Grand Rapids herald., 1892-06-27
TOO TRUE TO LIFE
Helen Gardeners Latest Pur-
posefui Novel
HOLDS The MIRROR TO NATURE
Revealing the Vicious and Deprsved
Tendencies Of Msn-sPrsy You.
So. Whose D4uxhtszS

In the Arena for June Mr.. Flower
gives the foilswing pen picture OF the
new novel oy Hslea IA. Gardener;
pray fou, SIR, Hhose Daughter
bucn - the striking Title OF Helen IL.
Gardeners new novel, . story winch,
In my Judgment, Is the most finished
and, IN many respects. the strongest
work which has Yet come from the pm
or tnis gifted lady. Helen GArisner
Possesses ia rare degre. the power of
holding the interest OF the reader,
while sne emphasizes IN most telling
ond effective manner truths OF vital
moment 70 eisilIzttl'sn. The present Is
prt-eminentiy the age OF purposetui
nction. Against this innovation con-
ventionallsm has raised It's voice. Inc
old slogan cry. Art for arts SAKE" Is
being drowned IN the new aud vital
Wztchword, Art Tor truth" The
great political, seclal, economic, ethical
and religious problems OF today are be-
ing most effectively presented under
sne veil or neton. Few writers. how
ever, possess the power of subordinAt-
ing the lesson to the story IN sum-
Gent degree to hold the interest and
thrill and impress the average
reader, who 10 merely looking for some
thing entertaining. Thus many wrl-
ters OF modern fiction in this new age
OF unrest and growth defeat their pur-
pose by preaching where they should
picturs. The story deals with expand
ing woinanhood. IL IS the leg innate
product OF the present growing age.
IL IS Ia perfect toucn with the thought
OF the hour. Incidentally the cause of
the very poor IL our great cities Is
touched upon, and IN Une chapter We
have prose etching of an apartment
IN the slums, when Is painfully true
To lite- The great cardinal thoGght,
from the side uf 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 tnat he s.ught to picture
mans struggle with unjust law. In
Misc Gardener. new book she paints
most ylysdly the struggle of gIrihood
with unjust . ciai conditions. Like
Hugo, Miss Garcsncr also deals IN
types Gertrude Foster, Frances King
and EttIe Berton are types. but they
Iossess nothing ot the colossal nature
OF Hugo's or snakrspeaIe's great crea-
tons-
Dickens also dealt IN typss, but he
intensified them until they often re-
sembled caricatures. No so with Miss
Gardener. While typlng young wo-
manhood OF today, she does 50 with
such perfect nAturRIism that one iseis
that the story is more than fiction.
Zach character lives, and We feel while
reading that We sre being acquainted
with the happenings OF real ersous.
This. OF course, Is the art of the realst;
and. indeed, while Miss Gardener is IN
TO way writing history IN pray You,
eir. whose Daughter" she IS narratlng
episodes and incidents which are hap.
penlng every day IN every great center
OF life.
There - no plot in the story. but the
ieterest of the reader is held from
cover To cover. The most delicate SUBJ
jects are dealt With. but they are so
handled as not TO offend any healthy
imagination, while the atmosphere OF
the bCok IS pure aud lofty. In Ger
trude Foster we have q magnificent
picture OF the modern girl: flee, edu-
cated. untrammelled, with strong and
Iostive individuality; the broad
m,ndeJ, noble souled modern girl, vino
dares 10 think and TO act up to her
highest CONVICTIONS OF right regardless
of consequences. There are today
hundreds of Gertrude Fosters, and
they are the advance guard Of the
twentieth century womaunood. wish
everv young woman in America could
read TINS book, II IL were for nothing
else than To catch inspiration from
this splendid creation. In the other
tao typical gIrls, EtIe Berton and
Frances King. we have strong, natural.
hfelIke reproductions of thousands OF
young women VINO may be found to-
day in every great city. Beautiful, i'll
starred little Ettiel How the heart OF
every true man and woman will GO on,
In love and sympathy for her aud
IN her fate it should not be forgotten
that we read the late of thousands Of
maidens, who, through acc.rsed laws
fall victims to something far worse
than death while they have scarcely
crossed the threshold CT womanood.
laws originated by morsl lepcrs for the
protection of the most heinous forms
of ilcentousness, and from year TO
year discussed in secret sessions in
various legislatures, where systematic
attempts are constantly being made TO
ieper exempt from . crime far more
colossal than MURDER. Even this year
. bill Was introduced ia the New York
legislature to lower the age IF consent
from sixteen to thirteen years. and
had IL not been for the vigorous efforts
OF some stsIwart friends Of purity
doubtless the measure would have
passed.
Pray You, Sir. Whose Daughter" is
far more than an intensely interesting
novei;is . brilliant appeal for justice
aud parity; protest against one OF The
most gisrlng crimes which bilsters the
brow Of nineteenth-eentury civilization.
10 is pure, wholesome and inspiring.
liz the white ribbon army should make
10 the Uncle Toms Catia" of their
nonie crusade, it would. | believe, ac-
eomplish more IN one year than their
present efforts viii realize IN a decade.
The price also of this volume Is within
the reach OF all. being oulv 80 cent,
per copy. II Is puhlishsd by the Arena
Pub. Co.. Boston. Mass, and % one oi
the handsomest books Of the year.