Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-04-04

the work, for the picture sketcned there-
in--though, perhaps, not altogether new
Is true and accurately drawn The ne
gro OF by-gone days Is given much at
tention by Miss Burwel. and she
youches for the fact that be Jared not
Ill as slave. In sooth, she tells us
that 1t was his owner who suffered
by the bondage; that the darky himset
was a sort OF fatted calf. who ofttimes
tyraDnized the conscientious master. we,
OF Virginia, perhaps, can endorse these
statements, but VIII the northern pup
lie accept this testimony from one
whom they would doubtless call a preJu-
diced witness? In fact. / almost rear
the authoress has been at too much
pains 10 change the ideas Of class VINO,
to put their faith In her, must repu-
date their own most deep-rooted con-
victions. Some people will not take ar
gument. and verify, their stubbornness
does not merit II. The negro-worship-
ping public are pre-eminent In this class,
and l would fam have done with them.
Why should we care a bawbee for their
unalterable, though erroneous, views,
when our own position Is fortified by
facts. Miss Burwell, by the way. IS
most enthusiastic on the subject or the
food that once caused the tables or
old Virgnians to grosn. and TO read her
work IS, to say the least, most appetizing.
1t occurs to me rat literary folk and
the writer's OF books Cthe two terms are
by no means synonymous) have certain
pet ideas, which nothing-not even the
march Of progression eradicate. I do
not think exaggerate when l say that
in at least 80 per cent. OF the novels
one reads one finds the hero, when
pinched by adversely. making his way
to a Jewish usurer This worthy-or I'M
worthy, Hebrews as inevitable as Is
the boring servant girl on the stage.
In fact, he is part of the literary para
phernalia, and seems as Indispensable
as ink and paper. Sometimes he re-
ceives only line, and then again, he Is
given several paragraphs.
Why doesn't some purely original man
for originality's sake, IL nothing else
let his hero vary tie monotony by seek
ing a Gentle ''paper-shaver." 1 believe
there are such. Oh. better still, in this
era when new ideas are almost as scarce
as people who don't want money, why
doesn't some author manufacture Jew
fish hero. George Eliot thought the ma
terlal good enough and so have few
other adventurous spirits. But such let
tered prodigles are scarce, indeed, ana
almost obsolete, though the creators of
Shylocks, and Abrahams are as thick
as leaves in Vallambrosa.
sss
One would have thought that the young
Jew, Isaac Zangwill, who now scintillates
I'm the literary world of England, would
have espoused the cause of his race and
used his able pen as a sword in their de-
fence. But he doesn't appear TO have
done so-in fact, we hear that his works
have caused a most indignant stir In He
brew circles. Zangwill, by the way, ad-
mits that few true pictures OF JEWISH
character have been drawn. though he
hints that George Eliot has made the
nearest approach TO accuracy.
In Heavens name, O, writers OF books,
when will we have done with your dla-
lects? When, o. when, will we be once
more allowed to hear the melody Of pure
English? First there was the negro
tallI-some true to life and some absurd
and then the jargon OF the 'po-white"
class and the "cracker" element.
yyT,gTYFyMGl.yI 'psssaFFI'"
ZeNt there was the irish brogue. and
now il IS the Scotch. Wearying Of this
we have the "Bowery" slang and the
patois of the organ-grlnder. a little OF
il does very well but TO tackle the mass
Is like unto an interview with a Latin
dictionary. IL there were not so many,
many of these dialects we might forget
our native tongue and adopt the speech
Of some humble romance hero. As it Is,
II we continue to read. we may possibly
be forced TO invent a literary Volapuk
which will enable us TO translate the
works of modern fiction. Give us the
English once more, dear novelists-some-
thing that requires no translation.
Perhaps 1 ny in the face OF public opin-
lon when l say that the incessant HOOD
Of Scotch literature which pours in on us
has become something of a bore. For my
part | am weary Of Thrums and Drum
tochty, and would fain have done with
pious, bull-headed Scotchmen and con-
scientious Presbyterian ministers. An
introduction to these worthless