The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-30
Oakland, n. G.

The GIRL OF THE pERIOD.-A nov
el, founded on incidents of recent life in
Yankeedom and portraying the Rail-
road riots, strikes, ETC., has made big
hit at the North partly because no.
body can tell who wrote it. The Gem
tury, in an article on the book, says:
when we come to the question
whether Captain Farnham ought to
have kissed Maud Matchin, or turned
from her with loathing. we confess that
we feel the delicacy o. the point. Be-
ing civilians, we will venture to say
that we fear it was quite in character
for an eX-army man to kiss her, and so
far the author was right Something
must be conceded to human nature and
perfect gentleman. But, having
lodged this point, we feel all the more
courage to deal with another, namely,
whether he was not quite as bad as she.
We think not, for reasons which his ac-
cusers seem to forget. Miss Matchn
did not offer herself to him because she
loved him, but because she loved his
wealth and splendOr, and wished to en-
JOY them and, though she was careful
to tell him that she would only be his
''wife," it is not clear TO our minds that
if she could have been equally secure OF
his wealth and splendor in another way,
there was anything in her character to
make her refuse. He did behave with
forbearance and real kindness to that
foolish and sordid spirit; he did use her
with magnimity and do what he could
to help her. though she had forfeited all
claim upon his respect.
We might wish to have Miss Matchin
other than she was but if she were
different she would not be so natural.
discovery, of the book; and she is
American girlhood. She is thoroughly
alive, caught by an instantaneous pro-
cess, in which she almost vsiblv
breathes and pulsates. The girls poet
ry is money, her romantic dream is to
marry millionaire. She has as solid
and sheer contempt for the girl who
dreams of an old-fashioned hero and
love in cottage as she has tor her
hard-wo orking father and mother There
are no influences in her home to coun-
teract the influences from without. She
grows up beautiful, egotstic, rapa-
cious, unscrupulous fool. But take the
novels and the high school away, and
she would still have been some kind of
fool. The art of the author consists in
having painted her as she exists. The
novelist can do no more. He shows US
this creature, who is both type and
character, and fifty leaves the moralist
to say what shall be done about her.
Probably nothing can be done about her
at once; but if she is definitely ascer-
tanned as a fact of our civilization. it is
a desirable step in self-knowledge for
us.
AT the end the authors strong hand
seems to falter a little IN the treatment
of Miss Matchin. We read of her rosy
and happy face" when the man she has
driven to murder is acquitted. end the
chief weakness Of the book here betrays
itself. Something should have been
done to show that those people had en-.
tered hand in hand into their hell, and
that thenceforth there could be no hope
for them.'
But to be true TO nature he had
to omit that sort of thing. He knew
that the kind Of girl whom he paint.
rarely feels remQrse. and Is apt to take
life easy, and die calmly. The old.
fashioned idea that a Rascal is bound tc
come to Grief and Remorsc. is PLAYED
out.