People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-06-24
A PURPoSEFUL NOVEL.
The EDITOR OF THE ARENA DESCRIBES
HELEN GARDENERS NEW STORY AS THE
UNCLE TOMS CABIN OF MORAL
PURITY

In the Arena for June Mr.. Flower
gives the following pen picture Of the
new novel by Helen H. Gardner:
'Pray You, Sir, Whose Daughter"
Such is the striking title of Helen H.
Gardner's new novel, story which, in
my Judgment, is the most finished and,
in many respects, the strongest work
which has yet come from the pen of
this gifted lady. Helen Gardner pos
SesSes in rare degree the power of
holding the interest of the reader,
while she emphasizes in most telling
and effective manner, truths of vital
moment to civilization. The present
is pre-eminently the age of purp)seful
fiction. Against this innovation con-
ventiOnalism has raised its voice. The
old slogan cry, art for Arts sake, .
is being drowned in the new and vital
watchwOrd, art for truth" The
great political, social, economic, eth.
ical and religious problems of today
are being most effectively presented
under the veil of fiction. Few writer's
however, possess the power of subOr,
dinating the lesson to the story in a
sufficient degree to hold the interest
and thrill and impress the average
reader, WHO'S merely looking for some,
thing entertaining. Thus many wri
ters of modern fiction in this new age
of unrest and growth defeat their pur.
pose by preaching where they should
picture. The story deals with expand
ing wOmanhOOd. 1t is the legitimate
product of the present growing age
1t is in perfect touch with the thought
of the hour. incidentally the cause
Of the very poor in our great cities i,
touched upon, and in one chapter WI
have a prose etching of an apartment
in the SlumS, which is painfully trut
to life. The great cardinal thought
from the side of utility, is the picture
of the crime against girlhOOd tolerated
by our present "age of consent" laws
In Victor Hugo'S masterpiece it will
be remembered that he sought to pic.
tre mans struggle with unjust law.
In Miss Gardner'S new book she paints
most vividly the struggle Of girlhOOd
with unjust social conditions. Like
Hugo, Miss Gardner also deals in
types. Gertrude Foster, Frances
King and Ettie BertOn are types, but
they possess nothing of the colossal
nature of HugO'S or Shakespeare.
SIcdU CIedUlOllS.
Dickens also dealt in types, but he
intensified them until they almost re
Sembled caricatureS. Not so witt
Miss Gardner. While tipping YOU
wOmanhOOd of today, she does so will
such naturalism that one feels thai
the story is something more than fic
tiOn. Each character lives, and w
feel while we are reading that we ar,
being acquainted with the happening
of real persons. This, of course, il
the art of the realiSt; and indeed
while Miss Gardner is in no way wri
ting history in pray You Sir, Who's,
Daughter?' she is narrating episode
and incidents which are happenin!
every day in every great center of life
There is no plot in the story; bu
the interest of the reader is held from
cover to cover. The most delicat,
subjects are dealt with; but they ar,
so handled as not to offend any health!
imagination, while the atmosphere O
the book is pure and lofty. In Ger
trude Foster We have a magnificenr
picture of the modern girl, free, edu
Gated, untrammeled, with strong anC
positive individuality; the broad
minded, nOble-SOuled modern girl
who dareS to think and to act up t,
her highest convictions of right re
gardless of consequences. There ar
today hundreds of Gertrude Fosters
and they are the advance guard of tn
twentieth century wOmanhOOd.
wish every young woman in Americ;
could read this book, if it were 70
nothing else than to catch inspiration
from this noble creation. In the 9th
er two typical girls, Ettie BertOn an,
Frances King, we have strong, natu
raj, life-like reproductions of thOus
ands of young women who may b
found today in every great city
Beautiful, ill-stared lite Ettiel Hoy
the heart of every true man and VIC
man will go out in love and sympath
for her. And in her fate it should no
be forgotten that we read of the fat
of thousands of maidens, who, througl
accursed laws, fall victims to some
thing far worse than death while the
have scarcely crossed the threshold Q
wOmanhoOd-laws originated by mora
lepers for the protection Of the mos
heinOus forms of licentiousness, an
from year to year discussed in secre
sessions in various legislatures, wher
systematic attempts are CONSTANT
being made to lower the age whic