The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-08-02
Intellectual Dudism.


Clipped from my ''nOte book" for THR LEDGER,
When the prolessedly English importa-
tiOn-the "dude," first became so widely
known and prominent feature in Amer
lean society and so unshielded a subject
for humor to cast its arrows at it only
went to ilagrautly illustrate the degener-
ating course and power of our late liter
allure. 1t really seemed that the finely
glOved coquettes and thin-legged heroes
OF the New England and sea shore born
novels had silently stepped from their
respective books to force their ridiculous
ideas Of Renaissance upon the scOrn Of
sensible everyday people. The authors
OF this eight summer reading" probably
never hoped to have the weak and childish
character they had spent the winter
months in conceiying lat the rate of five
hundred or y thousand dollars per set)
become by-words in the mouths of all; OF
the Julictic plots OF their gruesome tales
enacted every day in the novels of large
cities and the cottages Of small towns.
So great is the influence to-day of book
novels and novotic tragedies upon the
minds of young men and young women
that an author cannot be too careful of
or throw too much sacredness into the
force Of his or her words. Our Nation
has not grown on the food of Bocaccio,
nor will il decay on the drink of 1.-THE
Author of Dora ThorHe." Nor can
Mrs. Alexander and Emile lola with with
Intrigues and Fairy-land matrimony re-
strain MS from asking the mother OF good
writers to bear us another Charles Dick.
ems and another Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Many times will the thought come-If
this late novel writing is so weak in plot
and so unpointed in moral, can it have
any great influence in doing wrong to its
readers? The reply will suggest itself.
Society is not ignorant or Aristocracy
blind! They are the main readers of this
class of literature, aud when their wis
dom and piercing eyesight become cloud
ed and befogged by the glttering Or over
plain episodes in the life of one or more
of the characters depicted in these books,
then their fate is pitiful, and the author
Of the story sees no very bright Numbers
surrounding his fame. Give us, o
writers at the sea shore and among the
New England hills, some little of those
lessons Taught by the endlessly rocking
ocean and picturesque scenery, which we
fail to find in your books, and less of the
sensuous wealth of place and lofty dis
dain of ordinary lie. We are not all
lofty in our ideas, nor all wealthy, and
an author should never write for one
"sct" or for one community. There is
an endless supply of lessons yet to be
taught by literature, and an ever increas-
ing demand among readers for whole
some optimistic books. No Nation Of
writer's has surpassed the American in
taking advantage of outheld opportun-
ties and transmitting to their readers |
healthy ideas of truth and right. Yet, |
why should it cease at this time! Or is |
what seems complete pause of the |
moral intellect cessation, or more hap
PLY, a low, tigress-lilIe crouch before
springing into states and conditions
before uninterrupted! The world is wise
and time is endless! And MS it was in
the days of Christ ON earth, when every
discovered land and known people sought
for the higher and hOlier things of life in
preference to the cheap and morally
so will this and coming ages
rise from the vale of almost persimistio
=. II
between Baconism and Carlyism, to the
great sunny hills of rightly-applied sci
ence and anti-morbidness. American
people know how to regard opinion and
are conscious, in the mass, when certain
evils have become banishable, and it is
to be hoped that good sense and SINCERITY
will soon supercede this growing but
weak-rootod intellectual Dudism.
FoLGER MCKINsEY.