National Republican., 1886-12-13
Lights and Shades OF Scandal.

The principles OF chiaroscuro prevail IN
the region Of morals as effectually as on
the canvas Of the painter, aud even the nau'
seating disclosures Of recent and current
scandals cannot utterly disguise them.i For
all that is known at present Lady Campbell
may be more slnned against than SHINING,
but II the worst should be proved against
her the unhappy woman seems to have
made generous and numerous efforts for
the benefit Of her fellow creatures, and 1t is
quite probable that she has done more to
relieve the misery and want OF poverty
stricken people in London than nine.
tenths Of those exultlng In her down
fall have ever thought Of, much less
tried to accomplish. The newspapers have
devoted columns, nay, pages, to the revolt
ing aspects of the charges against her,
while her virtues have been disposed OF In
very few lines Printers ink has painted
in the dark shadows with the massive brush
OF Rembrandt, and indicated the "llghts"
with more than Meissonier's penciled deli
cacy. A dispatch from London states that
the Times, leading organ Of the British ma
tion, has already devoted twenty-six
columns to the divorce suit, the Telegraph
Daily Nc,rs, and Standard, forty.three
columns; the Chronicle, seventy -four. and
the Ercning NeirS, ninety-seven.
We cannot yet know how much Of all
this space has been given to accounts of the
soup kitchen which Lady Campbell organ
lied and administered In the east OF Lon
don, to the concerts for the working classes,
to free lectures upon housekeeping, to the
hard and persistent work which enabled a
delicate woman to write an interesting book
for children and to contribute three articles
week to review which only opens It's
columns to the best informed and keenest
critics in English literature.
We cannot fairly decide upon the char.
acter of Theodore from the evidence pro-
duced by Gibbon, and set forth 10 long
marginal note, which is clothed 10 the
learned obscuritles of dead language. Be-
fore we pass Judgment upon that remark
able woman, we would do well to remem.
ber her antecedents, her associations, aud
all the conditions OF her epoch. When to
such considerations we add the fact that
she was instrumental In stimulating her
husband the Emperor Justlniau, to draw
of the main buttresses Of civilization, and
that she bequeathed a munihcenJ sum Of
money to build home for fallen women
on the banks of the Tiber, we are com
PEELED to reserve Judgment and confess that
there are many sides to woman's virtue.
1t might be desirable that George Sand
should have led more conventionally do
mesticated life; but when we remember her
humanizing influence upon the world of
thought and action, and knowing how great
are the prices to be paid for great results
society is only to be congratulated that
at whatever cost to herself, the famous
Frenchwoman was permitted to give hei
noble heart and intellect In aid Of causes
which can only perish with the death ol
time.
We make no attempt to gloss over suct
moral alterations as those attributed to a
misguided woman who has fallen into The
clutches of a miserable bastard, whose very
name is a shame to speak, II Lady Camp
bell has erred, under whatever circum
stances, she must pay the inevitable socia
penalty. But there is something appalling
In the picture Of such a woman giving her
self up body and soul for title OF nobility
Compared with such barter, which prevails
in other forms under republican as we'll as
monarchical institutions, the open traffic o.
"Jinnie, fond Of kiss and fond of Q
guinea" is a commendable trade in sight Of
the moralist or "whatever gods may be-"
No matter how frequently the event oc
ours 1t still remains among the stranges
freaks of human nature that women will
sell themselves aud wreck happiness, sell
respect, reputation, health, aud honor fol
the sake Of little social precedence which
at the best, is only the crowning glory o
ignorance and thoroughbred vulgarlty.