Evening journal., 1902-02-28
DOVER


Dover, Feb. 2S.-Before an audience
of over 800 women, including the mem
bens OF the Dover Century Club and the
wyoming Round Table, the Rev.
Joseph Brown Turner on "Wednesday
evening handled the modern novel
writer's without gloves. Mr.. Turner
mad been especially invited to talk upon
unls vitality interesting subject to read
ing women, and was greeted by this
audience THAT filled the clubhouse.
many having had severe trials to get
TO uhe clubhouse because of the bad
roads.
The supreme privilege and advan-
tage which modern society enjoys over
society of 500 years ago" said the
Presbyterian divine lis printed utera-
lture. Scores of blessings that raise the
whole level of life and happiness come
to us with an improved civilization.
but over all ocular boons this lis SOW
eregn.
1T goes without saying THAT the
multiplication of novels is by no means
an unmiXed blessing The evil they do
lives after them. An author in whom
intellect is allied to animalism wields
an influence such as no prince can
claim and no conCuerer ever possessed
Such a man biehts spiritual empirc
and destroys that which no civilization
lever can produce. He breaks down the
defense Of virtue: he blasts immortal
hopes. Every book he sends forth G.
an apostle of evil a disseminator Oi
vice, an emissary of Satan. What
Steele, in The Father, said of licen.
tiOus poems. is true of impure novels.
OF all writings, these do soonest cor
rupt The heart No human mind is s.,
elastic and unimpressionable as TO re-
,ceive no harmful impress from sud-
books They carry cOntagion. They
are not safe out of the FIRE.
No man of intelligence and goo,
Judgment, however, will speak i'm scolI
Of novels as a class. Fiction is a grea
branch OF literature w.hiCh includes diff
ferent orders. classes, genera and spe
cies of books. There are wise novels
and some that are only silly: novel
lhnlpful and novels hurtful: the whole
some and the poisonous, the good ant
the bad Fear of the evil does nc
Justify the rejection Of the good Ii 4
folly TO refuse angels food becaus
some people prefer literary cariOr
The best fiction can harm no one.
cducates. sweetens and purihos n
man can read The Dove in the Eagle
Nest. or 'Picciola. or john Hall
, lax. Gentlemen without feeling Will
he reads that he is breathing the pures
moral atmosphere. and that his soul
b. at school TO the finest Of moral teach
ings. The character and scenes il
such books are all unreal, but We ar
: better men and women because W
know them.
o. Sometimes even geninus pollutes he
% vestal fires and becomes a 'provuress
the lords of hell We are in lat
r. school OF novels French. English an
r Polish. The presiding demon OF all can
cor0us corruptions i'm the hmman hear
rising, not from Stygian gloom an
fame. but from what Swcdenbcrg dc
scribes TO us as the cxcrementitiou
hells.
And how is this defended? Zc.a an
J, Hardy and Hall Caine go down an
u take all that is vicious and vile in q,
= ciety in its crudest animaiism. Tn
they introduce into the parlor an
. study. They exploit sewers and ces.
j. pools, dabble I'm beastliness and putr'
faction. pour over the scuIy and unr
e rcriable side of things and the dealt
lights that dance on rottennesS, catol
ing putrid fevers for themselves an
Al spreading it among their readers.