The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-20
THE VALUE OF THE NOVEL.
The Lecture of Margaret DeIand was
Very Interesting.

The vestry OF the state street church
was we'll filled last evening by those who
assent led to bear and see Margaret De.
land, the author of "John Ward, Preach.
81" or Of what is perhaps more popular
than this novel. "Old Chester Tales -
Mrs Deland is a very pleasing speaker.
Her voice Is especially pleasant, her man.
ner winning and her style easy and capti-
waiting.
Her subject last evening was "The
Value Of the Novel" Surely no one is bet
ter fitted to appreciate what good novel
is than Mrs. Deland. and those who heard
her last evening will perhaps now be bot
ter able to appreciate good novel them
selves unless 1t be, as Rev. DR.. Jennings
said In introducing the speaker that
these people already think themselves ca
pable of Judging of novels for themselves.
Mrs. Deland began by saying that she
Of her hearers were novel readers. Why
do people read novelist Some will say
that they read novels to improve their
minds, to study sociology, criminology
or political economy. 81 don't read nov.
els for any of these things, said Mrs.
Deland. "If wish to study criminology
the Lancet or Police Gazette will do as
we'll. II wish TO study life the news
paper is far better than the novel. l read
novels for entertainment, and l think
the majority of people read them for the
same purpose" She then went on to dis
cuss the morality of novel reading and
spoke In particular of one woman whom
she knew who had made a vow when
she was very young never to read a novel.
and she never did. Now she has grown
up daughters and, said Mrs. Deland,
.'the novels those girls have not read
leaving the hearer to infer that the daugh-
tiers of this lady in question had read
out regard to its character and without
the mothers interference. 'We all
agree" continued Mrs. Deland, THAT ex-
cessive novel reading is embedding to the
intellect. As some one has said, excess
sive novel reading leads to superficiality,
to a miscellaneous knowledge OF life,
which leads to oonceit. and this In turn
to the prevention of man realizing his
own ignorance. Excessive novel reading
aggravAtes sslf-oonsciousness, but this
is not wholly the fault of the novel, for
II man is self conscious that quality
will crop out even II he devotes his
time to hymn books. She then spoke of
the "silly novels" filed with twadling
love making and little else. OF charao-
tiers who are continually getting them
selves into tangles over their love affairs
that any sensible person could straighteu
out in minute. These novels give a
false idea of life and leads one to believe
that there is really nothing in life but
love making when as matter of fact the
of Angelina and Edwin &C.
cupy but very small portion of the life
and this sort of thing is not considered
of such great Importance after all, when
q certain period has been passed.
By some people novel reading is looked
upon as scandalous or as a waste Of time.
The speaker then created some amuse-
ment by relating the delight, mingled
with surprise when she heard her old
pastor, Dr. Hodges, say once that "novel
reading was religious duty" and the
energy which she at once threw into
the performance of this duty thereafter.
''To GO back TO the original proposit-
ion," Mrs. Deland continued, "novels
are read for entertainment, but to be en-
tertaining they must be founded on truth.
The first thing one asks about novel
Is whether or not iu is worth reading.
BY this is meant not altogether whether
its style is beautiful, its English good.
but whether or not it is true
By truth, she explained that she did
not mean realism, which she described
as only one kind of truth. The distino-
ton Mrs. Deland made between realism
and truth was especially good. "Real.
ism." she said, sis but surface seeing. 1t
concerns details, the i. buttons on
mans coat, for example. 1t is out of
proportion and gives false ideas. Truth,
on the other hand, shows not only the
phase of living, but the whole of life. 1t
does not make all false by describing al
together the false, nor all silly by max
ing the world appear like race of fools,
but deals with every and all phases of
life, combining them into one harmoni.
GUS whole which is true to life.
She then gave as an example of the
difference between realism and truth
novels dealing with the same subject Hin
Scarlet Letter" and GER
tain French novels for example, the
French gives us the surface facts, while
novel goes below the sur
face and concerns itself with the soul,
dealing with the same subject, not in bits.
as do the French books, but as a whole.
She showed the difference, in other words
between spiritual and material truth, not
only in books, but In life as well. 1t is
not the subject. but the way the subject
is treated which makes novels immoral.
She again spoke of the ''Scarlet Letter."
and George Eliot's adam Bede" as
illustrations of a bad subject, we'll treat
ed in contrast with the treatment of the