Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-02-11
communicated.
PURIFYING THE LTBRARY


While the doctors are busy chasiog
smallpox and the town is being fumi
ga ed and the fate(ul yellow hsg foa's
merrily ia the breeze, the moral health
Of the patrons of the library is being
duly watched over by the proper cen
sors of that institution in the way Of
expuuging from the catalogues and
banshing from the shelves certain
works OF fiction thought 10 be- dele
terious 10 the unwary. With view
Of knowing what We should avoid and
what TEN ptatio1s We should resist, We
asvs clFelnlly preserved oRe. Of
these books now under the ban. 1t
is an American novel whose author re-
Gently oied IL London, where lie fell
late the bands Of tbe faith cure" peo-
pie, who, declining 10 call in a physician,
lbe patient was permitted TO die q na5-
ural death. AmoDg the "dramatia per
sonae" Of thi5 noYel are Catholic
priest, Methodist minister and an
Irish Catholic eigl, VINO Is described as
surprisingly besutjfui, with red-gold
hair, exquisite brown eyes and lovely
fair SKIN. Now al of these
characters are st one period
frieuds, tbe finest. Albeit foud cf the
Fl sa-pots. is not charged IL the nara
i've elmer diucly or ctneIWise with
cayiog any relationship with t5ia
burning" Ssppho o! girl than those Of
q strictly innocent end piatonic Dature.
Our minister, though, Wbolv sppear5 js
OF = romantic temperament, falls des-
perGtely 10 love with Sappho Ssppbo
Is an artist, following the Greek school
and possessing q studio fixed up in
oriental sglendor, tut naughty girl
negleGts to drape suOdry statues she
mas standing around, and, worse still,
Is regaling herself with cigarette on
Que occasion when our minister hap.
pens 10 cali in. whereupon, instead
Of reading Sappho lecture, be
is induced 10 join her in quiet
smoke. Wicked man, who, by the
gay, is married, uncongeniaiiy
Of course, aud whose wife is igno-
rant OF his little romance. Now comes
he denouement or climax. Sappho
and cur minister are walking one Msy
day through the "Aowery meads" OF
he felds,aud -appho who instinctively knows
tnal cur minister is enamored of er, d,t ter
mines <3 bung matters to an end and when
telling MIN sood bye, sugg, sts to him that he
may impress q sisterly kiss upon her lovely
mouth, and instead of lifting his arms in hoy
hoTros, alasl "alack, aud fe for shame" This
disciple OF the Gospel then ana there takes
sappho at her wotd, ana pro leeds 10 brush
ner rosy lips with his dropping moustachc.
Now we csnnot fnd language sufficiently se-
we're With which 10 expr,s. our di-approva OF
these two wisked persons, Certainly this is
10 reading for properly regulated girls, aud
any nice young ladies accidentally coming
&C oss euuh passages should immediata.y SIT
bolt upright III their chairs and com! o their
mouths to say "prunes and peraimmons aau
plunes' Al the young ladies We are ac-
uualuted with wouiG so act, We know, and We
would not sufer ourselt TO be introduced 10
any other kiEd.-selah.
We learn that numUer OF gentlemen have
oeen invited IL assemble this evening To form
an advisory committee 10 assist in this pug
ing process. Frori our knowledge of these
gentlemen, and their unvafying habit OF
reading nothing but the most pure and chaste
literature, wo are satisfied that happy results
will come from this recent move. ani busi-
ness in secondhand bookstores will be active