Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-01-26

Wy toiup Woo oul loW l9ho ny
tnind seemed to have drifted into the
land of reality, to that shore of dreams.
where everything is vague and far
away. Tho books on my table and
about the room seemed to be bundles
pf paper and parchment marked all
pver with queer and mysterious figures
lin printers ink bound In buckram,
hnd as ! looked at them | marvelled at
tho miracle. of person making marks
Ion bark, paper or parchment, that
when looked at by another person
<moyes them to tears or laughter. !.
That much .abused but clever wit,
hilbert Hubbard, tells the story of
traveler in Africa who sent written
&message to his lieutenant, 200 miles
taway. After looking at the Aimsy
y paper the lieutenant knew how his
chief Jared and what he was doing,
4 this without the messenger saying
word. Then did they who carried the
4 before the'white man and worship him
as an agent Of the Dioty or the devil.
A This was in heather province, yet
/ even here, where the rumble Of the
press never dies from our ears, the
little black figures carry specific
gravity and are quoted AS authority. 4
The reckless way that printed matter
| is circulated these days takes my
breath away, The writer's seem to
have no due appreciation of their re-
sponsibilities. This probably eliminates
from an inadequate conception of their,
| power. Probably. the most harmful
| sinners are not those who send into
| the world Of fiction the positively i'm
1 moral, but those who write OF the dull
/ and commonplace and socially vulgar.
| For most readers the wicked character
, is repellent, but the vulgar, being
1 deemed harmless, is most demoralizing.
4 We all admit that the sorawny young
woman, physically undeveloped, has
not had proper nourishing food, but
we seldom stop to think that the
mentally vulgar girl, with poverty
stricken IDEAS. has been starved by u
diet on anaemic books. The RESPONSE
bility is with the writers Of stories and
books, and unfortunately the world is
so ordered that u person of the feeblest
. constitution can communicate con-
| tagious disease.
Right here my hand rested on book
that has had large circulation,
"Scribes and Pharisees," by William
LeQueux. This writer has done SO
I much good work that it is sad to see
4 him drop his mental horizon to such u
standard as has he in this last
mentioned book. The lesson the book
teaches is good, possibly; the wicked
are punished and, the virtuous rewarded
and vice. is represented without its
adornments; but no one can 90 through
the pages Of this novel without having
bad taste left in the mouth. The
picture of woman drinking and Of
her filthy personal habits is not the
sort of things that elevates one. The
entire book is vivid and graphic
picture of the hard side of journalist
life. There is SO much that is good
and pure in this world that it seems a
4 waste Of time to read Of the impure
and low, even though it does teach a les
son. Men do not live by the knowledge
ofslaw of good and evil, but by love,
faith, loyalty and purity. / hope Mr..
II LeQueux will seek q more effective
background for his next work.
Cyrano, Cyrano Cyrano! When are
we to cease hearing of Cyrano and
talking of him. Yet before the play
was put on the boards the name Of
Cyrano de Bergerac was unknown to
the ordinary reader; in fact, was un-
heard of except among those few bur-
rowing scholars who revel in forgotten
hooks and delight in obscure authors.
Yet in his time, Cyrano was noble
character, and made more of q sensa-
tion during his 50 years of life than
millions Of other men in the allotted
three score and ten. He was born in
Paris in 1919, and died in 1855, so that
he flashed like meteor across two
reigns, a period when all the court was
in its glory. His name was Savinien
Cyrano, Bergerac being an after
thou 1ht suggested by his publisher.
When he was but 81 he was tho best
known man in Paris, celebrated not
only for his daring but as wit, a
scholar and writer. For IA years he
devoted himself to PHILOSOPHY and
letters. M. SRostand does not seem to
have more historic foundation for his
character than do the actors who play
il have for his makeup. His habits
were neither better nor worse than
those Of other young men OF the Capt.
tol. Rostand has presented him as {
marvel of self-abnegatiop, but there il
no historic basis for the Cyrano Of thu
play. The drama, however, is a grand
Erpduction, though it is not history
but a poets idea Of what history
& bhould have been. I
I5 Now that William Black has Joined
the shades, | predict great revival o
interest in his novels. 1t seems tina
that Elusive maid, Fame, oequette'
NTH the living artist, and only wher
he is really gone does she truly bestov
+ her hearts best on him. 1t woult
4 Seem that after the manner of al
|Ewomen she fails to appreciate tina
Swhich is in her power until it is takei
Nway from her. 1t is long since th,
Heath of literary man has been s,
widely chronicled as that of William
Black. whose departure saddened tn
last weeks of the old year. Many
Eriter of greater genius failed in hi
appeal to his readers hearts, bu
Blacks books, as we'll AS his per
onality, won the affection. Carlyl
has said. "Black never wrote u rea
r. bowel, he was always on the verge Q
hoing something great" but i
5 affection all agree in MIR. Black
honesty of purpose and purity o
thought and word.
William Black died in less than
month after his 57th birthday, hayipi
published 40 books, all novels save hi
pne Life of Goldsmith" It is sait
hat 1.-THE Princess of Thule'' an
Macleod of Dare' were the author
avorites, but that he thought Mad
Zap Violet" was his best work.
Holding a letter in my hand in
ting me to the exhibition of u
Iopkinson Smiths paintings at tn
very Gallery, New York City, lead
~ A. 4 I