The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-08-17
IMPROPER NOVELS.
BY AMELIA E. RARR.

and divines not only never opened ;
novel, they unhesitatingly condemned
them; now they are largely the literar,
offspring of clergymen's brains, and ths
religious novel is the nineteenth cen
tury version of the Hebrew parable
Fiction also has become the recognized
vehicle for "views" of all kinds, philo.
sophical social and occult. So that ir
some shape or other novels now ente
into the education of every one, be-
cause from a well wrought book there
comes lncorporeal forms, which Fl,
themselves in the memory and exercise
the same kind of influence over readers
as actual acquaintance exercises owe
living persons.
That a force so powerful and so uni
versal should be pure and helpful ii
character is self evident, but that so
ciety has lately suffered from an cpl
demic of wicked novels is also an in
| disputable fact. The saddest feature
of this epidemic is, that the contamina-
tors of moral purity are manly women
women, to whose care the sacred fame
of chastity is entrusted, and who have
quenched what they ought to have
kept burning. Where men have hlth-
erto feared to tread, women have
rushed in, and with an almost Menadic
recklessness sought either a shameful
notoriety, or the wages OF a shameful
ministering to the lowest instincts. In
certain cases the flush of youth and
beauty has given false literary value
in others it is only charitable to sup
pose that the young women were hand
ling subjects of which they understood
neither the significance nor the i'm
propriety.
Concerning such novels there is
really no Argument bad book is a
bad book beyond all controversy. To
argue about it is like arguing about a
vile odor. If people swear that dung
hill smells sweet to them, they could
not be otherwise persuaded by any
power on earth.
The first object of novel is to give
pleasure, and the test of its morality OF
its immortality is the elevating or debas.
ing tendencies of that pleasure. 1t i:
easy to say "to the pure all things are
pure" but this is one of those mischiev'
GUS half-truths that are worse than lies
for unfortunately large part of any
community has morbid capacity fol
assimilating what is vicious, and reject
ing healthy mental food. There is al
old proverb about touching filth very
applicable to this subject. 1t is easy tt
talk of the beauty of absolute truth, o
the necessity for broadening the intelli
gence Of women, of the innocence o
whatever is natural, and the inslpic
character of those feminine dolls who
will not discuss with uncompromisint
frankness the most delicate subjects IL
life but it is an indisputable fact tina
they who will listen to indellcate tall
will do indelicate things. Through th'
ear the whole body may be prostituted
This way danger lies in improper novels
They are the worst of all bad compan
ions.
Of course women cannot be debar
red from any line of action they wisi
to adopt. If some of the sex will hav,
nothing veilcd, and nothing hidden, j
they are proud of sort of womanhoot
remarkable only tor the absence of tn
usual characteristics of the state, if the
delight to write nasty novels, and handl
publicly questions not fit for them II
meddle with, there is no law but that O
a virtuous popular opinion to preven
them.
The broad characteristics of sue
novels are uniform and easily defined
The heroine gives the keynote. She i
selfish and frivolous. She has no goot
father or mother, no checks of an
kind. Instinct or fatality take the pIac
OF all nobler sentiments. We are ex
pected to consider her charming, be
cause she is undisciplined and the vic
tim of passionate impulses. She make
a constant appeal-and with a prefer
ence-to the animal IN our nature, a
| If power and intensity came that way
She is continually apostrophising her
self we hear of her Glow cries" he
"wailing cries" her "sobs of despair"-
sounds which would be intolerable il
real life, and which are not heard. w
are shown her serpentine arms, he
1.-the twisting figure, and expected to b
awed by her "wrIthing," and coilin
and "paddlng" with bare feet about tn
floor.
| 1t is one of the worst features of thi
class of novels that these sirens-wh,
do not even pretend to be angels-ar
adored as sirens. Now ior a man t,
love bad woman because she is pretty
when he is under no ilIusi ,ns about he
worlhlessness, is for him also, a simpl
baseness. The dominion of the fv
sel.ses-the lust of the flesh, the lust O
the eye, and the pride of life, may no
be boldly professed, but the womel
usually balance themselves-as on,
woman novelist puts it-"on the mar
row line between propriety and dis
grace" AS If there really was any sucl
debatable ground That the heroin
pulls up somewhere before things g
too far, is one of the most abomlnabl
and dangerous of its teachings. If tn,
tale was allowed to run its Legitimate
course, and SIN to bring forth its Ger
tain fruits, the young would be in les
| d,,uar p,,f tho 1aeeon of Ill