The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-29
A HAPPY ENDING.
Protest Against the Pessimistic Tone
of Modern Novels.

Maurice Thompson, in the Independent.
l have seen it stated that happy ending
to a story is insipid But to whom is it in
sipid? Is it insipid to a perfectly natural
taste which demands catastrophe evil as
the climax of art is any better than the
taste which reVelS in defeat and death as
the climax of every human entertainment
as in the bull-fght and gaditorial arena?
Criticism ought TO be grounded in healthy
taste; but is the taste for heroines like
Madame Bovarie and Tess and nearly all
of Isben's and Tolstoi,s women, healthy
taste?
For my part do not believe in didactic
art. Art is for dedication, nothing more.
The moment that it attempts to teach
whether the lesson be moral or immoraD
it goes to pieces. And here is where the
men of the church pulpit have made their
great mistake. They found that the novel
had come to stay and that 1t was going to
be read; SO they invented a sociological eX-
cuse for it by imagining that it was Il
great moral force. and that it was sort
of sermon by which sinners were to be
converted and the righteous strengthened
in their fight against evil. Suddenly the
church became novel-reading institution,
the pulpit the place for discussing Tolstoi
and lbSen and Hardy.
All this was unexpected but it was nat
ural. Once admit that horrible example
is reformatory, and there Is no limit to the
character of the example. If a drunken
man reeling in the street will practically
demonstrate the terrible evil of intemper-
ance and so prevent our boys from drink
ards are abroad. If reading Tess" or
Madame Bovarie'' or anna Karenina"
will save our girls, let them read. But
what if associating with such women will
save the girls? Shall we try the expert
ment?
l like to look back and say II told you
sou Readers of the Independent have not
forgotten that I told them years ago how
realism so-called would force its Votaries
lower and lower, until they finally would
openly declare against all moral restraints.
Since then we have had Tolstois "Kreut-
ger Sonata" and Hardy's Jude the OBJ
scure," and Grant Aliens woman Who
Did" and James Lane Aliens Choir In
visible"
l can feel the start of indignant surprise
with which certain critics and readers will
resent mention of THE Choir Invisible" in
this connection; but in that story Mr.
Allen has taken a long step down the road
toward the reputation of moral response
bility in fiction. This thing of making a
point of delight (artistic or otherwise), with
the love of a married woman for a man
anything is immoral. There is nothing but
immortality in it. 1t is immoral in life to
study such a situation for the pleasure of
it. and the same is immoral in art. The
sooner preachers and teachers make clean
breast of this matter and tell their people
the truth, the better it will be for all con-
cerned. TO be blunt and honest what can
be more insidiously demOraliZing to pure
imagination than a study Gas matter of
ENTERTAINMENT of a mans pulling and whin-
ing and signing because he can't marry an
other mans wife? And yet this is the giSt
of THE Choir Invisible The story is
didactic: ii teaches that married woman
and single man may fall in love with each
other and do great missionary work by re-
framing from elopement. That is not all,
their love is upheld and accounted for upon
so-called high moral grounds by the author.
The critics at whom / am hurting my
mountains diate upon the sociological i'm
portance'' of such a story
But we have agreed that the artist may
choose freely therefore Mr.. Allen is not
outside his rights. What we are considering
is why mans hopeless and dishonest love
less 'insipid" subject than a mans honest
and hopeful love for an unmarried woman?
Why are not clean love and a happy mar
riage more delightful and wholesome (and,
therefore better art, as the outcome of
novel than a doleful result of illicit love?
The whole trouble is due chiefly to the
mistaken notion that sociology is a func-
ton of the novel. Fiction certainly may
exert a powerful and good moral influence;
but il is the same influence that any other
recreation may exert to some degree. If
the recreation is clean, the moral effect
will be good and vice versa. If wine tastes
good and cheers the mind up to a high
state of delight that is not competent proof
that wine is a proper drink. What Is its
influence? If we find fascination in the
story of a debasing love what is the in
fuence? There can be but one ground upon
which such story can be defended. and
that is the reputation of marriage as a
sacred state. That ground MIR. Hardy
openly occupies in Jude the Obscure and
indirectly Mr.. Allen longs for it i'm THE
Choir Invisible" Upon that ground Chris
tian civilization cannot stand single day