The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-12-18
STRANGE AND STORMY
Was the Career of the Late Esthetic
eader.

The death OF Oscar Wilde ends as
strange and stormy career as ever
was builded from the imagery of al
novelist, Poet, literateur, felon and
outcast are chapters in his life that
1 followed in quick succession. For
years before his downfall he was pop
ular in the public eye. His tour of
the United States was a triumph from
beginning to end, crowds everywhere
paying homage to the gifted master
of aesthetics.
Wilde displayed marked literary
ability before he left school. He
wrote mu in later years. 1t cannot
be said that his writings indicated
marvellous capacity for deep thought
and learning. They mainly owe
their popularity to the vagaries of the
author. Nearly everything which
fell from his pen breathed with the
spirit of sensualism. Lascivious
thoughts were frequently SO adeptly
clothed in magniloquent verbage that
their hidden meaning was not dis
closed to the casual reader, and in
many instances were not suspected
by the most blase until after the de-
nouement which Wilde himself precip-
itated by resenting the accusations of
the Marquis of QueensDerry.
There were, however, exceptions to
this rule, for some of the thoughts
expressed by him are exquisitely
sweet and tender. When the startling
disclosures made upon his trial in
the Old Bailey in 1895 are remem-
bered, it seems incredible that the man
there convicted of abominable vices
should have written the beautiful SEN
timents expressed in his poems.
His book called The Picture of
Dorian Gray" written to order for
an American magazine, with the dir
; ect intention of producing something
sensational and following the fashion
then set up by Edgar Saltus, was eX-
tremely brilliant in dialogue, poetic
in language and original in plot, but
: raised storm of indignant criticism
: from the whole English press. The
: book glows with color and glitters
with paradox. Some pages of it are
decorated with jeweled words as the
studded cover of a medieval missal,
2 but among the wonderful, unusual
3 combinations of it's word colors, think
1 ing, doubtless, to add to it a strange
!, ness still more potent, still more
+ sought out, he added not the unim
i agined tint of beauty, but the stain of
4 vice. ne was guilty not only of
S vicious instincts, but of what in art
t is more abhorred-vicfous taste.
G Wilde was born in Dublin in 1856
t and was educated at Trinity college
: in that city. He wen. to London in
+ 1879, and originated the esthetic move
l. ment, which was satirized by Gilbert
in the opera Patience" written fol
& music composed by Sir Arthur Sulli
van. In 1881 he visited America ant
0 delivered 200 lectures on art. From
1880 TO 1895 he was busy with his pei
5 and turned out several volumes o
) poems, essays and novels. He wa!
the author of numerous plays, man.
70 of which have been produced in Amer
= lea.
Is In 1893 Wilde wrote a one-act trag
IS edy which he entitled "Salome." Thu
play dealt with biblical history, as il
suggested by the title, and it's produC
ton in London was prohibited by tn
lord chamberlain because it's allege,
irreyerance. On account of this Pre-
hibition the author announced his in
tenton of becoming a citizen o
Y France. 'Salome" was afterwar
played by Nine. Bernhardt in Pari
and was very successful.
In May, 1895, Wilde, after q sense
Sc tional trial, was convicted in Londo
i3 of immoral practices and sentence
10 serve two years at hard lahoi
Wilde, after he was sentenced, wa
taken to Holloway Jail, in the NORTH
money and valuables We're take
away from him by the warden, h
% was stripped to the shirt, and an of
Ger wrote down in the prison minut
account of his appearance, the colo
of his eyes, hair and complexion, an
any peculiarities, such as broke
90 finger, tattoo marks, moles, etc.
. Then Wilde was put into hot bat
76 and his shirt-the last vestige of hi
in days of freedom was removed
l. Emerging from the water. he found
he full suit of prison clothes ready fC
or him, from underlinen to loose shoe
er and a hideous scotch cap.
er Shortly afterward Wilde ate hi
first real prison meal-an allowarC
as of thin porridge and small brow