St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-15

personally man VINO mas nau the DeSJ
of educational opportunities, and his
book shows that he has taken the best
advantage of them. He is evidently
master of both the French and the
English languages. He catches With
invariable accuracy the spirit IF the
original, and clothes it in crisp and
idiomatic English. There is not falter
from the first page to the last, and chap
ter follows chapter with thoroughbred
speed which carries the reader to the
finish without fatigue ami without tar
rYing bit for fault-timding or difficult
ties of comprehension. Mr. MERRIAM
has done his part admirably.
The GLOBE would not be an honest
paper if, in the case of either of these
books. it stopped with words of praise.
1t has said that there are limitations on
Miss LoNG'S complete success. And i'll
the same way 1t regrets that Mr.. MER-
RAN has expended his great skill and
ability over the translation OF book as
unpleasant as The Woman of lee"
Not to anticipate the story for those
who will read it, it is enough to say that
it begins with dinner of courtesanS
and ends with death by violence. The
GLOBE honestly and sincerely believes
that the French TRANSACTIONS of which
this is a type, and which have secured
such an amazing and discouraging pop
Ularity in this country during the past
five years, are demoralizing and danger
Gus, and it welcomes even the most i'm
perfect copyright law which promises
to limit their circulation.
These views are matters of opinion
and good people may honestly dissent
from them. This paper would not,
either, be understood as CHASING 1.-THE
Woman of lee with the worst of its
kind, because it does contain types of
nigh virtue and may be construed to
teach a moral lesson. But somehow the
French, who in their private lives are
the purest and happiest Of people, when
they enter the lists of dramatic or ro-
mantle literature seem to be mad on the
subject Of Illicit sexual passion, and to
glOat over lives ruined by debauchery
with ghOulish glee worthy of grave
digger. From the time when ARTHUR
You've wrote his famous letters frum
France 10 this day, the evidence is con
secutive and complete that the average
frenchman, personally. is industrious,
honorable, contented and apprecIative
of the domestic virtues in the highest
degree. But for a reason which is at
the first glance inscrutable, the literary
work Of their strongest men, from
DAUDET down, is succession of pict-
ures of marital infelicities, of virtue
crushed and outraged, Of noble souls
dashed to lusts fastdriving chariot, of
vain struggles against cruel fate. of the
futility of effort, of the damning and
Jeering domination of sin. When they
try their hands at something else the
inslpidity Of the Able CoNSTANTIN is
al example of their sad deficiencies.
The GLOBE is catholic enough to
apologize fer human frailtIes. and not
TO overestimate the seriousness of petty
peccadllloes. But it does not believe that
ANYBODY is better fitted for the duties
and Joys of life under our glad system
because he has read "Mademoiselle d Il
Maupin,' or that ''kings in Exile and
Bel Ami count for moral fiber. The
French may read them without harm,
so far as we know; but, if our institu-
tons are to be preserved, we need a race
of people who will understand thor
Oughly that domestic purity is the path
to the highest happiness, and that it
pays to Wrestle with fate because there
is no fate in the world strong enough to
conquer forever the brave and daring
souls who defy it. The gospel of de-
spair and the apotheosis of erotocism
have no place in our society, because IN
America the highest rewards are every
mans heritage who has the character
to fight for them under the banner of
sobriety and high motives.
Men great in mind and achievement
have been al the same time guilty of
sexual Irregularities. This is not to
their credit, but it has to be admitted
by the truthful. If ATHEN.EUs is an
honest chrOnicler, the same hero who
calmly discussed the immortality of the
soul with CRTTo before he drank the
cup of hemlock used to enjoy the wit
ticismS of the Athenian hetere as a
relief from NANTHIPPE's rude tongue.
WALTER SAVAGE LANDoE'S imaginary
conversations, it may be taken for
granted, are not a complete presenta-
Of the relations between PERICIEs and
AsPASIA. The pages of SUEToNIUS are
liYid with the excuses of the men who,
in spite OF what is said against them,
were able enough TO rule over the
. strongest empire of the worlds history.
MIRABEAU. who alone could have held
up the waning power of CHARLIE
4 octrr
debauches as was NAPOLEON, who
rose on its ruins. dixie and
PARNELI. who are covering to-day
under the lash of an offended popular
sense of decency, only have to go back
to Lord MELBOURNE to see that they
are not the only blameworthy states
men whose names are found in modern
English history. In the department of
ethics it appears that sinfulness in one
direction is not inconsistent with honor
and character in others. The GLOBE will
admit all this, but what it says is this:
Strong men may do wrong, but no peo-
pie can be strong and great who bring
themselves constantly in contact with
the highly seasoned annals of other
peoples sins. 10 read prurent books is
4 form OF mental dcbauchery which will
sooner or later sap the vitality and un-
dermine the characters of those who in
dulge in it.
PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS.
There has probably been little serious
anticipation that any effort put forth
through the United States government,
or by any other agency, would con-
tribnte to the success of the project for
the nerSecuted Jews in Russia to nos