The Washington times., 1895-06-09

passing beauty.
fbe n 9 on concealed ..ou =
heightened the NEVER MARRIED
other by every YOU
means in her power. She dyed to hide
ner birth, and by an audacious use of
hide
Ine Duke was a strange mixture of
charaeteristics. A loose man. he was often
tignt. He never went TO church-he was he
sald, no Pewritan-bUt read the Conmina-
ton Service for hisprivate pleasure. Hewas
also strong advocate of wonlen's rights
SO true 1t is that every man has his good
side
One day the Duchess was singing the
Marseisiaise' tshe loved it because Rouge
de Llsie wrote it,, while the Duke was
twisting the bloodhound staflwith a thought-
ful air. Suddenly the Duchess observed:
Il disliked you very much from the first
moment ] saw you, Duke
"Iknew it the moment you accepted me-"
returned the Duke
Il dislike you very much now" said the
Duchess
Every woman dislkes her husband. -
re1oined the Duke. You have only to go
and see The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith' to
discover that"
But I should hate you. anyhow" pur-
sued the Duchess "Oh, wish I'd never
married you"
You never did - said the Duke WALKING
out of the room
The Duchess tainted "This is terribIe!"
she cried, coming to herself; but she moved
away again directly, recognizing that she
was not now, according to our wretched
conventional morality, a fit person to as
sociate with. Her eye fellonth he bottle which
the Duke. hereditary drunkard, had left
on the table
NAV not a UOmaU eho
enjoy the liberty accorded to men? Where
is the corkscrew
This was the corkscruciaI point in the
Duchess career. 1t comes oaIl of us.
GRAPHoMANIA.
1t is pity that the novel has come toa
standstill, for it would certainly have
been success. 1t has all the stigmata of
graphomapia;" and the most successful
professors of all the fine arts are graph
omamaes-for example, Richard Wagner,
Mr.. swineburne, Mr.. Ruskin and Sir Ed
ward Burne-Jones. Sir John MiIIais was.
out understand that he has TO large
extent got over it. And graphomanfac
is-at this point / want TO make it quite
clear that / am not expressing my own
views, but quoting from AZ Max Non,laus
book I'D egeneration'-a senii-iIis a ne
person who feels strong impulse to write
The above mentioned distinguished paint
tiers, although they painted, yet wanted
TO write, and consequently Eainted in q
literary way: thus they are comfortably
within the definition. Among the chief
signs of graphomania are incohereuce,
tugttlve lueauon, q use OF italics and a
tendency to idiotic pdnning. 1.-The Ouch
ess Disenchantment" displays all these
charact eristics TO the full; in fact il might
have been written with the express pur-
pose of showing what perfectly developed
graphomaniacial novel would be like
The example will be of great value to NJ
Nordau for the next edition of bis book,
and heis very welcome TO useit The author
of course, will not object, for he Will be
in very good company. Not TO be graph
ohaniac IS to be condemned TO obScurity
in these days. II is so true that. as NJ
Nordau genially observes, Gegenerates
are not always criminals, anarchists. or
pronounced lunatics Che mentions one
or two other lines of life which nlay be
omitted), but are often authors and artists
Degeneration" is a book to read with
attention: 1t abounds in curious sueges-
tons
For example, had not myself realized
the connection between particular sort
of wooden underclothing and Chauvinistic
sentiments on foreign affairs. 1t exists,
however. In nine cases out of ten NJ
Nordau leads us TO SUPPOSE, the man who
wears the one entertains the other 1t is
needless TO add that both peculiarities are
marks of arrangement, ard the person who
unites them is a degenerate, and in all
likelihood graphomaniac, even if he
be not also an 'eplleptoid" and mat
told" Engage him in political discussion
first, and then, on some preteXt however
frivolous. examine his laundry -ba sket
and you win know all about him 1t
would be Interesting, while we are on
the subject, to know what lies betw cen
NJ. Nordau s shirt and his skin-what fabric
corresponds TO his robust cast of mind.
THE LOVE OF E XACTNESS.
1t must not, however, be supposed that
all NJ. Nordau's points are so-shan we
say remote?-as this 1t is true that he
exhibits portentous insensibility to the
ludicrous aspect of his own remarks. but
the book contains much good sense, and
many neatly turned observations. He