The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-09-21
THE CRISIS IN ENGLAND.

-
has appeared This year has created 50
much sensation as Moths by Ouida.
The previous efasiocs of this prolific
and daring authoress werr unfort unAte-
ly too often OF . chsra ter TO justify
the hostile criticism which they evoked;
and the reviewers appealed 10 an al :
ready prejudiced people when
they denounced - immoral, i'm
possible aud rntrde' her more
recent pictures OF the society iu
which we live. That society, too. con-
scious that the keen shafts OF satire
had struck bone, thankfully adopted
the structures Of the press: and Il 10 the
fashion in the world for the people
who live TIA, lives depleted in Moths
either to deny altogether that they
have seen that immoral book or TO blush
aud simper IS il they bad been guilty
of sn improperly IN reading graphic
description of their own manners and
customs. Critics say that 0uids can
not depict truly society in which she
hse never iiv-,i, but those who have
lived in it and despiss it as il deserves
IL
trai, as fAi,hfal While il avoiis the
trap of the realistic school If z ia. IN
making vice attractive aud virtue re-
pulsive, Moths so far q, being i'm
moral. is . ssrtnen TO those wLo read it
rightly. and strips the highest society
Of its fimsy disguise u deeency with a
skilful and ruthless hand
Ls. not your readers judge Of the
truth of the whole production from the
exaggerated and erotr'que specimen Of
the American gill who msrries an En-
Rlsh Duke. and is evidently type
with which the authoress is Eot famil
lar. Nor would it be fair to give her
description of the society she portrnys
. too general application. What makes
her book 30 telling is not that the class
is large of which it treats. or that its
manners aud Gust ms ars universal, bu,
that they ~ o restricted to what is called
the hest society. Monsieur lola de-
scrihes Indecent washerwomen and NO
Que Is likely to adopt their practices.
even though the filth which he deline-
ates makes the book so attractive to the
present taste; but Ouida describes dukes
and duchesses in repulsive colors and
society resent 10 because they want to
initiate the dukes aud duchesses; and
the dukes snd duchesses resent it
because they know It 10 true. But
such Q satire is far more needed ON that
very account. Stciety is not corrupted
by its dregs but by what is called its
cream.
When, in order to attain social
suceess. it is an absolute necessity for
. pretty woman to be Vicious. vice gets
called by another name. and becomes
the mode. and the relatively virtuous
class which is struggling upwsrds
becomes contaminated. Aud ss the
sncisl iaorAl standard is formed a.
much by one sex - he other. the COR
ruption OF the meu takes forms un>
known in old-fashion.d days. There
was once recognized code Of honor
even among thieves; and wife stealing.
gaabling. perjury. aud other vices
were governed by an unwritten code.
accepted by those Who called them
selves men OF honor; and those who
inf ,nged i, were cut by thsir acqusint-
Ances. expelled from clabs and shot in
duels.
Nowadays the man WIN seduces his
friends wife. who does not pay bis
deots Of honor. and who iorswsars him.
self for another than the one purpose
for which perjury was allowed, rsaaains
the safant eheye Of society if be has
wealth. rank and popularity. While
the nost gisring aud disgusting expos..
urss are taking place IL the divorce
courts. IN iSvolvins disgraceful mousy as
we'll as other trsnssctions, and impiics-
ting the mobiles of the land. these
mobiles anblu.hipgly frequent the ,sost
fashionabls parties. and society is
afraid 90 expel them % long ss they
remain recogaised in the one oircls
which gives the tone to It. and which 10
principally male up of men aud
women who are sufficiently numerous
and sufficiently we'll supported 10 defy
the virtuous section Of il. and with
whom scandsls are 90 commnn. that Il
has become inpossibis TO shock them.
Those. therefore. who densuncs
books =, mineral because they hold up
10 pabic reprohation and es,nssmpt
aoc,ety in itself essentially immoral.
sud indirectly fghtine the battles Of
that society; aad ! am sorry 70 zee Mr.
Fiske. in the iass number If the Nortk
Amsrioaa Rfriese. falls into this error In
his Wholesale econdemassiono Of Moths.
when be says that the Anglo-S saxon
mind is not tolerant Of infdelity or
pso6issts practices cioaked by social
prstensions. he is evidently and fortu.
nately ueder the dslusiaa that the
Angle Saxon mind III The most fash
ionable London circles retains some
semblancs TO the Anglo Ssxon mind
With which he may be famili.s. in
The pnrsr ssctioes OF E0slish socis,v !;
bus sAis is not the society ~h'ch
OuidA Processes to describe. but rather
society not altogsther Anglo>S.xan.
but made up Ut the most prominent
types q thes sousvhat sepsnopolitsn
sristocracy which has infected England.
and NJ manners aud custoas which
haSs bseoms the manners and hshits Of
the most fashionable. IL not the most
sslsck class. In London
That such r~adiae i not wholesooe
ior AneEicAn eislA vho ere not likely
@ b. bsouehs INTO eontact With this
social eesspnol. 10 pesfsesly sfs-; but Il
il nnne the lee desirable that. whether
frou mosives Of sossngs q soss u6ere
wosthy ssneimssk snme one should BE-
impslisd q call public attention. to the
fact thai. ths .Anglo Saxoe. mind, -
1-A-----~a~a ~ hsnA~~s&sf nre -