The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-17


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nEvULgsxO NOVELS AND PLAYS.
The DISCUSSION over the cancsiIing a.
the novel by Toistoi. the Awakenins,"
II spreading al over Europe. Tosssos ~
. vigorous writer. and his works have
had q widespread sale. But the same
may be said Of Zois's books. yet there
IL n false sentiment In reference TO
them which healthy csiticism vii! do
much 10 cissipate.
A Russian critic says that: Truth
u not loved anywhere. In Russia least
OF all: we prefer lies. especially lies
wearing q liberal mask" This In very
unjust criticism. The objection was
not 10 the truth bong told in THE
Awakening" but % the cosrseness u
language in which II Was coached. The
story showed up In very disaSrseable
iigiA the methods adopted In Russisn
prisons. and 50 might hsye been obJec-
tIonabls In Russia. but that certainly
coah not be regarded - a cause VI
objcceion In an American magazine.
Far more revolving stories have been
told Of the horrors Of dungeons and of
life In Siberia. but they have hcsn told
I'm such q way that every reader under
stood perfectly what was meant, with
Out being irritaied ana shocked by de-
tails. which add nothing to the hor-
sor Of the situation. while tney Jar up
on ths reader.
Il would be absurd 10 claim that IN
The aineteenih CENTURY 40 novel 10 pow
erfui because II n not written IN the
coarse Language Of century ago. n IN
. reflection both upon the writer and
the reader that they ara DESTROYS Of
being told lies. because they object 81
the truth beins told in the language Of
the gutter. Toissoi tells The story Of n
woman who has BEEN abandoned By
Russian noble. and she sinks lower and
finally lands I'm jaii. because she has
aided IN the poisoning 81 n man with
whom she has temporarily consosfsa.
Ills object h. 10 create sympathy for
the woman. ard 10 show that while
she Ia cent to jail be suyers nothlng In
his social standing. L. this IN new. or
the story so original. that only Toiziol
can tell ". because he uses the gro~se.t
and coarsess language Some OF the
finest and most moral works have ben
based upon jus, such = piot. Yet the
reader is brought TO a sense ~ III. In
Justice Of society without feeling dernor-
alfred "a result II reading the s,ory.
Tolssoi Is no doub, an earnest man.
ana zola may have done cone good b.
his pictures - low and immoral iif-.
but that good IL Offset ~ the eyi done
through making familiar the ~ayw. ire
thoughts sna the talk q III Ilssolu,e
ard vicious
Since there IL evil In ilfs II l. we'll TIA;
should be known: va, ~ shoaii only
be known 90 BE- cunseraned This ran
BE- Gene In such a way as to accomplish
THAT rurrcse Tier e. no ruors good ss
the sfie details - Zaia aua Tolxsol than
there L. in the yellow journalism wa. y
revets In the sf~gnsgiuw sesans ~
murder. ar other oTens~ against tye
person. II murder 10 srufai, me BIRD
sa'ssy car b explained WITH O. ,f.e asa
- such ianwsage as saoai1 prehIiai The
passage % TIE Teiiow 'osTnai tArvgsh
tie mails Sympathy sor q rrfrfl~ -
nss nec.ssarfiy Increased ~ a. eahstI-
sisn os ;ks efsIries. i;fns wffh 10 sores
Sc hiossy cic'hs ani rsmnssx heasoss
fns.sas 81 attracting gentle const'~Fa-
s,az. snch an sxsfnsTtun wosst yassay
ter. ~ srsss sVsass peoTEs swsy .n sssis-
ss~sHs hossor n = the s@nne wxh sub
sssv~is as fhat = Tsis'ui wsi~h has
ben refassi further gsb,leastsr 2; 80
NJ Stimulate . beatty syrraf.v
There ~eaia hare be~n eHmeasss fsr
sae woman wso wss oefrzVxs sns
assrssneas tai SYMPATHY zss eissr d,
- when sfr a.. sf~s<a'es - ter sui.
ga. offensive ivTgasss~ss
No crffx e~~1 - sshanses 81 csr
dsrnnsns ss@ ess><ts1nass~ n Tosssafs
vur*s He pzsfsrs . tSsrzssz taste
tps ske rsrso@~ os sressinx . s~sx4ssoe
- - - bcshs Th~rx 49, hsva