The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-11-17
ZOLAISM AND LAW.
BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE.

We learn from England that the
Treasury has instituted prosecution
against the English publisher, Mr..
Vizetelly, with view to stopping his
published translations of the works of
NJ. lola. And Mr.. Vizetelly there
upon prints an open letter to Sir A.
X. Stephenson, setting forth his side of
the matter. His argument is, in SUBJ
stance, that the government is guilty
of inconsistency in forbidding lola
and permitting Shakespeare, Fielding,
Congreve, Bohn's Classics, and num-
berless other works, which are as bad
as lola, or worse, and which form
nevertheless a part of "every gentle
mans library" He maintains that
the ethical quality and aim of Zola's
works are good and moral; that it is
the duty of the conscientious novelist
to paint life as 1t is; and prophesies that
time will come when following the
rule that books burned by the COM
mon hangman in one age are honored
in the next) England will live to
see herself made laughing stock by
sensible people for her fantastic
squeamishness in this affair.
The quarrel is an old one, and is no
nearer settlement than ever. AS for
this particular case, it must be admit
ed that Mr.. Vizetelly's argument has
no especial oogency. The indecent
passages in the authors he specifies are
not their leading Characteristic; they
are not what they are known by and
read for. The healthy life in their
writings far exceeds the sensuality and
bestiality. Moreover, a book that has
reached the stage of being called a
classic is thereby deprived of much of
its power to ipjure morality. Field
ing and Congreve describe the society
of a past generation, and, as Lamb
says, their immortality does not affect
Ns with the sense of reality; it is a
psrt of the make believe. Young
girls and youths know and care little
about such Anticipated books Gas they
regard them). They do not find them
selves in accord with the kind of ex-
istence described; it has not the aspect
of their own existence; and they have
not insight or experience enough to
perceive the truth to our eternal hu-
man nature that underlies these super
fetal differences. The books, more
over, are no longer advertised; every
one who is likely to read them al
ready knows of their existence; and
to attempt to suppress them would be
to bring them to the notice of the gener-
al public. They will 60 where they can
do good, and seldom or never where
they can do harm.
Again, though / will not venture to
assert that Nj. Zoia has any other than
good purpose in writing his stories,
/ think he writes them as he does be-
cause his peculiar temperament and
tastes inclines him to that method
rather than to any other. / think he
is man who has no reverence for pur-
ity or cleanliness. He is a gross man:
he has a vast deal Of human nature in
him, but Is especially strong on the
lower levels. No refined writer could
deal with his topics; but he breathes
his polluted atmosphere with pleas
ure, and considers it good medicine
for the public. Some of his novels
are not distinguished by nastiness, but
those novels are 60 incomparatiyely
stupid that nobody can read them !:
and 1t Is also evident that lola could
scarcely venture to write them. They
were uphill work for him; he could
more easily write dozen "Nanas'
than one "Reve." And, in spite of
the power and veracity of much of his
work, / am inclined to think that lit
erature would on the whole be the
gamer II he had never written any
thing at all.
But the real point ut issue il. not
whether Zois's books are Ssss::. G. a.
decent, but whether q government has
right to suppress indecent literature.
And here ! must state my conviction,
that they have no right Whatever to
say word In the matter. No man
should b restricted In their right to
publish whatever he pleases; no pub
Usher should be forbidden to scii III
he can) any book. Legislation against
vice II folly, and has been proved 60
since the beginning of laws. Il il
never successful; on the contrary. Il
always promotes what 1t seeks to sup
press The innocence Of ignorance Is
impossible In this world; the only
possible innocence d that Of knowledge
and volition. If want to read the
Aarquis de Sade's works, Il would Be
nselen 70 keep ma nom reading than:
l am ALREADY In sympathy With TIE
MarquiS point Of visw, and he an
te4 n nothing morn obscene than 4
-