The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-07-25
Debasing Literature.

LIE eDaSlng Literature.
We have written the last two Sum
days on vicious and debasing litera-
tnre as shown in the latter day novels
that are devouied by the readers of
fiction and relished because of their
unsavory and wicked seasoning If
all critics were as faithful and severe
as Andrew Lang is the poorer and
more Objectionable novels would have
but few friends and admiring readers
among the refined aud cultured lie
ia lover Of the romantic but not Of
the impure and nasty. He hits the
abounding indecencies Of Zola, and
he has no taste for or tolerance Of such
writer's as Amiel and lbsen and
Bashkirtseff or Tolstoi and the lesser
gang of immoralists if not Of i'm
mortais He does pay court even to
the American Howells, who is man
really of distinguished parts, but Of
some absurd notions of art and of the
real merits Of some gteat authors who
though dead still speak to the best
readers though their splendid crea.
tions that run over with genius. Mr..
Quiller-Couch, who is all English ro-
mancer of no mean parts and an
incisive critic, holds Howells also in
disfavor. while the American affects
to know nothing Of the Englishman.
Howeils published small volume Of
brief essays and criticisms that ap-
peared in Harper. while he had
charge of one of the departments.
lie calls it Criticism and Fiction .
He refers to the English authors as
s.poor islanders" ..doting and grovel-
ling in ignorance and "cater
pillars and says the great Thackeray
had no .artis,ic se,sibility," and so
on This is merely the whimsical no.
tianssof aslnan~ef parts@mlio.is twisted
in his taste and intellect:ons at times.
Howeiis does not like Scott or Haw-
thorne or Dickens, and Hugo and
Sands and Dumas and the other great
writer's Of the splendid romantic
school of fction Mr.. QuiIler-Couch
say that Howelis :;s1 at bottom an
aristocrat, and adds:
"Mr uowelIs's patriotism has
brought him into queer straits and
We are .treatedto the spectacle Of q
man, who is really worshipper ofthe
incomplete and amorphons, beating
the lom:tom over the artistic achieve.
ments of men and. women who are,
before all things worshippers of
form
We prefer Howel!s in travels and
essays and sketches to him as novel
writer. After trying some three Of
his novels wetutn To 3fresher work
"pastures new. - The talk Of f1iterary
anarchy is still heard in the leading
literary circles, but Howells is not Of
the anarchic kind He affects realism
as his specialty and is. inn danger
of Introducing We suppose, the
crude, the .famboyant, the nasty into
his books He will not give much
countenance, we judge. to the Dodos
and Superhuous Women aud Yellow
Asters and their imitation and the
remainder of the long list of stories
tending to the EXTREMIST anarchy and
diabolism in letters.
Out in Chicago a novel has been
published by regular firm that it is
an insult to civilization and a disgrace
20 all concerned. We will not give
name of book or publishers lest some
people loving the foul or the sensual
send for it. 1t is an tempt to
degrade the pure women Of the South
in the days of slavery. purport-
ing to give actual pictures of what
occurred, that is Infamous and slam
derous beyond belief. To show how
base is this attempt in 1894, to put
thee. brand Of degradation upon the
purest, finest, most elegant civiliza.
ton this country has ever seen. we
give few sentences from the notice
of it in a Chicago monthly. The
writer of that disgraceful article
says:
"What is most remarkable about
this story is that it presents view
of slavery which has been hitherto a
.lA.ol heoL 70 fho ,.aa8inn nnhiic-