The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-15

eformity; the Dying Gladiator, with
all the suggested misery of his life.
have been portrayed with complete ar
tistic success. But what artist would
venture to paint the execution ola crimi-
nal on the gallows? IL is remarkable
that the natura:ists in literature have a
special penchant for the vile and the re-
Voting. The indictment against them
il not that they insist upon the study
aud the delineation Of the nude; but
that they prefer to depict the most dis
gustisg physical and moral distortions
of degraded humanity. AS we have
Just said, there is no defense for this
preference in the theory that il is not
the business of art to inculcate moral
sentiment, and we may add that 1t Is
equally defenseless upon the ground
of its scientific value. IL art has no end
beyond itself, it has no more to do with
science than ethics. IL should, indeed,
be true as far as it goes. Michael Angelo
studied the chemistry of pigments and
the anatomy OF the muscles not tn
teach science, but to make use OF science
in the furtheraDce of an artistic pur-
pose. For the same reason the faithful
artist in fiction will be careful not to
contradict the fixed laws Of moral devel-
opment in his representations of life and
character. AS an artist he will endeav-
or to excite interest and to give pleas
ure, aud he will not attempt
to do either by the introduction
of anomalies and monstrosities.
. ntkar hand 10 - sfatnaf
that the modern novel is something
more than work OF art. and that IL Is
properly employed to teach both moral
ity and science, IL seems to Us quite
clear that the novel of the naturalist is
a failure. The world represented in
the fiction of that school IL not the real
world. Ii we could admit that it is
true as far as il goes, we would still
have to pronounce it misleading. The
critics make themselves merry over the
novel which eschews the recognition OF
evil in life and which paints everything
in the color of the rose. We have very
generally ceased to believe in perfect
heroes. and we hardly think it worth
while to expose the absurdity of those
romances IN which the cOmplexity OF
character. the mixture of good aud
evil. is apparently unsuspected. But
is not that novel equally as partial
and false which represents nothing
but the wickedness or the weakness Of
human naturel Ii the naturalist in
fiction deals with commercial lite he
introduces us at once to the trlcksiers
of trade and the victims Of speculation.
Ii he would portray the life Of sol
der he dwells upon the vices peculiar
TO garrisOns. upon the stupidity ofcOm-
manders. the roguery of contractors.
or upon the terrors Of some coward on
the eve of battle. If he confines him
self TO the polite intercourse of fash
ionable society he undertakes to show
that it is, under all its costly and beau
tiful tapplugs. dominated by selii-hness.
vanity aud lust. The beneficent lnfi1-
ence of noble characters is almost who'll
ly ignored. we repeat that such u rep
resentatiOn of life Is not ethically, ar
tisticaly, or scientifically true.
No one at all well versed in the liter
AZURE of our time will deny that some
desirable advaDcehas been made in the
department of fiction. For the most
part the novels that delighted our falh
ers are scarcely readable now. A few
great romances still retain their inleres,,
things of beauty, joys forever. We be-
lieve that many cultivated readers
would prefer any living novelist to
Ihackeray or George Eliot. but Thack-
erary and George Eliot may still be
reckoned essentially of our time, and IN
l.. tof- nj
of view. We prefer now the intimate
to the heroic treatment OF lie. NO
man is a hero TO his valet" aud we
want men described to rs with tho in
innate knowledge OF valet. This does
not mean that we are wholly given over
to trivial details, or that we give more
heed to the superficial judgment OF a
domestic than TO the deeper insight OF a
philosopher; but that we like our he
roes painted as Cromwell insisted III
his own case. with all the blemi5hes
which contribute To the general effect
of their personalities. We do not
wish to abandon ourselves wholly,
either to admiration or to cOndemna-
ton, but To exercise our Judgments
clearly IN the light OF all the facts
This tendency must be ascrlbed TO the
scientific spirit of the age, and there Is
no reason why science should not make
handmaId of her sister. We only in
sist that the artist should not contne
himself in science to the study Of pa
thology. Naturaism is falsely 80 called
when il discovers nothing in human
nature but disease and abnormal de-
velopment.-Ne Orleans Picayune.