St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-03
S SAINT PAUL.
TOWN TALK.

brought against the publisher of lib
eral translation of some of aEmil Zoia'S
latest works. The brief contained copi-
Gus extracts from works without which
no gentleman's library is considered
omplete-Shakespeare, Fielding, By
ron, Smollett, Swift, the Bible and
others showing that the works of
Emile ZOia contain nothing worse than
those of the finest classical English
authors. Reference is editorially made
to the writings of certain American
authors. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and
Amelie RiveS-Chanler among others,
showing that if Emil Zola's works are
so evil that they should be suppressed,
those of the writer's referred to should
suffer the same fate.
~
The question naturally arises, "What
should a novel be?'' Undoubtedly
whatever portrays life as it is. is legiti-
mate, and the more the realities of life
are made known, either through the
newspapers OF in works of fiction. the
better for the world at large. 1t is bet
ter that the general public should know
what is really going Oh in their midst
than that they should remain In blissful
Ignorance. The more publicity given
to the condition of society of all grades,
the easier it will be to remedy the dis
eases that corrupt it and the easier it
will be to avoid contamination.
during the past few weeks several start
ling stories of crime of every sort. sto-
rieS of infidelity to matrimonial vows.
of murder, suicide and sins of every
type. Some of the stories had to be
toned down in the editorial rooms of
the papers, there being details too hor-
rible to publish. That these crimes
are of everyday occurrence. glance at
any morning paper will reveal, and thew
show condition of society that is, to
say the least of it, grave.
During the past two weeks plots have
been furnished by the papers for innu-
merable novels of the Zolaist type. By
simply celebrating any one of these
stories. by adhering absolutely to facts,
and without the exercise of any mag
inatiOn, novel could be written which
would vie with any of Zola's or The
Ophile Gautier's for sensational realism.
in the body polite. it might be right to
call halt, but when yellow fever is
raging in community who would con-
ceal it? These stories are not calculated
to harm the innocent mind-rather are
they awful lessons of warning. What
innocent girl ever went aStray through
reading Mana? What young mans
soul was ever ruined by perusal of
Juvenal and AristOphanes? These
authors simply state the truth as it is;
their works may not be the sort of stuff
for child to make its mental pabulum.
M
The dedication of Alphonse Daudet's
''SapphO" shows what the author of a
work at which Mrs. Grundy would turn
up her eyes in holy horror thinks of its
10 my two sons, when they shall
have attained twenty years of age"
He wrote this book, which Anthony
Comstock would consign to the flames
If he could see it, as little parental
talk to his two sons.
x.*
When such things are going on all
over the United States, right here in
st. Paul, why cry out against works
which simply state facts. Remember
the motto of the order of the Garter:
''Honi soft qui NAL y pense." Evil be
to him who evil thinks" Those who
are the loudest in their denunciatiOn of
this class of literature are those whose
own lives would not show up well under
the brilliant electric light of investiga-
ton.
A curious case of legal technicallties
obscuring the main issue occurred be-
fore Judge Wilkin the other day. The
judge had pity on the jury, and in
structed them to bring in verdict for
a certain amount of money. Several of
the jurymen said afterwards that, had
the case been left to them to decide,
they might have wrangled till Christ
mas, as the rights of the case were so
lost sight of during the trial, under a
frOthy mass of legality and points of
law, that the jury knew nearly as much
about the case as the famous jury which
was impaneled in the trial of the Knave
of Hearts for stealing tarts in "Alice in
Wonderland"
Mayor Smith loses no opportunity for
sticking his knife into the ribs of the
chamber of commerce. He evidently
hates that body worse than the devil
hates holy water. During the discus
sion, at yesterday afternoons meeting
of the Ramsey county deleg alton. of
the bill for raising the salary of the
court stenOgrapher, the mayor SOL
ferred to the chamber of commerce.
After the meeting had enjOyed it's
laugh, the mayor as solemnly Withdrew
his motion.
-
A stranger like Max O'Rell, for in
stance, visiting this country during last
fall, would naturally have thought that
the result of the election was matter
OF life or death to every business in the
country. But what difference will the
change of presidents make to us here in
st. Paul? Tuesday EeXt will see bust
ness going on precisely in the same way
as it has done for years. No one will be
richer or poorer for the change. Whence
then arises the wild excitement of cleo
ton time? Americans are proverbially
devoted TO business. yet we allow an
event which will not affect our business
one cents worth to turn everything up
side down for months.
Lent commences wednesday and the
good people OF st. Paul will bid adieu to
dancing and other frivolities, but will
continue to sin just as they do all the
est OF the year.
cit is an i'll wind that blows nobody
good" as the baldheaded legislator said
as he put on his glasses to watch the
ankles OF pretty woman picking her
way across the muddy street.
AZ
1t has been stated in many of the
papers that Mrs. Doherty" was vic
tim OF the opium habit, and that she
was under the influence of that drng
when she spilled the life's blood of her
lover. That such is not the case is
shown conclusively by her demeanor
since she has boarded with Sheriff
Bean. Had she been addicted to that
habit she would now have been utterly
Frustrated and in real agony from the
want of it, as the drug is not included
on the bill of fare at the Jail. The pros
tration caused by sudden stoppage of