Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-05-31

Sttell 70 rum mere ana HcFeuJteE. W
observe the developments Of this terrible
fact upon every hand.
First-In the character of the news
stand today. In all our public places,
in the hotels, the elevated roads, the sur
face roads, the railroad cars, the char
acter of the books handled and sold is
something amazing, something indescrib-
able from the moral point of view. 1t
would be impossible for decent man
and woman in each others company to
read the title of these books without a
blush. The placards by which they are
announced are simply the concentrated
essense of filth. 1t is an amazing fact
that the human mind is capable of pro-
ducing such trash in such stupendous
quantities. This flood of filth pours
upon our newsstands with 4 daily vol
ume that is unthinkable. There is about
itnot one redeeming feature. The French
novel in its native accent has a certain
art and a certain worthiness because of
its literary excellence, but we are flooded
with the most clumsy and brutal and
vulgar translations of these filthy French
productions Thus dragged through the
mud into the English language. there is
about them in their fearful odor not one
redeeming trait.
The French novel, as translated by
our American scavengers, is bad enoWlh.
But the yilest stories of literary corrup-
ton seem just now to be pouring from
the west. The western rascal, who seeks
in a clumsy way to initiate the French,
sinks to a depth Of infamy, a clumsy
bestiality, that would drive the modern
French1nan into monastery if he had
his choice between the perusal of such
book and the abdication of life. Let me
quote the announcement Of two of these
books that are fair samples of the hum
dreds found ON the average newsstand:
This story is considered by many TO be the
most interesting and entertaining ROMANCE
OF GAY LIFE ever written. There Is some
thing about IL that Chains and tascinates and
wins the admiration Of every reader. The
heroine IS one of those WILD, RECKLESS
DAREDEyILs that every now and then
dashes upon the world like Blazing Meteor
and hy Brazen Audacity and Wonderful Cheek
creates a Sensation that makes her at once The
Talk Of the Town and the Star of the Street.
She delights in being called Wicked. Her own
words, in ono striking passage, tells what she
is Mother" she said, II will not go homel !
will not be good! viii not reformi win al
ways be
"A GAY GIRL OF THE TOWN."
She laughs with Horrd Glee at a Mothers |
awful Curse, Defes the Officers OF the Law, |
Damns everything Good, and in every possible /
way endeavors 20 be the Wickedest Girl in -. |
She Drinks. Swears. Fights, Lies, Steals and /
of the situations in this story are Frightful In 1
their Fiendishness, while others are Ridiculous |
in their Ludicrousness. IL is well told tale |
one that will be carefully preserved long after !
trashy yarns are dead and forgOtten-and is /
destined TO take Front Rank among the Real
istic Romances of this Fast Age.
IT Is THE FASTEST SELLING BOOK EVER /
PUBLISHED.
Most Liberal Terms TO Dealers. Agents
wanted everywhere.
Here is a specimen from a second an
A ROMANCE CROWDED WITH WILD EN-
CITENiENT AND STRANGE ADVENTURE.
The story told by the author is one that re-
lates entirely 10 the Night side of , nearly
every scene. from commencement 10 end. he
ing at or near the Ghostly Midnight Hour. The
characters are all taken from life, many real
names being used. Every phase OF City Life is
depicted so truthfully as TO make each chapter
of the book one Of Sensational Excitement.
Nothing is omitted that may be seen Under the
Gaslight. "The Tiger" is visited In his lair
The Scarlet Woman Is pictured in her Mag
nihcence and her Degradation. The Assigna-
ton Fiend plays prominent part. The plot is
one admirably calculated 10 bring out the
Fiery Element in writing that has made the
author famous. Every chapter contains some
thing Hairraislg and Bloodcurdling II con-
tains every element Of popularity as sensa-
tional Romance, Astounding in Abductions,
Street fights. Standings. Shootings, Plottings
against Virtue, and many more exciting themes
that cannot fail TO interest those who like TO
read of city life il II. IL Is fully illustrated
with full page engravings.
These are not exceptional books taken
from the newsstands. They represent
the average book now carried by the
in our public places. can
select from among well stocked news
stands at least 100 books equally as
vicious as either of the two described by
their publishers These books are issued
by the tens of thousands and hundreds
Of thousands. and they carry the imprint
Of a publisher with the advertisements
TO all dealers and TO the public. A man
~ ilOM rtl LIS - tiA Al AAlt
1t Joliet. MIS-. for selling obscene liter I
sture. He was at one time bookseller /
N Chicago. but through drink fell into
svil ways and began the vending of evil
books. The pos,eiice authorities at last i
secured his conviction. and he is now
serving his sentence. To show what sort '
If progress we are making, the books for !
which this inaa was convicted and SEN
enced to the 1eaitenrary for selling are ]
lot one iota worse IN any particular than
he hundreds Of books That are now {
Haunted before the eyes Of the public by '
thousands of newsdealers from end to
nd Of this nation. {
The dime novel is the power that is '
holding and fashioning the lives of our
BOYS. Here they get their education. {
The editor of one Of our leading dailies, y
recently our newsstands, says I
With just sarcasm: "The dime novel is +
more plentiful than the sands of the sea.
The old fashioned schools delight to give q