Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-04-13
How prudent! How sweet" stand in

Sentimentality. But the wonder is that
the wickedness of the rake Lovelace
seems to be an accepted fact worthy OF
no surprise, that the hero should en-
deavor with the whole force of his will
to degrade u woman who ut last accepts
him gratefully as Il husband. The need
Of Pamelas struggles to save herself
and the reward of her virtuous resist
ance seem equally terrible to the chang
ed sense of this century. The hero is q
brute, and will doubtless remain very
much of n brute until his death, but the
heroine, who Is very much below him
in the social scale. endureS his insults
to have the honor at last OF being
grateful that heaven has made her
such q mani"
In Pamela" and "Ciarissa Harl6we"
there is vitality: they are not of our
times; and, without being pharisaical,
we may be very thankful that they are
not The movement and growth OF
character are in them. Pamela" was
published in four volumes. "CIarssa
Harlowe" in seven, but OF all tiresome
unreal and falsely sentimental novels
the last is the most tiresome. unreal
and falsely sentimental. The change In
the position of women. as we'll as tho
Improvement in manners, is shown in
the novels of Richardson and Fielding;
Smollett and Stcrne count for less, both
us artists and representatives of their
time. The Ilizabethan time, when, as
Lowell says, maids of honor drank beer
for breakfast and princesses and ladies
OF quality swore volubly. was not far
off. 1t would take Il very courageous
mother to read aloud the most touching
parts OF "Clarissa Harlowe" or Pa
meta to Il circle OF young persons of
an evening. and still more courageous
one to recommend the rewards Of
those EeroneS as suitable for the self
respecting women of our time But. as
the first of its kind. as the best of it's
time, as novel which inspired higher
sentiments in Il society which seems,
at distance, to have been somewhat
"barbaric," to use Taine's adjective.
"Clarissa Harlowc" is Il classic.
Samuel Richardson was Il very, honest
and sincere man. printer by trade,
and what Matthew Arnold calls a
'Philistine" by temperament He lived
contented man; he was famous and
he kffcw it: he was good ana he knew
IL. because all the best and most beau
tiful ladies of his day united in telling
MIN so. and their utterances were cor
roborated by his own consciousness
The note of democracy sounds in Pa
mela as III tom Jones'" for the reign
OF the common people had begun.
shakespeare did not dream of making
hero or heroine who was not OF noble
Observation-Disclosures chooses a. servant
ana Fielding the son or nobody as the
pivots of Pamela" and TON Jones'"
Tom Jonee" is n Grces book, writ
ten apparently in the highest shirts.
but IT is not morbid; it has no odor OF
the dissccting room: good and bad. as
the author sees them, are good and
bad in 1t. So much stress has been
iald on It's scnstualty that the pruricnt
reader VIII be terribly disappointed to
ma this much overrated The youth
who can be corrupted by Tom Jones.
should have died in childhood: he will
iall utterly at the first tempta ton. so
worm eaten must be his powers of re-
sistancc. According to the conventions
OF the eighteenth century, Tom jones'
was not Immoral. or even very coarse.
rom Jones is an animal with. at times
Soou instincts; and the passion of love
IN FicidinS's novels is without Ideaiiem
or refinement. All agree that the fable
IN rom Jones" is; well managed. and
'hrre car be no question that the char
acters are real flesh and blood. Field
ing too, Is preacher and q moralIst
ne has the easy views Of his tinc.
| Wild GA is must be sown; divine NH.
| lnsophy must "bc procurcss IN tha
| lords OF he'll" Tho squire drinks him
self stupid every day TO his daughters
music while the dutiful Sophy takes
aS Il matter OF course, as she will for
| give docilely the infidelitles Of Tom
Jones. who is destined to marry hnr
| flciuing Is great as a novelist becouso
| ne IS natural; he is fed on undcrdnnn
occf but 1T is the beer of old England.
scra ten him just IL little, and, in epi,e
~ ms pfeachmentS You find n satyr:
| ne holds the mirror up 10 nature. bo
IS a reaiist. but he is an artist. lie is
without idealism, and so Thoroughly
goes he believe everything natural r.,
| ne reasonable that. when he want, =,
shock us. ne appeals to the unnatural
ne Is great, too. because he makes MS
see @en- and women grow aud live as
u,,1
CIarissa Iarlowe"-whosc autho,.
Fielding despiscd--liHe 'The Vicar Of
Wakefield" Tom joncs' made an
epoch in English literature: it. too. is
a classic. Had it nevc been wrIt.oi,
| we might have Thaciu.4y. but if th.,
conditions of life which Fielding r.
marvelously pictured had not cxlsteJ
| Engish society later could have pr7.
| Fair" 'S
Note.-This study will be concluded