The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-21
RAMBLED TO ASHBY
Jersey City Feminine Criti-
cism Applied to Walter
SCOTS Masterpiece.
IvANHoE PICKED TO PIECES
The Prototype of Rebecca Was q
Philadelphia Jewess-Charac-
ter and Conscience.

DIefS at their meeting yeSlcrudy "~1
"Ivanhoe." Miss Alice f. Lewis. the
Secretary of the club, opened the dis
cussion with an essay IN the Main
springs of Action She said:-'A
thoughtful reading of Ivanhoe cannot
fail to impress one with the diversity of
motives actuating the characters. The
novel as a whole seems to be a success
sion of scenes illustrating the condition
of England in the twelfth century rather
than a skillful plot developing strong
character: and 1t is with these scenes.
the meeting between the 6axons and
Normans at Cedric's house. the tourna-
ment. capture and Imprisonment of Ced-
RIGS party on their return, the attack OF
the castle and the trial of Rebecca-
that we are concerned, for it is from a
careful study of these that We get an
insight into the mainsprings of action
which governed the conduct of the diff
ferent characters" Miss Lewis mem
toned the characteristics of the char
acters as portrayed by Scott and said
Character is so complex and the mo-
tives governing the actions of these peo-
pie in Ivanhoe are so various, that 1t
would have been difficult to discuss them
all. 1 have. therefore, selected what
seemed to be the mainsprings of action,
and presented them to you in as clear a
manner as possible"
A SOCIAL POINT OF VIEW.
Miss Harriet A. Hartnett read an essay
on, England from a Social Point of
View as Portrayed in ~Ivanhoe." She
said:-"England at the time in which
vanho was written was in a singularly
disturbed and discontinued state. 1t was
during the later part of the reign OF
Richard 1, when Richard was absent a
prisoner in the power of the cruel Duke
of Austria, the place of his captivity be-
ing uncertain and his fate but very i'm
perfectly known to most of his subjects.
His people were in the meantime sub
jected to every species of oppression by
the great barons. Another cause of ir-
ritation was the hostility which had ex-
listed between the Saxons and Normans
ever since the battle of Hastings But it
did not matter how much the Normans
and Saxons hated each other, they both
hated the Jews and prosecuted them in
the most shameful manner. The man
ners and customs of the clergy at this
time were exceedingly loose. 1t has been
truly said that Richards reign was sig
nalized by no great legal or administra-
tive reform, and that England owes him
nothing but barren fame"
The essay read by Miss Elenore Wig
gers was sAshby de la Zouche, Histor-
fcally n Dramatically Considered" She
saidl"Comparatively little may be said
of Ashby, but much concerning the tour
central part of England and consists
principally of one long street. 1t is the
possessor of six churches and chapels, a
grammar school. several charity schools
and the much f~requented Ivanhoe baths.
On the outskirts of Ashby, within a
mile of the town, la, a stretch of a beau
rounded BY immense trees. Singularly,
the sides of this meadow sloped grad
Sait ty,rs d9 {S11s to nrd he Level green fSo 9 r 4
About this were built strong palisades,
forming an enclosure Of about a quarter
as broad MISS Wiggers gave a slight
account of the history of chivalry and
tournaments. She gave a vivid descrip-
Iyanhoe, and said in regard to chivalry:
specifically speaking, all must admit
that it has lifted that sentiment of re-
lied all the Northern nations with that
reverence for womanhood which forms
fRe ditfti ngsa nag s shaTae sts wt Ct the he
coNseTENcG N sl fVAMMoE.
Mrs. Fred Martin discussed 'The Work
ings Of Conscience in Ivanhoe." She
said:-'In dealing with our subject we
must not forget the difference Of the
time of Richard Occur de Lion from
that Of our own. Beginning with our
nero. lvanhoe, throughout the book we
atty and integrity, all of which are but
an expression of a correctly balance con-
scenes. Conscience sometimes becomes
is ungoverned by Judgment; thus, in
Cedric, the saxon, whose patriotism
en- could a purer. drawer example of
conscience be found than in that Of Re-
becca; ever putting others before her
/ SELF she n1frSRC tho ct0l M a.
enemy; but the strongest proof of this
ideal woman is that she regarded her.
PETTY puT yor aDoye everything, even her life,
to the stake"
The essay read by Miss Hattie Reynolds
snd tbe TRR11ieahards Of Ivanhoe
ssasI fights is one ss The lssder q the cru n
other as a disguised Knight; the Former
in The Talisman. the latter in Ivan
NOE In P ha,t he is wild and ad-
character. though isS his VICE. VICE life E s eaetsT
generous, careless and gay. His emotion
n passion could be quickly aroused,
Richard Is the possessori of a kind and
szxoN VERSUS NORMAN.
Miss Eta Pelzer gave ga Comparison
e. S6ss the - sf fxonbo and Ns sg nan c-hsTaetsr.
| pCFIUu vi ESi1S llSD history Oh which lVan-
hoe treats. although more than a century
had elapsed since the fatal day at Hast
ings when Anglo Saxons SURRENDERED
to Norman conQuerors, we still find
among the descendants of vanuuished
| and victor those barriers of thought and
temperament which separated their an
| cestors. An estimate of the Saxon char
sacter must be based mainly on Cedric
and. Athelstone. in which Scott has en-
bodied many of the national Character
isties. If we contrast with them men Of
the stamp of Front de Boeuf or Bots
Guilhcrt. the former command our adj
miration and the latter receive our well
most because they are humorous and
generous. Underneath the rough exter-
Tor we find them to be possessed of
really kind hearts. The Saxons, accord
ing to Scott were the most superstitious
people in all Europe, and to them many
of our signs and onnens can be
traced. The Normans had lost most
of the superstitious prejudices of
their ancestors and prided themselves
upon thinkin freely on such subjects.
| But, in SO far as we are able to Judge
from vanhoe. we find the Norman mobiles
to have been naughty, fiery tempered,
cruel, luxurious. full of the spirit of mill
tary fame and personal adventure. In
/ the Saxons. on the other hand, we note
their minute low OF freedom, especially
shown in the swineherd, Gurth. their
slowness, the simplicity Of their man
ners, their courage and their humanity.
| But however diverse the two races may
/ hava been In disposition and character