Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-10-14
LIFE IN THE NOVEL.

Novels have q marvellous influence III
forming the opinions of certain stamp
of young people, brought up probably in
quiet homes, or at any rate seeing moth
ing of the kind of life which many novels
are supposed to depict. The excitement
and interest which young people do not
get out Of real life they try to get out of
the popular novel; and great deal OF
unhealthy sentiment and many foolish
views of lite are propagated through
their means The imagination must
have food, and so novels will continue
to be read; but there are some points on
which we could wish, for the sake of their
Younger readers, that the impressions
given by noVelists we're more in accord
ance with the facts of life.
Elder readers of novels generally take
them up as a mere pastime-an occupa-
ton for an idle hour, when no work can
be done, or when thoughts that are too
painfully pr .ssing must be postponed
For this use the ordinary class of novel
does we'll enough, and such readers have
seen too much of the "seamy side of the
tapestry TO be much led astray in their
estimates of the real bearing Of the facts
stated. Their amusement, ln feet, often
nartly arises from the practical uew
thew can take as to what would have nap.
nened had the actors in the story been
real personages. But with the young
things tits different and writer's are often
responsible for foolish acts done by
young people under the impression that
they are following the lead given BY some
favorite hero or heroine of romance.
MANY novelists give the most absurd
ideas With regard to money and modes
of living. The persons in real life whose
incomes count by thousands are compar'
atively few; bat in novels they are as
plentiful as blackbeFFies. In fact, we
only know of one novelist WAC has
clear Impression of the comforts tbst
may co.exist with sn income OF 1--we or
six hundred year. IsE other day we
read of a couple who were very poor
with nine hundred year. of course in
some stations of life this would be poy-
ertv: but it would not have been so with
the young people who were compassion
atai We are somewhat of opinion tina!
a great deal of the nonsense which was
taiked some years ago about the lmpos'
sibilitv of existing in o married LIE on
three hundred a year kGG its origin IN
the want of appreciation OF tine Eesil
value of money which many noVelistf
exhibit.
Another point upon which the dictum
of the ordinary novelist is at variance
with the facts Of life is the way Of re.
gardipg age. We all know that seven
Teen is the nominal age for heroine oi
romance, unless she is an heiress, when
she continues so 10 twenty-one. In real
life girls Of that age are often chits
at school, of no particular consequence
in society, and in the uncomfortable
stage of social Development when
nobody takes much heed Of them. II
the girls of real life were like the girls Of
corresponding age in story books, all
persuns OF well-constituted mind would
vote them unmitigated bores. Women
between thirty and forty, 1r even older
tban that. do not in real life consider
themselves as fallen into the sere and
yellow leaf" and they sometimes even
inspire very deep and passionate attach.
ments. But in novel society We have
read of an elderly lady who was
twenty FIVE, and thirty is thought TO be
natriarchal age. There are sometimes
real old ladies 10 these books; but would
anv one be brave enough 70 write an
ordinary novel in which the heroine
should be a young woman Of thirty We
have Just read novel in which the hero
ends his hero.life at twenty-four-an age
np to which most young men are re
markably uninteresting-and after tha
begins his real hfe-work, which, by IN
ference, is supposed to have eompar
atively no interest whatever. FOR on
heroine Of thirty We should ike 70 nav
a hero Of from forty to foriy-hve. Ii
real life such people are not so uncom
mon as they are in books;
In connection with this comes tb
representation Of the particularly ioV
sb!s and fascinating woman which som
, writers are pleased 70 bring before y