The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-05
CONCERNING NOVEL READING.

fuences of Novel-reading, the lecture
given by Mr.. Fred w. Reynolds in the
laboratory building last Monday evening
was unusually interesting The hall was
completely, filled. and many remained
/ after to congratulate the young lecturer.
Mr. Reynolds began by noting the al
most exclusive attention We give to nc
ton. Oh all the books now pouring forth
from the press more than IS per cent are
novels. The choicest shelves in orr
libraries and our bookcases are filled with
works of fiction; dust is often allowed to
settle on the others. One of the. most
I probable reasons that make novels our
sole literary diet is mans universal love
for stories. No matter how tired or dis
pendent we are we turn to the story
writer Tor rest and encOurageme
Novel-reading in all its phases was dis
! cussed thoroughly. Figures from our own
the best librarians of the country were
quoted. A few extracts from the lecture
are given below: 49,
The impulse with US that seems to
mark US apart is toward understanding
self and significance of existence. The
overmastering desire with us is to fathom
the meaning of the; riddle of life. Man
yearnS to know what and where he IS.
This is the question with him always no
matter what he hopes or dreams, or loves
or hates, or suffers or enjoys. Nothing
interests him like the interests of his Eel
low man. We, in this present day, have
come to realize that life IS a wonderful
thing. and we want to know It's posi-
| bilities. We seek evidences Of them as a
prospector seeks indications OF the pres
ence of gold. We wonder what goes ION in
the minds of our friends; what they make
out of existence, what they md IN It's
sorrows and its delights. We wonder at
what goes on in our own MINDS. we
explain to ourselves the feelings and mo-
tives that prompt us to action. and then
we wonder If they look to others as they
do to US. We speculate whether others
have found "A,
than we get-more vivid sensations, more
vibrant emotions, more far-reaching feel
ingS.
@ @ @
The modern novel is an inventory of the
observations of man on man. Its function
is to reveal the subtleties of human nature.
1t lifts us out of our own commonplace
and uneventful existence, and makes US a
sharer of life at its keenest and best. 1t
takes us in imagination among all classes
of people, through all kinds of action
OF life second only to that knowledge
which comes from life itself.
@ @ @
A great part of the cry against fiction
has been mere ignorance and prejudice.
Not every note OF protest, however, can
be met with that assertion. The charge
for example. that the exclusive attention
we are giving TO fiction IS sure TO result
in a general lowering of our aesthetic
taste is far too grave to be turned aside.
Attention to any form of art, to the neg
lect OF other forms is sure to result in u
general lowering OF the standard OF art
Especially is this true of an art like nc
ton, which translates emotional eXper-
fences with the language of ordinary in
tellectual life. A fine sensibility and a
trained appreciation are needed to get
emotional pleasure from painting, sculp-
ture, poetry. If. now, we lind that we
can get the emotional experience we
crave with the comparatively little effort
it takes to read fiction, doeSn t 1t seem
likely that we shall soon become too .H-
dolent to arouse ourselves sufficiently to
sympathiZe with the conceptions of the
painter and the sculptor, or to understand
the purely imaginative terms employed
by the poet? And we not thus be blind
ing ourselves to means undoubtedly
greater than fiction. of preserving and
The condition probably may be one to be
feared The present has many noted
novelists, but few essayists and almost
no poets.
In both of these classes of novels tthe
servant-girl novel and the boy-noveD the
ideas of personal honor are usually very
high. The hero may be a quite Impossible
deserving of emulation; almost always
he IS person who ands himself quite in
capable of deviating one hair breadth
from the straight line of gentiemanly con-
duct. Like the soft gentleman i'll Sir
Roger de Cover!ey'e art gallery, he would
probably sign a deed passing away half
OF his estate WITH his gloves on but h.
would not put on. his hat before. lady
to save his life. The author would rather
picture him as mis!ed by passion into
great moral lapses than as playing the
part of eavescropper even for moment.
or as suffering the intensest reflections
upon the name of somebody else, especial
~ woman. This. then. is a merit of
these novels. They assist in diffusing
more delicate sense Of honor. more chiv
alrous ideas regarding women, and a
greater refinement IN personal ndDA-s ana
manners.
The faults urged against them stand.
Their tendency is toward weakening the
intellect and crumping the imagination.
but in them the lihertine and wrong-doer
are held up to just scorn, and virtue and
right are made 10 triumph. Even these
novels. then. wretched though they are.
are Intimately better than those novels Of
doubtful moral tendency that are some
times popular.
TO illustrate the religious value of re-
cent fiction, let US make reference to two
well known novels. Both have met with
severe objection in certain quarters. but
for that reason. perhops. they will serve
our purpose the better. They are Thomas
Eardys Tess of the d Urbervilles'' and
James Love Aliens THE Choir 1nvis-
ible." In the very essence of such novels
as these there is an Inspiration They
may sadden but they cannot depress. If
their sorrow is genuine-the natural out
come of Il natural course of eyents-thev
can but console encourage, inspire, be-
cause they are a fresh proof of the super
iolity of human sentiment over all woe
and sorrow and anguish. They. give us
confidence in the goodness of things and
faith in the promised destiny of the race.
constant uplfft. because IT Keeps fresh
and strengthens our optimism and pre-
serves and eXalts cur ideals