The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-11-10
A New Way of Promoting Virtue

he can be kept in Washington until he is
thoroughly Investigated.
A New Way of Promoting Virtue.
1t IL only justice to JAY GOULD and his
young editor TO say that there is every
reason TO suppose that when they engaged
ARsENE HoUssAyE to write Paris letters
for the Tribune they did not know what a
dsreputable creature he was. They uu-
doubtedly thought they had secured one
OF the shining lights OF French letters.
When they began IL read his correspond
ence after II was translated they should,
however, at once have dismissed
writer so prurient. For not doing this,
and for making great cutlery over
their shameless acquisition. they deserved
the punishment THE Sun gave them. Only
after that had been inflicted did they 20
To work To expurgate HoussAYE's letters.
which were stupid enough with all their
Nth, but which became the mercst swash
when that was taken out OF them.
NJ. HoussAyE now has the impotence to
write TO the Tribune, and TINT paper to
publish his defence of his immoral
and rubbishy novels. IIis letter Is in re-
In II he takee advantage OF the opportuni-
ty TO advertise his works. We can assure
American readers that these books are
both frivolous and odious rs TO their moral
influence. They have low literary level,
and their evil tendency would keep them
out of the families OF all Frenchmen OF
good character. Their author is n man
who has n more enthusiastic welcome In
the society which has given ParLs n
reputation for dissouteness than in
that which represents French scrupulous-
ness. He Is personally as unfit an as
soclate for American ladies as his books
are unfit for their reading. Therefore,
when we find him Boosting OF his familiar
acquaintance with reputable ladies Of
Now York and Boston, we are outraged at
his impudence in SO parading their names /;
but it is some consolation to believe that
he exaggeIntes a chance meeting into an
intimacy, or that the ladies, whose names
he takes care to publish. do not know what
sort Of a man ARsENE HoUssAyE is. As
to his novels, they will never do much
harm here They are too tedious and too
slopfr.
His letter Of defence is stun which any
editor OF ordinary sense ana average taste
would have refused TO publish His very
effort 10 show that he is enamored of viz
tue proves the depth of his depravity. IL
is the pretended tribute OF libertine to
feminine chastity. something which Hous-
SAVE is incapable Of understanding, so far
as il springs from other and higher con-
| slderations than those OF mere prudence.
We will give an idea of the sort of de-
fence he makes. In answer to what we
said as TO his masked fetes, HoussAYE
replies;
way should hey hoil over at d9minoes when they
more dico WHY soild thdy rcIr,ar hmei iug
aes for c?minS 60 my hqu,e where nes meet the best
rot damaged by the contact Of tc ar i-ts, Tor the
tGeatre is every Shero school OF manners.'
We can only say that every decent man
ought to boil over at the sight OF ladies in
dominoes touching elbows with prostitutes
in dominoes, as they do at NJ. HoUssAYE =
notorious masked entertainments. If this
! IL what NJ. HoUssAYE calls the best social
e role Of Paris, ne ISLANDERS PARIS. There IL
a much better eOrlety there, which would
40 more be found at his balls than at the
Nab lie.
by this phlosophic student of woman a.
he calls himself, to feminine virtue:
"Romanco I, equally school Of morals. In nv own
| stories II have sometimes pntei lapse I. 10
snow repentance. Noone virtue In more ptofouud
respect There arc rpIts on the sun, Tut there
| spo's ON nat admirable IAmpnd called Virtue"
Then NJ HoUssAYE goes on to catalogue
his novels to show how exemplary wri ter
he is. The first is about girl sold into
| h.r
has a paramount for heroine and "de-
scrbes the duel between the wife and the
paramount" Then we have one GU ladies
who "show their superiority to passion
aud temptation"-the old theme again
| Next, one on Partisan women crnzed
with intrigue and curiosity, charming
monsters who have no time for doing good
so busy are they kept, the sweet nnoc cents,
in doing wrong without knowing it," This
must be highly virtuous! Then comes a
| novel on the "courtesans OF society, -" an
| altogether new variety in the natural his
tory of women, the titled woman, the lady
Of pride ana birth who falls into the ranks
of the abandoned, through mere greed
of money and luxury" This is of
course highly moral story. Next
"the faithful portrait of the young
girl Of the world, too naughty TO descend
TO the life OF tradespeople, and who goes
INTO the prison of money marriage to
seek her revenges in forbidden paths. A"
Gould better subject be chosen by a
moraist SO severe as ARsENE HoUssAYEl
Last Is his Partisan Nights, with its pictures
OF the lady OF diamonds" the night
] walker" and the rest OF the person