
way to execute his purpose is met by a Sis
ter of Charity, who undertakes to care for
the baby provided it is given over to the
Catholic Church. Ofcourse, Ginx only too
gladly consents. The child lie provided
for by the Sisterhood, and is reared under
Roman Catholic influences, and all goes
swimmingiy until an anti Romish society
cry of abduction is raised, apd the child is
taken away by authority. Its trials now
commence in good earnest, for all sorts of
communities, societies, establishments, and
dignitarics lay claim to the child, and pro-
claim that it must be ruined if it is not re-
ceived within its protecting inclosure.
Ginx's baby is tossed backward and for
ward like a shuttlecock between the con-
hicts of these various sects, and in the
meantime Ginx's baby is not improving in
the process. At length comes a truce. A
compromise is effected at last, and the
ed for privately until he shall arrive at that
age when he can choose for himself who
shall be his guardians and propretors,
and what religious forms he will prefer to
worship under. But the woman to whom
he Is given turns out to be q miserable
creature, and Ginx's baby is stripped of
it's clothing, and the funds appropriated
for its support are stolen, and the youthful
Ginx finds himself one morning on the
steps of a poor house. Thep all the parish
es engage in squabble which shall have
the child, and, while they squabble, Ginx
is growing up like weed in the aims
house, and falling into vicious ways. AT
last Baronet, laying some claims to phil
anthropy, takes charge of him, and makes
him kind of erraud boy for q club house.
But Ginx's baby has had no moral training,
and he commits series of petty thefts.
he runs away and plunges into the vices of
the great metropolis. Deeper and deeper
he goes, and at last reaches the bottom of
his career, and, in tit of misery and utter
desperation, plunges off the same bridge
from which his father would have thrown
him when an infant and ends his wretched
life. The point to all this is contained in
the closing sentence of the book. ''Philoso-
piers, philanthropists, politicians, Papists
and Professionals. poor law ministers and
parish officers-while you have been deba-
ting, theorizing and discussing, wrangling,
legislatng, administering-Good God!
gentlemen, between YOU all, where has
Ginx's baby gone to 2" AS might be ex-
pected, from the plot of the story we have
given, the author has graphically sketched
the petty contentious among the various
English churches and charities, attacked
both with satire and invectiye the iDutili-
ty of the English poor laws, and the shame
and folly of the pseudo philanthropists,
and ridiculed their circumlocutOry theo-
ries. The moral of the book is the utter
futility of the legislative, theological, and
charitable schNSnes of the theoretical re-
formers of England, for the care, education,
maintenance, and government of the idle
classes, the vicious classes, and the paupers
of that country and that, while they are
discussing and wrangling. and revolving,
Ginx's baby is all the time going to ruin
before their eyes. We are, hardly sure that
there is not moral within u moral, and
that, in consigning Ginx to a suicidal
grave, the writer does not wish the reader
to infer that it would have been better if
Ginx's the elder had thrown the baby into
the river when he set out for that purpose.
The popularity of the book may be- infer
red from the fact that, although it has been
issued but short time, five editions have
already been published.
THE O'CoNNELL MONUMENT. - When will
Ireland be relieved from the reproach of having