, 1873-04-06
HL0NDE LITERATURE.

BLoNDE LITERATURE.
i It used to be that the fercest passions and tht
darkest deeds we're associated with black eyet
and raven hair. The brunettes hada copyright
in literature and on the stage for the feminine It
tragedy. They we're always the heroines Of the
blood-and-thunder dramas and the weekly serials
They we're intimately associated With uitchcraft,
The Borgias, Medicis, and Lady Macbeths were
universally painted a. dark-featured, with piorc,
ing, incandescent orbits and luxuriant masses oi
1et-black hair, falling back upon tho shoulders
or loosely caught up, to act as constant and
ccuspicuous warning to timorous young men.
! Ii this has been changed. Modern research
would have us believe that tho black-eyed Borgia
peraonal and mental charms, with preference
for life Of single bleasedness, but widowhood
that Was simply irresistible. Lady Macbeth, on
the other hand, has been discovered to have been
slight little woman with blue eyes and blonde
hair. Modern literature has fully recognized
the claims Of the fair ladies with golden locks
to be the standard heroines OF 1nelodrama. They
are NO longer required to fritter away their
penchant for the terrible upon the simpering
sentiment Of the Juliets and Paulines. They
have been admitted into full membership in the
fruitful school Of Observation-Disclosures. Miss
! Draddon was among the first to: do justice to
| the blondes, and Lady Audley's golden locks
became fair stage precedent for les 5ensnes
| %~ IN
French stage, it indeed she WAS not originally
borrowed thersfrom, and Messrs. Alexandra
Dumas and AdoIph Be1ot are now engaged in
showing the public to what greater depths Of
crime fair lady with golden locks may go than
ever were reached by the derccst women OF dark
hair known to history; tradition or pure fiction
II. Dumas "Femme de Claude" was q fair
haired lady, and wicked enough in all conscience
to establish any precedent that might be thought
desirable. She descended to tho lowest Of
crimes. She availed herself Of her husbands
ingenuity in the invention Of q new gun, made
him the first victim OF his improved pro-
jectile, stole his secret and devoted 1t to
enriching her paramour. But II. Adolph Belot,
the author OF the sanguinary drama entitled
Article A.. which has been playing in Chicago
during the past week, was not to:be outdone in
making {air-haired women horrible His effort
In this direction is entitled "Ls Femme du
Feu." The idea Of "Woman OF Fire" with
red hair was in.conaonance with the new order
Of things. Her namo ia Diane de- Berard.
She Is the sensation Of the watering-places, and
is given to taking moonlight baths, where she
glitters in the phosphorescent sea-waves, aud
dazzles tho susceptible, young mon. Among
these is III. Lucien d'Aubier, an advocate, who
is already betrothed to q young lady
named Marie de Rieu1, who, being inno-
cent and much-abused, is presumably
brunette. H. d'Apbier declares his love for the
terrible blonde, and finds that his love is return
cd. The conventional French MAMMA steps in
and forbids the bans because Diane has no for
tuno, aud because she proposes thath her son shall
marry money. Diane tells her lover to wait and
she will remove this difficulty. Lucien agrees to
this. Diane, with the wicked deliberaton now
certain old 81. Lery, who is rich, and who dies
1T conveniently early day. Lucien is astonish-
ed at DANES prescience, but Us she has now the
requisite dowry and adds the attractions OF
widowhood, he naarTies her. But their hap
winess is short-lived. The first husbands
avonger steps in. he Was II. Lery's steward,
and has long suspected probably on account of
DANES blonde compe1ion and golden 1ocks,
that his former master had been poisoned. He
finally fixes the crime upon Diane, and in re-
venee makes love to her himself. Diane thinks
the punishment too severe, and resents the ad-
rancos Of the Deus CT Machine in the person Of
the steward. Thus insulted and outraged, the
steward kills Diane md then kills himself. This |
affords Lucien g1ateful relief, and he immedi-
ately proceeds to marry his frat love, Marie, who
has also become awidow in the meantime, though |
by the course Of nature.
The introduction of the fair one with |
GOLDEN locks" as the heroine OF the sensational |
novel and drama does not seem to have inn |
proved this Bchool Of literature, though it has
evidently stimulated it's popularity. "The |
Woman Of Fire" rapidly ran through twenty-five !
editions as novel, and has had tremendous
SUCCESS as play. It would be difficult to con-
ceiye Of anything more iimsy or mora demoral-
izing than the action of this play. After INSTRUCT
ing thousands Of people through the book and
On the stage in the .1oet infamous varieties Of
crime, tho story leaves Is moral the union Of |
it's two meanest characters, and the inference
that they had . happy LIE. Lucien, who
married woman after waiting for her to dispose
Of her first husband in order to possess his for
tune for their mutual benefit, and Marie, who
forgeta her old lovers infdeGty,
and ignores the vile associations Of his first mar
ried life, become united tor the purposes Of talk
ing over the joys Of their first marriages, and
ths purity OF their past lives. How much re-
sponsibilty the novels and dramas Of this Vi
:ious school must assume for public familiarity
nth crime, and romantic suggestions in vice, is
In interesting problem for the discussion Of the