The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-21


TmE REALssTlC NOVEL.
There is nothing new under the sun.
said the old psaimist. and because there
n nothing novel,. the novelist tyies his or
her hand at presenting some phase Of
an old subject In q manner which TO
the uninitiated may appear new. The
Old Testament, which il the oldest
story book. apart from it's Divine in
structfon. Of which we know, tells the
romance OF Jacob serving fourteen
years for Rachel. OF course. In the
meantime. the sop for Cerberus Is ad-
ninistered in the shape Of poor Leah.
who acts ~ = sort Of stop-gap. Then.
too. what In more realistic than the ro-
nance of Isaac and Rebecca, or the
older story Of Abraham and Sarah with
poor Ishmael thrown In to heighten the
dramatic and leayen the monotony of
the chaste career Of Father Abraham?
So down we go through the ages.
from the Biblical story. which In child
like and simple form told all sorts Of
little incidents which We today try to
keep the daughters Of our land from
knowing. to the Zolas Of France and
the Norrises and female writer's OF
America who compose the erotic books
of our day and generation. Everything 10
relative II Tolstoi Ibsen, lola. and the
horde Of lesser lights who follow their
footsteps had only limited at that side
OF life which they disproportionately
show in glaring clearness. their novels
would have appealed more to all read
ers and been less calculated to injure
the Judgment OF the unframed young.
To be realistic il all right up to GER
tain point To go beyond h to be
vicious. II Is all very well for q novel
list to urge In defense Of his method
that what one does in private one may
write about. but this doctrine does not
work. and for good reason. There are
many things which one has to do that
one does not trumpet to the world. II
Is question of modesty: not OF chas-
tity. but of propriety. There Is fit-
ness of things which the great major
ity Of people feel. and this renders thu
writer OF the erotic novel subject to
criticism and rebuke
Why Ii II that David Harum" has
such a run? The greatest reason is
that the book is clean. II seems a sad
fact that in the last few years the books
most discussed have been those which
had TO be hidden from the budding
women Of the family. :
''Trilby." for example. the most wide
~ read and popular of modern novels.
Dear as ''Trilby'' is to most hearts.
what mother wants her small daugh-
ters To inquire too deeply into the rose
red heart of that flower OF Bohemia?
tears in our eyes. but do we tell our
innocent daughters why we weep?
Tess Of the D'Urbervilles," that terri
bile story Of mans brutality and
woman's ignorance But why go far
Their? Why stoop into the mud. when
the dew shines upon each blade Of
when they simmer In each dancing
wave. Those who write have So much
| power. power to bring To earth and to
| those who live thereon the influence
| of the argent goddess who relgns in
/ maiden purity over q sleeping world
/ power 20 reproduce the Greek heroes in
! the homespun of oar day. power to
/ out-Herod the warrior fighting the
| dragon. and show the conquest OF the
man by himself: power Ia rival the
( epic i'm the ANIMAL of simple heart
throhhing its way through the barriers
/ of ages tn reach that wisdom of the
! sages-~the knowledge of a kindred soul
| We do not need new types. The Old
/ type az ioye and honesty. and faith
/ and charity. Is good enough. I, has
served for our fathers and forefathers
! We can't die In any way except the
way we have ALWAYS died. We can't
) be born in a new and novel manner. We
can't love any harder or stronger than
/ the love which has kept the world GO
| ing these many years. and So we'd best
not try Ia write the realistic novel II Ii
/ interferos with the precedent ~ ages.
WHAT THEY WANT