The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-08
THE SUNFLOWER KNIGHT.
But Oscar Wilde is Only One Of the
Many Theorists Who Will
Shortly be Among Us.

Chamberlain's Vast Project-Why
Clemenceau Will Visit America
Shortly and the Mysterious Mission
of Prelate Walsh-Goldwin Smith to
Come.
New York, Oct. 7.-Of the many dis
tingmshed men who are to visit the
United States very soon-and the names
of Joseph Chamberlain, Emilio Castelar,
Arch bishop Walsh, Goodwin Smith, Lord
Mayor Shanks, DIR. Franz Won Rotten
burg, Lord Randolph Churchill and
others are on the list-not one comes to
US upon more unique mission than does
Oscar Wilde. For the apostle of agnos-
tic aestheticism, to employ his favorite
verbal designation of himself, will open in
America a new crusade that of cham
pioning sin and demonstrating it's general
desirability
Mr.. Wilde is due in New York late this
month or the beginning OF the next Upon
his arrival he will prepare for the'stage
play in which Rose CoghIan is to star.
The piece is all written but Mr.. Wilde's
anxiety that it be correctly interpreted
has brought him among US and inciden-
tally led to the propagation of his new
theory in our country first of all.
The statement that Oscar Wilde will
endeavor to patch up a reconciliation be-
tween his brother and Mrs Frank Leslie
is authOritatively denied Once the
staging of his play is accomplished, the
Don Quixote of philosophy will devote all
his leisure to the development of certain
dogmas which as yet he has given but
partial expression TO. In ''The Picture of
! Dorian Gray" and in certain metrical
productions, in addition to the play
which was suppressed because of a too
! daring moral radicalism, Mr. Wilde
has tried to evolve certain ideas relative
| to the virtues and general utility of sin
| The abuse that has been heaped upon him,
| to quote his own words, makes vindica-
ton sweet" The sunlower knight has
not forgotten the vituperation of George
| Parsons Lathrop who STYLED Wilde,s
writings disgusting filth and a-reek
with the atmosphere of unnatural debase-
| ment"
Wildes theory of sin, so far as he has
| given utterance to 1t by voice and pen, is
! this: The tendency of sin is Unborn.
| Sin, therefore, enters ipso facto,
| into the scheme of the universe
| as much as virtue Now there are varia
! Since virtue carried to excess is nauseat-
ing and can only be praiseworthy when
| practlced from ethical motives, is not its
| antlthesls, sin, also a means to certain
| endsl Cannot sin be studied in other
words, with view to its utility as a ser
| want instead of as a master2 Has anyone
ever made study of the possibilities of
SIM Has sin ever been dissected and ex-
| perimented with from worthy motives?
No. The physician who exposes himself
to the cOntagiOn of SMALLPOX and
consumption that he may better know
and battle with those diseases, is a hero
IN the cause of science. Similarly the
being who exposes himself to every form
of temptation and yields his spotless soul
to the debaucheries of a Tiberius at Capra
or practices the exquisite wickedness
that have rendered the name of Hello
ga0alus synonymous with sensual slavery
will, imprompted by worthy motives re-
tain every vestige of his innocence Here,
then, is the germ of the Oscar Wilde the
DRY; one may sin-sin knowingly and de-
hberately from worthy motives
"E'lee from sin - runs the New Wildean
dogma. But what is SIM Does the
clergyman who holds he triumph of the
flesh up TO adherence know the danger
GUS rapturel 1T So let him avow the fact
and give US the benefit of his experience.
II not he doesn't know what he Is talking
aDOub. LEU US treat SIN dIber a new
method. Let US explore the country be-
fore we make a map of it."
Mr.. Wilde intimates that he has been
exploring the country for some time and
is organizing another expedition of one
with the same end in view. Unhappily.
his experiences in the territory have
never been permitted to pass the censo-
rial cerberus which, in foreign countries.
separates an author from the public. He
hopes for better fortune in our free repub- |
lie.
In justice TO Mr. Wilde, it should be
pointed out that he draws a distinction
between sin for the sake Of SHINING and /
sin committed in the line of scientific ex-
pertinent on much the same basis as eat |
ing 70 live is the ethical antithesis of /
living 10 eat Moreover those sins which /
involve vulgarity are entirely inexcusable. |
To steal auothers purse Is contemplate |
because IL is unrehned, but to inves tigate /
the elective affinity between hearts and /
souls which have come IN contact too late /
for such study from the conventional |
point OF view, may be noble self-sacrifce. |
There Is time for all things" says Solo /
mon. The great misfortune Of the human /
race has been that never has IL seemed |