Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-09-06
.bAB On A GOOD NOVEL.
She Chats Airily on Books Worth
Reading.

hodullg'
MR.. GLADSTONE'S WAY OF READ
ING-SUCCESS OF ROMANCE AS
| POPULAR LITERATURE - WO-
MANS AID IN MAKING A BOOK
POPULAR-BAB'S FRIENDS Be
TWEEN THE COvERS-GEORGE
| ELIOT'S PERSONALITY.
From Our Regular Correspondent
Florida. Orange County, New YORK.
York. September 8, 1S96.-In one corner
of the piazza is a large table, and on
II reposes the various work-baskets al
tached to the establishment, for we are
all very feminine, and either sew, or
knit when we gossip about tAe literature
which is approved of, at the present
time. When say approved OF at the
present time" mean that which is be-
/ ing read just now. Aunt Maria, the
II busy housekeeper, is devoted to what
She calls "a good novel;; she says sne
wants something that will make her for
Esct what was cooked for dinner. The
consequence is, she does not choose for
intellectual fool, either the problem nov
lei. the analytical novel, or the historical
novel. but she takes instead an out-and-
Cut love story and gloats over il. The
fact that Aunt Maria is nearly 60 does
not prevent her being interested in the
pain suffered By lovers separated. for the
fine by harsh parents or the wiles Of
williams, but united at length in the
perfume Of orange blossoms, with white
satin and black broadcloth, diamonds.
and five bridesmaids, TO make the scene
picturesque.
Nanny is having the one great Joy Of
her life, from an intellectual standpoint,
She is reading, for the frs. time, the
| immortal works Of the late Alexandra
Dumas, pere. The consequence is that
Nanny is transported to France, has
forgotten entirely about every day peo-
pie. and only wakgns up to the life
around her when young Jim Johnson
| appears on the scene; then she tries her
best TO think that she is Louise De la
| Valliere, and he isLOuis theFOurrtePuth.
Certainly the famous Louis was nnvn~
shyer than is young Jim, and, cftss e..
is there much difference between a king
and an ordinary country boy when it
comes to the question of first love?
OLD BOOKS THE EST.
AS for me, | am reading old books
over. There are no new ones worth any
thing. am pessimist enough 10 think
that no good is to be gained by bother
ing with tlresome books. | have thought
much more Of Mr.. Gladstone since I
heard that he advised people never to
read anything that did not interest
them. That is all wrong. That which
does not interest us will do us no good.
Then. too it is said the Grand Old Man
is given over to books of all kinds,
novels, poetry and history. He keeps
three going, and when he tires of one,
takes refuge In the other.
Mr. Glads,ol is a reader after my
own heart. Why don't the people who
s-rite books remember their readers?
Why don't they realize that the novels
that have lived have been so-called ro-
mantle books? Who will care for prob
lem novels twenty years from now?
What is gained by drawing pictures Of
loathsome diseases that cannot be cured?
Here l mean moral diseases. but in adj
d.don, there is a fancy, an abominable
one, for picturing people as i'll with real
and very disgusting maladies. Many
a book owes its condemnation to its
being nasty in is description.
WOMEN MAKE BOOKS SUCCESSFUL
They are the great readers of the day.
and they don't care to linger over de
scrlptions Of physical horrors, especially
when they are unnecessary.
dent care for my books to be too
fine in their covers but | must confess
that | like TO see them as | 90 my
friends, in respectable dress. The
paper bound book Possesses no attTac-
ton for me; though, like all book lovers.
/ really love a book with pictures n ii.
| want to see what the people look like.
Than they bscCme real TO us all. From
my illustrated edition Of Thackeray
know Becky Sharp, l know Henry Es-
! mond, l know George Warrington and
love him, and | know Philip; l know
the doctor and hate him; know Amelia
Osborn and have the utmost contempt
for her; | know George, and rsalize from
his appearance how necessary a good
friend was 10 him; | know RawdOn
| CraWley, and feel sorry for him, and |
know all the wicked lawyers and doc
tors and giOat over them. I am just as
well acquainted, from the pictures with
| Lady DedlOck and the "bOOfer lady"
with Joe and with Dora, l have laugh
cd over Jip, and have seen David and
his aunt driving away the donkey5. A
good book well illustrated is the finest
thing in all th5 world
| ACQUAINTANCE WITH AUTHORS.
Personally, I am glad not to have
known the people who wrote the books
| love / think I should care less for
them.
l remember knowing . girl who had
met George Eliot. She tod me. from
that time on she even hated Middle
march" She saw The great writer in
the drawing room OF an intimate friend,
and she said that she was the most ire
some old woman she had ever met
| Somebody had to BE- closing door, or
opening a window; giving her a shawl,
or finding her a fOOtstoOl; being certain
that the Thermometer was at such a
point. and equally certain that the
| water. of which she wanted drink, was
pure. Altogether, George Eliot was pic
tured to me as q tire9ome old trump
who annoyed everybody around her
The young girl announced that the
genius seemed unsatisfied unless she
was bOthering somebody about some
kh!ng. The same friend. who as q very
young but bright girl, had rare oppor-
| tnnities FIR SEEING graf people. de-