Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-05-01

bleak hills Of New England we doubt not
that the story would DO considered pusitiyeiy
immoral That the lovely Gsrda should fall
desperately in love with the interesting ar-
tist, who ls the husband of another woman,
does not scom at all incongruous when II ali
occurs among the delicious orange groves ot
Florida aud beneath the warm southern
mpnn, hut therein lies the deco ptiun and from
beneath il all there arises u deadly poison.
oar moral sonse l. not 50 keen among such
surroundings, so likewise We aro apt to
look with u iorgiNing eve upon young Win
thtup making love to tho sensitive Margaret,
even though She he the sworn W iie oi another
man. Aud when crisis comes the author
CSs very Cuuuingly loads us into Florida
swamp luSuriant with vegetation aud heavy
with delightful Odors in order the better io
sthe our moral sense. That the husband OF
| the one and the wife of the other are un-
worthy Is u source oi regret and pity, but IN
no sense n pllliatiOn or excuse for ths great
| moral wrong committed. winthrop Ia
| coward and wholly without honor, while
| seemingly conducting himself with due de.
corum aud delicacN. Margaret, high-bred
| and proud, seems not To have yielded TO her
| great temptation, even though She confessed
her love ior man not her husband. And
her final victory, noble rs 1t is, cannot wash
| out the stain OF her former guilt The I'M
| pulsiNe, misguided Garda uuds no barrier
| Ia her love In the fact that iucau Is already
| sworn to love and protect wife while he
| himself seems TO nonchalautly ana thought
| leSSly receive the warm devotion OF Garda,
| even tO henE impolito 10 the wife of his
| bosom. What wanton disregard of the
| holiest tie on earth, that of husband and wife!
| 1t is picture that would we'll become tho
stories of Borcl 'clO or IO,s OF course 1t IL
without the coarscneSs and vulgarity of the
| former and the avowed immortality of tho
latter. In this the poison IA more delicate
and consequently moro insinuating And
| not to- feel the moral shock necessarily he.
trsysa not very Keen moral perception in
| ourselves.
| Now "The Madonna OF the Tubs is a tale
| ot love- too, but IL Is the love of wife for her
| hushand-aw " ife with children, one acripple,
and for that reason dearer To- her motherly
| heart. No romantic love making under the
soit raiiance OF southern moon or IN
| the shadows Of orange groves, but the love
| oi "A true woman's heart that burns like a
| beacon light and radiatos far out over the
| rough New England coast No air-faced
Cards, painting with an unholy love Tor man
already bound to another woman, but a sim
pie heart-brolsen wash-waman crying in the
| night for the absent father of her children.
| This - tale OF pure wifely affection, and
eyes MI with tears Of righteous sympathy rs
| Wo thlnI OF her long nights OF agony and de
| spair. The sterling morality OF the STORY il
its greatest charm. There is nothing in Il tC
shock the moral senSe-no alhIrement e
look wildly upon horrid moral wrong ne
| violation uI the sacred VOWS oi marriage NJ
| false sympathy excited. II II Be somew ha
| highly wrought II at least finds an echo ia
| human hearts, in which IL strikes a kindred
| Cihii W men We Ftai IL We lose Slght en
| uTely OF all the wild natural beauty OF the
surroundings, for NO are looking down int
| the poor wOman's heart and listening to it,
agoniiing tGrohs. Tho clear tenor OF tht
story is not hidden by an environment mos
beautiful and lovely IN ITSELF but which too
often serves doubtful purpose.
| Where there is "A moral conveyed by 2
story IT Is due To an intelligent Christian peo
| p,e that IL be in accord with the well defined
| principles Of right Its morality must b,
Z | wholly pure IL wOull tho puFitS
| OF our literature and life. Thestories OF Mis-
| Murtree, for Instance are nothing more thar
1 | simply beautiful "A works of art in the WAY
OF nature descriptions they are inimitable
. | Her illustrations OF the Tennessee dialect arr
. altogether charming and thoroughly whole
some. They are valuable contributions I,
: | our literature and a. works of art accort
u with the highest .psthetC taste Beneath he
4 beautiful word painting there Turks no poison
, that arises to faint the moral nature co!.se
: | quently it is noticeable that the first part O
: /" East Angels" which is wonderfully full q
o | pleasing descriptions of Florida life auu
Il scenery, Is vastly superior to the latter part
o where the moral wrong becomes more az
q parent If We could only condemn the M
r | hallowed loves of blrdA aud lucian AM
2 Ninthfop and Margaret the story woul
e teach different moral but the writer la
y thrown around them such a charming bal
: that We can do naught else but love then
= | Hence the greater deception aud fraud an
v | consequent moral WRONG
II the characters Of "A story are ideal @
fancitully drawn, rs in the stories of whic
"Tho Lady Of Little Fishing " ~ an eNau
pie, such stern rule of morality is not d,
q mandCd but whore the writer deals wit
J. the ordinary relations of life and introduce
- real characters that we meet and know, the
, for the sake Of the purity OF our national Ii
g eTaiurer Let there be no laNity OF morals. L,
. as Is the standard Of our national literature
y So will be the standard of Cur national life.
y ARGo.