The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-03

. gifted. eloquent Puritan minister Who
has sinned. bus his sin Il secret, which Is
kaoxn only in this world 70 the beautiful
letter Of her shame. confessing to no one
tfss the father of her child 10 . minister
oS God. Dimesda!e suffers terribly from
the reproaches Of his conscience and the
hSsrIble burden Of his double life, bis
church believes him 20 be most eloquent
ai,i fervensiy pious pastor. while he Is
rfeked with spiritual agony consequent on
It's knowledge. not SIMPLY that he 10 .
sia ner. bu: that he IL acting Q false part
siice he permits . lovely and gifted
weman, who has sacrificed everything IN
her lore for him, to carry her bitter cross
aiene. while the scarlet letter on her breast
pfsciaiTns her shame TO every rasser-ey.
ne situation 10 a frightful one for man
of keen sensioility TO moral and spiritual
suffering. like Dimesdale, whose fate Is
xp-,e than the woman's even. because she
bteomes something ennobled by the knowi-
eege that her suffering is not in vain; that
she IS screening her lover from ruin. and
preserving his credit and honor with the
ct,srch. For poor Dimesdaie there Is no
reset from suffering. Hester Prynne is
noe hypocrite; her scarlet letter pro-
cla.ms her sin. while the father Of her
child is rated as one that has not even the
snasll Of any OF the fires Of hell upon his
garments. The thought that he ought to
be by this woman's side. taking her as
wsfe and owning her child. gives Dimes
dEle no peace Of mind, night or day; he
ye;arns to take her to bis bosom; to tear
the mask of his false life from his face.
content to clasp his hearts lawful queen
ans. let the world go by.
l,uring all this time Dimcsdale breaches
with extraordinary. almost abnormal. eio-
qmcnce and fervor: his lips seemed touched
with a Pentecostal fame; his spiritual
agony seems to keep HIM at the concert
pi:ch Of pulpit eioquence; he speaks With
an intensity, impressiveness and nervous
power of speech that he had never before
eGAaled, and his congregation are filled
with astonishment and admiration. At
last the wretched man can bear the strain
nc longer; he can no longer keep silent;
he confesses his sin to his people and then
takes his true place by the despised mother
OF lis child. The woman in this his hour
fast confession but terrible worldly tribu-
lation does not fail: she has grand ma
tu-e; she takes him in her loving arms and
whispers to HIM that they will cross the
seas to England and yet have much hap
piness after all their hours Of sorrow,
shame and suffering, but poor Dimesdale
has suffered too much and too long for his
deiicately organized physique and high
strung nervous temperament: his heart
strings break and he dies in the arms of
tha woman who 80 long and so meekly
were because Of him in silence her "Scar.
LEI Letter."
81 was best he should die: Hawthorne's
fine artistic sense taught him that he had
drawn the picture of Dimesdale and his
suffering In such colors that the natural
maod Of the reader would be that which
prompts Kent to say Of the dying Lear:
vea not his ghost: o. let him pass! he hates
him much
That would upon the rack OF this tough world
stretch him out longer.