The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-02-26

IWaln having also praised 1t highly, the Boston
firm of j. X. Osgood & Co. issued a new edition
in 1854, when it speedily became known to the
reading public and was declared to be the most
notable novel of the year. 1t is certainly a re-
markable book, bearing but slight resemblance
to the conventional novel full of digressions.
but deeply interesting from the first page TO the
last and original in all respect>-style, plot,
scene and characters. In his preface the author
says: ''Should The story of Country Town
find readers, it may be interesting to them to
know that it was written entirely at night after
the writer had finished a hard days work AS
editor of Il small eyeI ing newspaper | do not
think line of it was written while the sun was
shining, but in almost every chapter there are
recollections of the evening bell" Mr.. Howe
takes the reader further into his confidence,
tells of the trials which beset him. and the
hope that the success of this book "might en-
able me to get rid of my weary newspaper
work and help me to more ease than have
ever known" etc. And further: "Should en-
qnlry be made whet ler any part of the story
be true | could only reply that have never
known any one who did not furnish some sug-
gestion or idea in the construction of the book
as | have never lived in a town that did not
afford some material for the description of Twin
Mounds" The story is told in the first person by
the son of the Rev. John Westlock, who went
West to grow up with the country; but the
chief character is 10. Erring, an uncle of the
boy who opens the story, and who was an in
mate of the Westock household We do not
propose to destroy the readers interest by Civ
ing even an outline of the story, nor by enter
ing into details to the various characters but
it must be said that ley are drawn in a master
ly style, with touches that would do credit TO
Dickens. The portrait of the Rev. John West
lock is not a pleasing one, but the average
reader need not 90 far to find men who might
have sat for it. nell who make of religion a
heavy burden, who are unloved and unlovable,
| and hard taskmaste 5 in their homes. Ned
| Westlock says of his hoyhood 81 remember my
| fathers saving scornfully to me once, as if in
timating that | ough to make up by unusual
| industry for the years of ideness, that ! was a
| positive burden and expense to him until | was
seven years old. SO t will readily be imagined
| that | was put to Wolk early and kept steadily
| at it." 1t is not to lie inferred, however, that
the tale is wholly one of hardship and gloom,
| for although the elements of tragedy are not
| wanting there is no lack of quaint humor or Of
| epgram. In one chat ter we find a temperance
| lecture, the author maintaining that the meth
| od, in vogue of deal with intemperance are
| all wrong. For example, he says: eve pet
| drunkards too much Id a halo of sentimental
| ity surrounds them, instead of the disgust aud
contempt they deserve. If man is Il noted
liar, or a noted vagrant, society allows him to
| find his proper level. and reform himself t>ince
| no one else can do it for him). but if he drinks
| too much, great numbers of men and women
| who are perhaps temperate in nothing except
that they do not drink, attempt to reform him
| with kindness, although that method prevails in
nothing else" The d 'unkard is told what dis
tinguished positions he could occupy if he did
not drink, etc. and Many Young men are thus
! led into the false notion that great brains feed
| on stmulants, and regard an appetite a> intel
lectual. The same mistaken people also talk
too much about the alIuremeuts and pleasures
of drink; of the gdeG palaces where drink is
sold, and of its pleasing effects, causing young
men and boys who would otherwise never have
| thought of it to be seized with an uncoI troll
liable desire to try the experiment for them
| selves. although there is nothing more certain
than that all of this is untrue. = firm
| ly believe that hundreds of Young men become
| drunkards by misrepresentation of this sort
whereas the truth is easier told, and woutt
prove more effective in keeping them away
And in conclusion: "lntemperance is growing
too rapidly to admit of an unsatisfactory pre-
tence that we have discharged our duty, AN,
while the theory advanced by the writer Of thi
may not be the best one, it is certain that tn
| one generally adopted is wrong, for the peopI,
are dl>hetrtened and discouraged because will
all their work they have accompi>hed nothing,
Mr.. lIowe'> description Of run down
| town is vivid. His comparison between th'
town and grumbng. idle man is apt ih'
| town like IAN idle m&n. who spends th'
time which should bc devoted 10 improving hi
condition to grumblng about his own i'll Incl
and the good luck of his industrious rival wh,
is steadily pro>perng." What he says of Twin
Mounds, in the chapters on 'Ihe Pecu triti"
many communities. and no less effective are hi
| descriptions of some of the town>pc"pIc.
this time Ned We>tlocl was the editor Of
| weekly paper in Twin Mounds. and among thu
frequent visitors TO his sanclum was Lytl
| Biggs, a professional politician. who was fon'
Of hearing himself talk. On one occasion h
handed the editor a copy of au agricultural pa
| NO. for ,.bi he We, al "a
says: Il saw on the first page picture of al
animal so admirably proportioned that but lii
tie was wasted in legs, being solid meat Will
the exception Of small head and fou pins t
hold it up by examining the note at the bot
| iom found that it was pig although Shoul,
not have suspected it in the absence of TIN
| statement, and that pairs of the breed could b
had by addressing the publisher and enclo>in.
money order or draft for fifty dollars Wh'
has not seen these prepos ferrous pictures of i'm
possible pigs? Then the agricultural cdio
comes in for >ome hard raps from this profcs
sional politician, WHO concludes by admttiu:
that he himself is fraud and by declaring tina
vii men are frauds. Says Biggs: ''The lawyer
never 90 to law; the doctors never take medi
cine: the preachers seldom btlleNc Ill ftIlgion
ana | never farm. j.. y MY position ON tn,
reform question is briefly this (and may adj,
that it is the position of every mah) an
against munopoies until become monOpoI
ist myself. am at present engaged in the re
form business that NAV become monopolist
| should suddenly become rich, what woul,
do? This: Refer to (Farmer>) Alliances a
dangerous. and to such UemagoSues rs mysei
As suspicious loafers.'
OF death the author SAYS: AT some time il
the mysterious future-nobody knows when
the hand that writes this will be picking un
easily at the covering of death bed, and it viii
be whispered in the room, and in all the house
and down the streets, He is dying; poor fel
low, he is dead The eye that reads ths-a
some time in the future, nobody knows whe
will become fixed, and it will be gen ly said
Dying; dead The front door will be blac
with Grape for a few days, and the people vii
pass The house reyerently and silently, bu
after very little while the token of death vii
be removed, the house will be thrown open an,
aired, and laughter will be heard on the inside
Birds will sing merry at the front door, an
flowers appear, and happy children play abou
the house, and through it, as though nothin
|