New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-12
'W(1~1<Al/YS.
PLEA FOR DECENT FICTION
ROMANCE THE NURSE OF HEROIC
IDEALS. DEFENDED BY WELL
KNOWN INSTRuCTRESs.
MISS BRENToN. OF JAMAICA. CAN SEE NO REAsos
WHY THE HORRORS OF REALISM SHOULD BE
cArJrD FINE LITERARY ART

MISS BRENToN. OF JAMAICA. CAN SEE NO REASON
WHY THE HORRORS OF REALISM SHOULD BE
CALLED FINE LITERARY ART.
Miss Elizabeth Brenton. Of Jamaica. is an In
etructress in English literature who has taken
front rank in more than one field Of organization.
She is a vice-president Of the Jamaica Woman's
Club; was one of the founders Of the Linnaan
Club for the study Of botany. and its president for
FIVE years; is president Of the Athenseum Society
and an active member OF the Highland Park So
ciety. which has just raised money to purchase
six acres Of land for a park and children's play
ground. Miss Brenton has become Cecidedly inter-
ested in the question now being so widely discussed.
whether realism Of the Zola-Stephen Crane type is
wholesome reading. She has positive views on that
point and thus expressed them to Tribune re-
porter yesterday:
LAS teacher. and woman more or less
active in organizations Of women ] have seen
much to make me believe that the daughters and
wives and mothers who furnish the bulk Of the
reading public for authors OF current note are
forgetting their duty TO exert their influence to-
ward the cultivation OF true ideals of manhood and
womanhood A woman cannot tolerate Htera-
ture based a code OF morals which II intro
duced into her own home would lose It's brilliant
ooloring and fiji her heart with apprehension over
the future of her loved
REAL ART IN FICTION
while the serm fiction is usually applied only
10 the novel, IL really means any Wofh VI VIC
imagination and may include painting sculpture
or the drama which Is only the novel acted by
men and Jourbet says: Fiction has no
business 10 exist unless II Is more beautiful than
reality Painting as fine art cannot represent
uglness. and have not reached that point
where any school has advocated hanging on our
walls a picture Of moral deformity In order to
show the skill Of the artist.
There has been a tendency OF late in the greater
number OF plays to deal with false positions and
vexed moral questions. and then to try to justify
the phase OF life depicted b. saying II is true TO
human nature. Before the time Of printing, the
drama was the great teacher Of the people, and
we read OF plays called the 'morales written to
UNFOLD certain virtues and reprove opposite vices.
and Of miracle plays giving scenes from the
Bible acted by monks and clergy. for the purpose
of helping the people to a better life. In the days
of our grandmothers the stage fell into disrepute.
largely on account OF the overweight, highly sea-
soned class Of plays presented. AT later GATE
certain popular plays were justly regarded as
helpful and instructive. But if you VIII can 10
mind the plays Of the Last few years most talked
about by young men and women. you VIII NM
we have strayed long way from the moralites.'
II is the fashion just TO say that this Is art.
and art has nothing TO do with morality Neither
has Il anything TO do with immortality. True art
is high and ennoblinG. Beauty and morality spring
from the same eternal source Yet about five out
of every six popular plays in the last ten years
have been based on the implied assertion that
women were longer Virtuous and men were
lacking In high moral qualities, that wives were
fathless and husbands con;emptuous of The mar
riage vow.
CHILDREN TOO MUCH EXPOSED.
THE Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children has forbidden children to take part in