The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-01-06
ONE SIDED HEROINE
she HAS NOT TWO EYES AND
EARS
Contrast Between the Hero and Hero
inc of the Old Fashioned Novel and
Those of the Present Day-oId Style
Is Best Liked

Does any one ever stop to think what
an overworked individual the American
heroine is? She serves as the central
figure now not only in books written
by her own countrymen, but she is
obliged to suffer at the hands of for
eign writer's, who, mayhap, never hay
ing met her. give their imaginations
full rein. The result is that in English
rofnanees, even those written by per-
sons of discernnent, she is an impos-
sible young person, who dwells unduly
on her RS, uses slang the like of which
was never heard, dresses in loud colors,
is altogether remarkable, and unlike
anybody in heaven or on earth. In the
books of Frenchmen, Germans or Rus
slams, the American heroine is equally
weird and is brought in to add a touch
OF wild life among wonderfully civil
lied people. Before long American
girls viii have to form a union, a sort
of protective league for the prevention
of cruelty to their kind.
But even among our own writer's the
American heroine seems to be a Singu-
lar being; also single. For instance we
learn from the best regulated fiction
that the girl who forms the central fig
ure of an exciting plot is possessed OF
"a soft brown eye"-one eye; she IS
fleet of foet'-one foot: she has "a
beautiful hand"-one hand; "a she'll
like ear'--one ear; and if hair wasn't
a plural word in a way, she would
probably be adorned with one hair.
This poor deformed and manned young
woman is nevertheless possessed Of fatal
fascination, and by the exercise OF her
powers, not to mention her one eye
and ear, brings every man to her feet
I should say foot-in SO short time
that it fairly takes ones breath away.
In the old-fashioned noyels-vintage of
the fifties-the heroine was led up to
adroitly through about half the book,
and the hero had to furnish credentials
which We're thoroughly investigated by
the reader through several chapters,
before he was even introduced. But
we do these things differently now.
The heroine of today appears rather
blaSe in the first chapter; sometimes
she is a widow or twice widow. At
all events she does not regard the hero
very seriously and-stranger than all
she is sometimes on excellent terms
with him in the first chapter. Once In
a while she is not even introduced bur
meets him on a boat or in the cars.
Not to say that the modern heroine
has bad manners, or is not nice young
woman, but 'other times, other man
ners.'' An unmarried heroine is a thing
of the past. The old-fashioned story
the heroine, followed her through her
sweet youth, watched her make her
first-bew to society in a simple white
muslin frock, a rose behind her left ear
that same ear!-has now developed
until her story begins with her first
wedding and usually ends with her
third the possibilities by no means at
an end. The presented heroine mas
good staying powers, and, thank heav-
EN- is never too old to be married
again.
AS for the hero, he has also under
gone transmutation. Formerly he was
somewhat timid, a perfect gentleman
as the heroine was. perfect lady,
young he was, and guileless. But 10,
now he is not any younger than the
law allows, slightly bald, is possessed
of a keen eye'-like the dear girl he
has but one-they have a pair between
them-and he is very, very cool. 1t is
simply impossible to disturb the seren-
1ty of the modern hero. He has seen
life. this hero. He would like to be-
come the heroine's fifth husband, but
If she doesn't want him, he loses no
sleep, and wastes no tobacco. There
are lots of heroines in the modern
stories. and they are all fascinating, SO
why worry? Frequently the two ex-
perienced persons whom we may. have
picked out as the hero and heroine,
and who, by all the canons Of fiction,
should take fancy to each other and
marry, are not on speaking terms by
the time we reach the last chapter.
1t is all very confusing to those who
like their stories on the accepted pat
tern, and are touchy about the man
ners of the heroine. A heroine who
goes off on tangent and refuses TO
marry the man chosen for her by the
powers that are, may be UP to date, blu.
will never be loved like the old we'll
regulated variety. However, much must
be forgiven the one-sided creature
with but one eye. ear and hand She
cannot be expected to act with the pre-
cision and acumen of lady with full
complement of eyes and ears. And
when she refuses to marry altogether
and goes in for single blessedness, then
indeed do we regard her as utterly un-
natural even though the hero be de-
testable prig. Those of us who know
what's what, realize there's no excuse
for not taking the hero even if he is j
poor thing.