The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-06

there IL another "1ndex" not Roman
Catholic. ot which later.
The explanation of the paDal Index
dealing mainly with French works.
comes from the fact that the "Congre-
cation or body which BE- charged with
the censurc of books. only examines
those which are denounced. Under the
liberal views and institutions of the
United States and Great Britain. no
Roman Catholic prelate troubles him
self about "denouncing" books. but the
French Roman Catholic Clergy does
trouble itself about denunciation.
Throwing aside the old controversial
books, which few, If any, care to read
at the present day, it is interesting to
note modern writer's of fiction. Much
of Balzac, who is now being largely
re-read on the mainland, is condemned,
Paul de Kock, on the other hand is
not, yet one would rather put Balzac
into the hands of the young person."
than Paul de Kock. Dumas is con-
demned for his love stories, and of
course Eugene Sue, though one doubts
whether anyone wants to read Sues in
terminable romances at the present
day. Victor Hugos "Notre Dame"
and Les Miserables" are forbidden,
but the rest of his works are permiss-
able, though his "93" could hardly be
considered a model Roman Catholic
work. lola is wiped out entirely with
the words "all his works" Poor lola,
he was left untouched, and people could
read his La Terre," one of the coars-
est books ever written, but he would
try his hand at that trilogy, "Notre
Dame de Lourdes," Rome" Paris"
and attempt to portray good and bad
priests, and the French clergy right
eously rose in their boots, brodequins
and sabots and fairly howled, so lola
has had to suffer right through. No
good Roman Catholic should read a line
written by the fearless defender of
Dreyfus.
The index eXpurgatorius one can un-
derstand. Why and how it is made up
one can follow if one knows anything
of Roman Catholic ideas. But the
Index expurgatorius" of the Boston
Public library is more than one can
understand. The papal Index is based
on principal the Boston Index is wild.
Take the following books which have
lately been excluded by the examining
board:
/ Winston Churchills The Celebrity"
| WestcOtts David Harum;" Mary E.
Wilkins THE People of Our Neighbour
hood" Harold Frederic's Gloria Nun
l." Amelia e. Barr's WAS 1t Right to
Forgive" and Trinity Bells" S. r.
Crockett's lone Marsh" Egerton
Castles Young April" Max Pember-
toms "Kronstadt;" Gertrude Atherton's
"The Californians," Senator North"
and "A Daughter of the Vine" Henry
James The Two Magics;" Robert
Bars ,Tekla;" Maarten Martens
Her Memory" E. w. Hornung's
Dead Men Tell No Tales" and THE
Amateur Cracksman;" Robert Her
rick's Loves Dilemma;" Edith Whar-
tons THE Touchstone," and ArlO
Bates Love in Cloud
The present writer has not read all
these books. but thinking over those he
! had read, he cannot see under what
David Harum" was the most popular
book of its year. There never was a
more wholesome and a more whole
hearted sketch of a man written. Per-
haps Bostonians don't like horse trades.
Gertrude Atherton's "A Daughter of
the Vine" is an unpleasant story, but
it carries a most powerful moral, and
a moral which one would think very
much needed in the East; Maarten
Martens story of Her Memory is
sweet and delicate as everything is that
gifted author touches. Frederick's
Gloria Mundi" was powerful, but had
a distinct purpose, showing that love
could level rank. Perhaps the Boston
Committee did not approve of the head
of an old family marrying a woman
who worked for her living, and so one
might go on through several more the
writer's knows.
But is not it extraordinary to find in
protestant Boston an Index" against
writer's of renown, of purity of object,
and of artistic feeling? The papal in
deX one can understand, it has descend
ed from former times, the Boston
index is sheer piece of philistine in
tolerance, which is a matter of utter
surprise to those who are entering the
twentieth century. The publication of
the list will certainly increase the sale
of the books.