The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-20
STREAMING At A GNAT.

A member of the Philadelphia School
Board which has just forbidden the read
ing of LES Miserables' in the Girls High
School, explains that he objects to the tone
of the book and to the fact that it deals
with gr.settes. This is probably the first
time that complaint has been made Of the
tone Of Victor Hugo's great novel. The
book treats of the lives Of poor, unfortu-
nate, even sinful people-the wretched, as
tho title indicates-and it does not gloss
over the immoralities of the characters that
move in it's pages, but it is as free from
conscious or intentional impurity or erotic
sentiment as is Shakespeare. There is al
fusion to and even description of sinful
conditions merely as transcript of the life
that the author undertakes to depict and
incidental to the working out of the theme,
but there is no gloating over evil, no set
ting 1t forth in attractive form for evils
sake. 1t is simply an impersonal record,
under the guise of fiction, of social and
moral conditions as they do exist, and of
events that might be real. 1t is because it
is so impersonal and so vivid a delineation
of life and human nature when moved by
the most powerful motives that it is great
literature. Although criminal is its lead
ing character and grisettes, those dreadful
beings which cause the virtuous Philadel-
phia School Board such horror. figure in its
pages, it's tone is absolutely pure, and it
is only an impure mind that could think
otherwise The Philadelphia guardians of
the minds of youth make the common mis-
take of assuming that the mere mention Of
a certain class of sins must necessarily
suggest 1ewdness. Ignorance is not synony-
nous with innocence Even if the high
school girls had never heard Of
grisettes, which is hardly likely in
view of the open Libraries filled
with really Objectionable fiction, the
discovery of their existence could do them
no harm. Persons of age and experience
are apt to forget that youth does not COM
prehend even facts in all their bearings,
and that the mention of so improper per-
sonage >as a grisette is likely to carry with
it nothing more than the incidents there
related. One woman who read Les Miser-
ables'' when she was of high school age,
sixteen years or whereabouts, recalls but one
vivid impression of the book namely, the
injustice suffered by Jean Vatican. All the
rest has faded into vagueness. If there were
grisettes and immortality they are forgot
ten. Another, who, as child, reveled in
the Arabian Nights" was amazed in lat
er years to learn that it is considered
very improper book and that children are
now permitted to read only an expurgated
edition. Whatever of lewdness was in that
complete edition had either been passed by
as one Of the mysterious conditions of
strange land and people or had received
sOlutely no impression of wrong This dis
position Of the childish mind to assimilate
only what is within its comprehension is
overlooked by too many of it's guardians;
it does not do away with the need of care
in choosing reading matter for the young
but it does give q wider scope and opens to
them field Of literature that only false
view of the proprieties would close. There
by French authors, lewd in theme and at
mosphere, treating life from low stand
point to please depraved tastes, that it
would be a pity to shut off one masterpiece
for young students Of French history or
literature The Philadelphia School Board
obviously needs revision.