Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-12-21
Two Ways Of Using Vice q Literary
Material.

Two Ways Of Using Vice % Literaey
Material.
When Bulwer was in the enjoyment
OF his young popularity ~ novel;
writer. before Dickens had been heard
Of on this side of the Atlantic, he L.
sued his "Ernett Maltravers." The
memory Of that book has fingered with
Us during these forty years rs . glazing
instance Of an appeal, by . powerful
popular author, to the coarser and more
destructive passions of mi n and wom-
en-. He pictured his lovers, brought
them into association, and 80 gave di-
rection to the readers imagination thaE
itself, without his words, pictused the
fact and scene of . seduction. It was
the theme of excited common talk
among the young men OF the time, to
whom it became q delicious and power
full poison. We do not know whether
he ever repented Of his terrible sin,
but We know that he did incalculabls
harm by it. We do not know whether
it stands in his later editions Just % Il
appeared in the first; but there are
many elderly men into whose memory
a certain page Of that book, with con-
venient rows OF asterisks, are fairly
burned.
The question naturally arises whether
sins against social purity are legitimate
literary material. A critic OF "Roxy,"
in one of the newspapers, objects to
the book on account Of the relations
between Mark Bonamy and Nance Kirt-
ley. The condemnation is quite sweep
ing. and the only inference We can
make is, that sins OF impurity are not
Legitimate literary material-in the
critics opinion. Why! weask. What
is there in human life that is not legiti-
mate material Z Why should the nov
elist have the free handling Of murder,
Of suicide, Of theft and robbery, Of
SANDER, and q thousand cruelties that
need not be named, and be forbidden
to touch the abuse that is associated
with the strongest and hottest afec-
tions and passions Of human naturef
If love has dangers, is it wrong to point
them out? Is virtue very much nour-
ished nowadays in an atmosphere OF ig-
norance? Is there any such thing g
an atmosphere of ignorance in these
days?
We can get at q fair conclusion upon
this matter by comparing the effect Of
these two books upon the mind. We
have noted the effect of Bulwer's book
It was the intention of the writer, with.
out question, to excite the prurient inn
aginations OF his readers, and not TO
place the deed in its proper relations
to the peace and well-being OF the par
ties and. Of society. If any one can
rise from the perusal of "Roxy" with
out realizing that Mark Bonamy went
through terrific degradation, and that
q coarse pleasure was purchased by
him at u price too terrible to invite i'm
itation, he must be very singularly con-
stituted. One book leaves. or is cal-
culuted to leave, the reader in love with
vice; the other leaves or is calculated
to leave him Mortified by it. and dis
gusted with it.
We might quote the freedom with
which the Bible-a book intended for
universal use-employs material of this
sort; but as we do not intend to appeal
to the Bible moralities to make good
our position, we simply allude to the
matter and drop it. We maintain that
all which illustrates human nature and
human history is legitimate literary
material, the writer being simply
bOund-not as o moralist, but as q lit
erary man-to represent everything in
its proper relation to the scheme Of
things which he finds established, as il
concerns the happiness and well-being
of the individual and society. When .
novelist represents vice as thing that
in any way "pays," he lies. and is there
fore untrue to his art. When he 20
represents the sin of social impurity
that it shall appear more attractive than
repulsive, more delightful than blame
worthy, he represents it shorn
of its natural consequences half harm
less to the guilty ones. and quite venial
in the eye Of society. he betrays his
untruth to literary art, and reduces and
vulgarizes the standard of his own
work. This may be said. or pleaded
in the way of an argumentmna adj hosni-
mem: that it does not become an editor
who spreads before families OF readers
the details of hundred adultries and
seductions and other crimes against So
cial purity every year, accompanied
with the usual amount of reportorial
and judicial jesting, to take to task
conscientious novelist who treats the
crime he depicts as God and nature
G. Holland. IN Scyrbaer.