The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-14

coming 10 lSrsCEs "OH, WISH ~
but she moved NEVER MARRIED
away again direct your
Is. recognizing that she was not now. ac-
cording 10 our wretched conventional
morality. a person fl 10 associate with.
Her eye fell on the bottle which the
Duke. a hereditary drunkard, had left on
the table.
May not a woman she exclaimed. "en-
joy the liberty accorded TO men? Where
is the corkscrew2"
This was the corkscruclal point In the
Duchess career. II comes to all OF U.s.
GRAPHoMANIA.
II Is pity that the novel has come 90
standstin, for it would certainly have been
a success It has all the stigmata of
'tgraphomania: and the most successful
professors Of all the fine arts are graphic
rnaniacs-for example, Richard Wagner.
Mr.. Swinburne. OR. Ruskin and Sir Ed
ward Burne-Jones. Sir John Mlllais was.
but understand that he has 10 a large ex-
tent got over 1t And graphomaniac is
at this point wish to make IL quite clear
that I am not expressing my own views.
but quoting from NJ. Max Nerdau's book
'.Degeneration"--a seFni-insane person who
feels strong impulse TO write. The above
mentioned distinguished painters, al
though they painted. yet wanted to write.
and consequently painted In a literary
way: thus they are comfortably within the
definition. Among the chief signs of
graphomania are incoherence. fugitive
ideation. use of italics, and tendency
10 idiotic punning. The Duchess Dis
enchantment" displays all these charac-
terisfics 70 the full. in fact II might have
been written with the express purpose of
showing what perfectly developed graph
omaniaeai novel would he like. The ex-
ample will be of great value 10 NJ. Nordau
for the next edition OF his hook, and he is
very welcome 10 use IL. The author. of
course will not object, for he will be in
very good company. Not to be a graphic
maniac Is 10 be condemned 10 obscurity in
these days. II Is so true that. as N. Nor
dau genially observes, degenerates are not
always criminals, anarchists or pro-
nounced lunatics Che mentions one or two
other lines OF life which may be omittcd).
but are often authors and artists. DE
generation" Is book TO read with atten-
ton: II shounds in curious suggestions.
For example, had not myself realized the
connection between a particular sort of
wooden Undertaking and Chauvinistic
sentiments on foreign affairs. II exists.
however. In nine cases out of ten. NJ. Nor
dau leads us TO suppose. the man who
wears the one entertains the other. II is
needless 20 add that both pecuIiarities are
marks of arrangement. and the person
who unltss them is a degenerate. and in
all likelihood a graphomaniac, even If he
be not also an "epileptoid" and mat
told" Engage him in political discussion
first and then, on some pretext however
frivolous, examine his laundry basket and
you will know all about him. 1t would be
interesting. while we are on the subject.
20 know what lies between n. Nordau's
shirt and his skin-what fabric CORE
spends TO his robust cast OF mind
THE LOVE or EXACTNESS.
II must not. however. be supposed that
all n. Nordau's points are so-shall we say
remote?-ss this II is true that he ex-
hibits a portentous insensibility TO the
iudicrous aspect OF his own remarks, but
the book contains much good sense, and