Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-07-30
Novel Reading.

childhood in Mother Goose and other
eXtravagant and grotesque inventions.
it is placed in the hands of older
childhood and youth through the dis
tributing agencies of q hundred thous-
and publishing houses and Sunday
school libraries, and prepared for the
eyes of the adult world by every mag
zine and weekly newspaper that finds
its way into Christian homes. Among
fall people and all sorts Of people, of
every age and every religious and so
cial school, it is the only universally
accepted form of literature. History,
poetry, philosophy, science, social
ethics and religion are accepted re-
spcctively by classes Of readers,
larger or smaller; but the novel is
read by multitudes among all these
classes, and by the great multitude
/ outside of them, who rarely look into
anything else. The serial novel is
now invariably component of the
magazine il. America and England !;
the French teWHet0n has been 50 long
established as to be regarded as a
necessary element in the newspaper /;
while in Germany, the land of schol-
airs and philosophers and scientific ex
plOrers, the Story-tellcrs are among
the most ingenious and profile in the
world.
1t all comes Of the interest which
the human mind takes in human life.
IF history and biography are less read
that the novel. it is because the life
found in them is less interesting or in
less interesting form. The details
of individual experience and of social
life are far more engaging to ordina
ry minds than the proceedings Of par
liamentS and the intercourse of ma
tiOns. From these latter the life of
the great masses is far removed. -
The men and women whom one meets
at social gathering, and the dramatic
by-play ard personal experience of
such an occasion, will absorb a null
titudc Of minds far beyond the pro-
ccedings of 4 Board of Arbitration
that holds in its hands the relations
of two great nations, and possibly the
peace Of the world.
The daily life of the people is not
in politics, or religious discussion
They eat and drink, they buy and sell,
they lose and gain, they love and
hate, they plot and counterpart their
lives arc filled with doubts and fears
and hopes, and reallizations or disap
pointments Of hope and when they
read, they choose to read Of these. :
1t is i'll these experiences that all
classes meet on common ground, and
this is the ground of the novel. In
truth, the novel i social history per-
sonal biography, religion. morals,
and philosophy, realized or idealized.
all in one. Nay, more: it is the only
social history we have. If the social
history of the last hundred years in
England and America has not been
written in the novels of the last fifty, |
it has not been written at all. In the |
proportion that these novels have |
been accepted and successful have |
their plots, characters, spirit, proper.
ties and belongings been taken from
real life. There is no form of litera-
ture in which the people have been
more incXorably determined to have
than in that of fiction. -
History, under the foul influence of
partisanshIp, has often won success
by lying, but fiction never. Under
the inspirations of idcality, it has
presented to us some Of the very
Durcst forms of truth which we pos
5css,
SO uniE crsally accepted is the novel
that is has become Que of the favorite
instruments of reform. If a great
wrong is TO be righted. the senti-
nents, convictions and efforts Of the
people are dircctedagainst it through
he means of a novel. 1t is mightier
o this end than conventions, speech
IS. editorials and popular rebellions.
f a social iniquity is to be uncovered
hat it may be cured, the pen of the
novelist is the power employed. The
idvcnturcr, the drunkard. the liber-
inc, the devotcc Of fashion and folly,
re all punctured and impalcd by the
anne instrument, and held up TO the
or contempt of the
world. At the same time, we are
TO look to our novels rather
han to our histories and biographies
or our finest and purcst OSCILLATIONS
# human character and human soci.
ty. There is nothing more real and
othing more inspiring in all hi. tory Z
nd cognant literature, than the char
ctcrs which fiction, by the hands of !
Is masters, has presented to the
iorld.
There was a time when the church
'as afraid Of the novel; aud it is not e
0 be denied that there are bad nov> [,
ls-novelS which ought not to be t
cad. and which are read simply be- \
ause there are people as bad as the Z
ovelS are; but the church itself is i
ow the most Industrious producer Of
nc novel. 1t is found next toimpossi-
lie to induce a child TO read anything :
ut stories; and therefore the shelves =
our Sunday-school libraries are full
them. These stories might. be bet
II, yet they undoubtedly contain the a
est presentation Of religious truth h
lat has been made 20 the inlantile Ia
ind. The pictures of character m
I'd life that are to be found in null I,
tude of these books cannot fail of
wing direction and lnsniratinn 10