The evening world., 1889-02-12
A talk ON NOVELS.
1t Forms One Of 1.-THE Evening
Worlds" Free Lectures.
There We're Seven More Of These
DiSCOurSeS Last Night.
Practical Topics Practically Treated
by Practical Men.

The ninth instalmept in the course of free
lectures. secured by TIL EVENING WORLD
bill, was given last evening, discourses being
delivered in seven of the public schools of
this city with good attendance.
At ZIG East One Hundred and Tenth street
Prof. Iachos lectured Oh "Novelists and
Their Influence at 80 Allen street Prof.
Sloane told How to Study Science at
Home;" at EOS East Forty-second street
Edward H.. Boyer spoke of " Electricity It's
Theory. Sparks and Shocks" at Seventeen
street and First avenue Prof. L~eipziger
talked on Local and State Governments
and the Conduct of Elections;' at 523 West
Fortv-fourth street DIR. Allen lectured on
" Illuminating Gas " at 225 West Forty
first street Prof. Mott discussed on The
Chemistry of What We Eat and Drink. and
at l0S Broome street Prof. F.. g.. Caldwell
talked of " The Solar System"
Prof. ,Z9chos opened his discourse relating
TO novels 10y saying that they were the ear
hest form of literature. They preceded even
the historical WORKS.
The ancient parallels were in reality novels,
Their aim was to teach moral and religious
truths in a pleasant and interesting manner.
The novel might be called the portable
drama of life. In the drama all is action, and
the Will of one character operates on the will
of another, and there is no such subtle analy-
SIS possible rs in II ~cleverly written novel. In
the novel sentiment. feeling and passion can
be wildly depicted, aud the reader is brought
into closer contrast, as 1t were, with the
characters delineated.
A novel is like n mirror. rejecting the
imagination of the writer. The more brill
liant and acute the imagination the better will
be the fiction 1t produces. because such a
mind is able TO draw a more interesting and
absorbing picture of actual occurrence. And,
as q rule. the truer to lite a novel is the more
real worth and interest there is attaching to il.
Good novels have always been good edu-
Gators. They depict actual characters and
possible events, and their analyses and COM
ments serve to stimulate observation in the
reader.
The novel reflects the customs, manners
and morals of the age in which it is produced.
The works of fiction of tue last century,
therefore, with few exceptions, are not as
wholesome morally as those of to-day be-
cause the morals of the past century were not
on SO high n plane as those of the present.
The lecturer cited Walter Scott, Jane
Austen, Maria Edgeworth, Dickens and
Thackeray as examples Of the highest class of
novels. They educate and instruct as we'll as
amuse. Scotts novels present an accurate
picture of the customs prevailing during the
tainingly than the dry history.
Thackeray, witty. i~ronical, yet so kindly,
is q wonderful delineator of human nature.
His characters are found everywhere in daily
life. The same is true of Dickens, though
many of his characters approach tho gro
tesque and are sometimes broad burlesques
Prof. Zachos advised his listeners to read
the book reviews in the Sunday newspapers,
and closed by advising his audience to b.
careful to select the best novels.
If the best novels only were read inferior
works would pail and weary the reader.