The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08

No other class of fiction stories has ever
had as great popularity as the modern his
torical novel. 1t is unnecessary to give
titles of the volumes that have each sold
a hundred thousand or more, for they are
still to be found in almost numberless ad-
vertisements, and the books themselves are
so many that the man who has but an hour
or two of leisure every day could not read
them all in a year. Newness alone cannot
account for their great vogue; there are
other reasons, some of which are highly
creditable to the average novel reader, who
is supposed by critics-at least by such
critics as do not themselves write novels
to belong TO the least intellectual class Of
adults for whom books are written.
One of these reasons is that a great many
fiction readers are elighted at finding some
interesting additions to the customary
''cast" of characters in novels. All conven-
tional fiction centers on a sentiment called
love, and which occasionally in fiction is
true to name. "Al the world loves a low
err but this does not imply that the world
has no heart for the man or woman IN
whom some other sentiment is uppermost.
All the world is given to hero worship, too,
and it's greatest heroes did not earn their
honors by love affairs such as are described
in fiction. AS to that, few of the greatest
novelists gained their prominence by sue
cess in treating 1.-THE ender passion" Con-
versation about stories by Scott, Dickens,
Thackeray or Hawthorne seldom touches a
love passage. Robert Louis Stevenson be-
came immensely popular despite his per-
functory treatment of lovers, and Kipling,
who is still the c~ostliest fiction writer of
whom publishers know, excludes lovers
from almost all his stories. IT might be
supposed that the example of writers so
notable commercially and in the literary
sense would have broken the spell that
the love story had cast upon authors and
publishers alike. Still, old ideals, like old
wrongs, die hard.
The present-day historical novel has
reached but the first of its possibilities.
but even for this it deserves our gratitude.
As already minated, it has added some
heroic and otherwise interesting types of
character to those with which all readers
OF fiction are acquainted, and with them
it has given US a new lot of scenes, which.
with the historic characters, compel much
increase and variety of action. Great men
of other days have been presented with
fair Difference to history and biography
OIl VI lLGM III pen plGAuLCS Absolutely
brilliant, and in scenes that have prompted
thousands of readers 10 their first search
Of pages more serious than fiction. Of
most of these great characters it must be
said that their appearance in the novels
have been, like angels visits. short and
far between, but there is something in
s~piriting and ennobling in even a momen-
tary glimpse of a great presence.
SHOULD BE IMPROVEMENT.
This being true. there ought TO be an i'm
provement all along the line of historical
novels. If historic characters. scenes and
incidents are really liked by fiction read
ers, more and higher use should be made
Of them. Thus far they have been merely
accessory 10 some young oman's love
affairs. A great battle is in progress
battle OF which the novels readers heard
something when they were In the history
class at school, but the author Is evidently
going TO describe il in full. for he intro
J duces a great general and his staft. de-