The sun., 1873-12-18
sO1E NEW moons.
A Wicked and Disgusting Production.

with which any reputable publishing house In
this country have thus far sought to corrupt the
public taste.
1t has been Of late the habit Of the man
ayers of some Of our most respectable
theatres TO present plays in which the drama
Of seduction, with every appurtenance Of
luxury and fascination. Is worked out 10
the very face OF the audience, and the emo
tions of the debauchec and his victim analyzed
with debasng fidelity. The excuse Of the man
ager has commonly been that when a coldly
moral play produced the people turned their
backs upon It. IL this excuse now TO serve its
turn with the publishers? Are the Lippincotts
20 assure us that the public refuse to read any
decent books, and that the fortunes of their
house are In such desperate condition that
they must resort 10 the literature of the brothel TO
redeem them Hunger and want have furnished
an excuse for many deeds that would otherwise
have been Infamous but this publishing house.
among tho nrst ard wealthlcst in this country,
have no such excuse to offer Tor this crime and
outrage that they have committed against the
morals Of the community.
Nothing would he easier than 10 make proof
~ what we aver as 20 the character Of this dts
reputable volume 10y quotations from almost
any one OF the 40 pages that make up ia con-
tents. nut the publication 10y Lippincott
4 Company Of the Indecent aud bcastly
imaginnes - Mr. Saltus is bad enough; and II
will hardly be expected that we shall repro
duge them, even as proofs of our structures.
II would be a curious subject OF inquiry
whether any member of this firm has allowed
COPY Of the book To cross hla own threshold.
Swirburuc, in his day, has given to the public
much nastiness. hut 1t was set OF, and, In some
sense, doalilcd 10y the poetic genius of the
author. The dros~ was there. but mixed with It,
much nne gold. There j. no such eXtcnuatoh
for this volume. No ray of Gcnius illuinnates
lis grossness. no spleudor Of dicton relieves its
bald bestiality There ls Indeed, certain afecta-
ton of style that takes the form Of strange and
uncouth words which, while it m1y puzzle, GER
tainly cannot please the reader. For example,
in slx -tanias Of a single poem entitled Fan
tasle 90 we ind the following words: Troul
bronze, ouphs, dreggy. crunk. and chatk. We do
not -ay that they are incprrect-on the contrary
they are all of them defensible even II some are
obsoete-hut the constant use Of exceptional
words IA very apt 20 bc the resort Of those who
are lacking in ideas and certainly this is case
in point.
what Mr. sal'us proposes for himself, and
what manner Of man he il, We are at no loss to
know. for upon both these points he Is sun
ci,ut.y explicit. The Gr-t he elIclda;cs "A fol-
lows In the short mctreai preface With which he
introduces his poetry:
1sirr ~ strange songs md the wriuring
OF hands 10 ti4iral 1nal
q. rr,'t rloom.throlted heii'. ever ringing
! ting of aii ,crr1rs hell zprl1giuP
Aud siug OF our woe and our veal.
As TO tho descrlpti ,ns. which we may fairly
.fcsume t. bee portraits of the author, since the
maa described throughout the book wherever
'eIi-rcfcrenre Is made o. always the same, they
leave no room for doubt. A. least they have the
merit of d,Aui,oucss. Here are a few Of these
seli-rencctns pictures:
ofme Ihaye tasted m, svso,,
IT, bone aud i.s marrow ana meat
The Iith founl rot and ei'te
with h-ca.h NJ mvrrh and touct Of fro
X ndlei uY arinHus nas
rls'iot, lloa. /, in-'' in'n.re
Aud cot ly turn my ranking ire
To grace
Gois do spurn. crceds have / none,
Religions dcrGc
Relieve IN naulh' and nave begun
The very sight Of man 70 shuI
Win pflIc.
Tho light o. priest tcor and 0out.
Despite ol iry year.
H. voollcn cow ana nou.dy ciout
W'l not y lro'e,c, 70, ,.,y' ~ ho.y 'aoa'
II e. between such wailiurs II uisanthropy
and self-coutrnpt on the one hlnc and lusriv-
ious recollections on the other that the poetry
of this leprous volume oscinates.
There arc unhppily TOO many readers to
whom the suggestion that the book is one OF
uuexamplcd license ot phrase and thought may
be an In iucemcnt TO purchase II. and IL is To
this class, doubtless that the LippInc9tts look
for their pront. But fortunately the author has
supplied the antidote To- bis own poison. We
warn all persons, therefore, wlo may be dts
posed 20 seek tine book for the eradication of a
di-solutc taste that thcrHis more In 90 to siclien
and disgust thIu to crafty even the most de-
urNed Imagination. The mark II the beast Is
on most of the pages. The very titles OF some Of
the poems are sufficient to indicate their drift.
Among them. for example, are Lines to a
Corpse and "'rhe Ghoul and Carbon" These
poems are the offspring OF q perverted, gross,
dopravcd, and deyili~h imIciuation-the out
pourlu-s Of bitter and ualseou' fountain.
They present the s1l spcctl le of an author
who has so misu-eG every good ,iit that nature
has mo- longer ATTRACTIONS, uua existence itsci Is
but a burden aud curse.
These words may seem over strong, hui I'm
our view uo terms Of r.plouttion can be too
severe for such % book. Lot tho reader judge
for hiu'Hf Here i.a port 'n of the poem ell
+ t.tiyI .ttrilu." r. auy ONE can SEQ q ben at
10 Pee derive! by aur hln1n he.n- f- N the ic-
rua4l If -lcu stIu, We cJuu,', II any mau-we
will not insult vpmanhini by inc.uding them
! can read tine lines without horror aud disgust,
/ let that man par r'hasr the volume, for it Is for
him that Slltl- has written and L.ppinoott pub
/ llshcd. Here are the experimental lines, which,
/ though printed as a warning and an illustration
of all that Is vicious and horriD le, we feel II al
most an insult 90 the reader 90 reproduce ai all.
/ But let them speak Tor themselves ana for their
/ author:
. Ho Of ,fcVs