New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-02
OUIDA'S NEW NOVEL.
LETTER FROM JULIAN HAWTHORNE.

TRIBUTES AND THE USE SHE MAKES OF THEM
A CHARACTERISTIC MOVED AND ITS TENDENCIES.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: eff only had Ouida's color" sighed lady
novelist the other day, land my own brains, what
a novel 1 would writep The implied rebuke to the
famous romancer's intellectual capacity startled
me. Ouida brainless3 What books are more
widely read than hersi Is a person of color"
who is deficient in other attributes nevertheless
competent for popularity so vastf The matter
seemed worth inquring into, and the Opportnne APP
pearance of Ouidas latest work Of fiction clinched
my purpose l have read every one of the LOO
closely-printed pages Of Moths" and l am able to
assure the believers in Ouda's philosophy that her
hues and arOmas are no less potent than Of old AS
to brains-what need has writer with soul so
alive to all that is beautiful and pure, and lofty,
and moral and artistic as Ouidas soul is, Of brainsf
And yet | believe that Ouida has brains, in addi-
ton to the richly endowed soul just alluded to; and
/ trust in what follows, to make the cause OF my
belief incidentally apparent to the reader.
Ouida is a philosopher, o mOralist and reformer;
but we must never forget that she is also, and SUI
premely, an artist that will explain much that
might else seem unaccountable Ouida has looked
upon this mighty tragi-cOmedy OF human LIE With
compassionate indignant, scOrnful and penetrating
eyes, Very scOrnful-for " the scOrn OF genlns, sue
tells u.s. "is the most boundess and the most AFRO
CANT Of all scorn"; and eurionsly penetrating IOr
she detects the social eprosy in places anu III tnngs
where only she would have thought of looking for
it, Having found it, she denOunces it, oh! how bit
tery and with what eOquencc But first, in order
that the denunciatiOn may have ts full effect in re-
forming and purifying the rising generation-the in
noccnt Young girls and wives, especially, into whose
hands Ouidns novels fall-shc describes the leprosy
INFINITELY wildly lingcringly. even from the arts
nc standponO lovingly. Her heart beats so pity
ngly for humanity, she ardently desires to
sec them freed from disease, that she cam
not be satisfied with merely pointing out
the disease to ia from distance. She brings us
close and ever closer to it sic makes lis breathe It,
touch il, taste it; in her grand enthusiasm she
would fain inOculato us with it, that We may IN
deed know and AVOID it. For how can our dough-
fcrs GROW p pure and good unless they told that
their mother is prostitute, their father a-well,
dcydtce Of namelcss bestialltic3; their brothers,
cousins and other relatives such characters rs only
Ouida's fastdIous clOquence can venture to de-
scribel Such knowledge is the only sure stimulus
TO virtue and it is well known that, were it not for
the exhaustive information on these and the ike
subjects which Olida furnishes our maidens and
marons would lack the ono barrier which now re-
strains them from tho indulgence of uubridled Ii
roic figure, and says: " Hear about 1t first and then
do it if yon lke!' And, with her artlcss artistic
condor. she will not paint vice in forbiddng c0lOrs.
On the contrary she uses every device and resource
nj her genius to make it appear cacing and seduc-
tive nor arc any pains spared by her to clothe vr-
the chastity and honor In u repusive Rarb, and to
proyc them stupid, irrational aud ridiculous. 10
trivial mind this might seem too indirect method
of advocating mOrality but how, asks
Ouida, can you DO strong enough to re-
sist evil unless you are convinced before
hand that it is dcighfuli what merit Is there in
being virtuous unless you can prove that virtue Is
neither respectable nor sinccre1 Nor will 1t answer
TO 90 boldly and cru ley To work. The true artist,
while casting over filth and sensuaty all the CLAM
our Of fascination that belongs to them. will care
fulIv abstain from any direct verbal cuoGy them,
will. on tue contrary appear Outwardly to condemn
them. For experience has shown that even I'M
chastity is less attractive when one Is forced into
if than when one is formally withheld from it
ncrycrse human nature COOS better with tho bride
than with the spur. Here, then, wo have deep
underneath the deep-the true inimtablC subtlety
of genius. In order to make virtue loved and vice
hated, Ouida makes virtue hateful anu YcclOYable;
and in order TO make this hatefuncss and this low
abencss genuine she defames virtue while she out
wardly patronizcs it, aud glorifes vice while she
outwardly arraigns it, The system coud hardly be
more complete and sufficiently indicates to any
candid mind that Ouidas intellect Is quite par
with her emotions.
Genius, however Is always Tia bic to be misunder-
stood and this question Is often asked among
Others. how it happens that moralst so high
minded and uncompromsing Ouida should be so
Intimately and, az it were, professionally familiar
not only with every form of dcpravity that actually
exists IN the world, but with numborless other
.nocio DEVELOPMENTS thereof which are to be found
un,yhero outside OF her own pages. How can m-
maculateness ncarnate be so sympathctically
ouniscicnt OF the most l0ahsOmo ulcers OF our So
cial systeml Tho question is an idle one, and not
deserving of n categorical reply. Butsuch directors
may be reminded of two great men who have lived
IN the world, named respectively Shakespeare and
Uabncmann. The first n man of imperfect edu-
cation and limited experience, who nevertheless
stood 80 close to the centre to speak, OF creation
that he was able without an effort to comprehend
and represent its manifestations in whatever direc-
ton nc chose to take it up. IIahnemann was n
learned physician, who conceived the idea Of curing
diseases by tho pOisOns THAT produce them; and so
unHiuching was his humanity that he did not hesi-
tate TO try the poisons on himself IN order to be
satisfied that they really corrcsponded to the ills
which he meant TO heal Whether our Onida be q
homeopathic OF - Iob lol w ndy'
| shall simply advise all those who entertain any
doubt on the subject to read Moths" and decide
for themselves.
But have too long fOrbOruo to give the reader
some idea Of this refined and touching tale. Lady
Dolly, described rs ono of the great leaders Of Eng
lish society," is fascinating little creature of ex-
ouisite toilets and seductive manners who has
been twice marriel-tho first time to young clergy
man named Yoro Herbert. who died young after
daughter had been born and the second time TO
Mr. Vanderdecken, wealthy merchant, who is al
WAYS away on some expedition to Java, Japan or
.Jupiter," rs Ouida wttly says and constantly re-
peats. The first person with whom Lady Dolly COM
mIts adultery is so far as am able to say, certain