The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-05

fVGIy ClUfeTllkiUU lAl
knew something about everything. and
iii al, eminent degrees, was practical. HIS
political sins, viewed III tile light OF TINS
day, were veniai. II sins NJ NIL. true. lie
sometimes wrote imprudently n but VI 20.
Outside OF oiirs editor mischief, doesr't?.
And 5ass,iredly there isn't mn editor alive
least mons Within our Ken.
who hflows the Bible as Defoe did Or
who was moro revercnt lal towards rcii.
gon. Fl Nv 3 IA u " n & AK y W.
Looking back over 1t all ard %rsfiecting
without pre- judIcc OH 1oofoe, this critic
thinks the son OF the butcher made but
two great Notwithstanding With poll-
tics and abstnlnlng from the use Of q
typewriter when lie dashed OF those 21O,
books und pamphlets. III 81 f4}.it FL
"A He who expects flippancy. lcvlty, sem
shtionalisln or satire IN this Defoo bio
graphyy OF Old Nick IL liable to disnp-
,pcnttnent. rho book, par excellence and
designcdly, is q mora work. t was
written late in the authors life, after
he had announced his intention to pro-.
ducc only works calculated to stimulate '
virtue and religion IT should be In every
Sunday school library. tf5 55f$s.
rhIs critic doubts. too, II Daniel De foe,
can teach tho present generate much
about devils or deviltry. Daniel would
have to got ,p carySin8 the morning to
do that. But at any rate. the biography
Is quaint, solemn, soporlfcrous. and. at
times, dryly humorous. Moreovert{it con-
Germs a common friend OF ours-a sort Of
international tfavori!e 3as 81 IT
8ss58f".I DOUBT not ''gss says the son Of the
butcher. Ii, his opening words,d"butE the
title OF this book will !nn,use some of my
make q pause. perhaps. as they do alta
wtch's prayer. and be some time resoly-
Ing whether they had best look intol!t or
no. lest they should really raise the Devil
by reading his story ia
* And little latcr4tll pertinaclous au-
thor adds the following, which, though.
q little startling at first. undoubtedly is
true: Il Il 53.3 ID A s5
THE truth is, God aud the Devil, how
ever opposite In their nature. and remote
from onekanothcr III their place OF abid-
Ing, seem to stand pretty much upon q.
level In our faith; for, MS to our believ-3
Ing the reality OF their existence, he that.
denies one generally denies both: and he
both.' I'D 1 Il 81
Dcfoc. at the very outset, announces
that ga tan lacks neither power nor dig
nifty and over and over agAin f1ctraps
at the 'old woman's absurd e stories
about the mounts bailk dolngs @ OF tie.
evil one. al 4. 3t5 81 3;8 4: fs5t
n The author thinks there is one grand
head devil and countless jmllionssof de-.
putty devils. all working overtime. IIe
tsnyH But when e. call the Devil the
monarch Of he'll, i am to be Understood as
suits to the present purpose: that he Is
the sovereign of all the race of hell that
lis to say, OF all the devils or spirits OF
the informal clan let their numbers,
quality and powers be what they may.
Nh. s Tha he Devil is yet a close pris-Y
oner. we have evidence enough to con-
firm: I Will not sslg gest, that like our
Ncwsate3 thieves Ito bring little devils and
great devils together) no Is let out by,
,conritvarce. and has some little latitude
and advantages for mischief by that
i,ner MS: returning at certain seasons to
his confinement again. This might hold,
were 1T not hat the comparison must
suggest that the power which has cast
him down could be deluded, and the tn-
5dcrkeepers4or gaolers, Hunder w hose charge
he was in Gust y: could wink at his ex-
.cu,slons, and the Lord OF the place know
nothing OF the natter & d t,j.53
Figuratively speaking, atttthis juneturo
'Dtfoc removes his gloves and proceeds
Is wade In" on one John Milton, the
author OF VI. arsldise q Lost. Il The son of
the butcher, while expressing unbounded
admiration for Afilton's verse, says the
.poot has been most presumptuous In de-
scr,hing the tltanle. celestial y quarrel
which resulted in satan's downfall. How
does he get his Information? asks Defoe
Is he borrowing from Ovids MetarnoT-
phosls, wherein is described the vain bat.
.tlo waged by the gods against Jupiter?
5Defoe frankly admits that he doesn't
know how,sth Devil came to SO wrong,
nor does he understand how Milton can AN
write so confidently. The nquirng son
OF. thu butcher, In his book, fbegs leave
to introduce poetic excursion not to
solve but to Illustrate the difficulty. ltere
are he splendid opening lines: :sg 5.s
..Thou son OF witchcrnft! first. horn
child OF crime Il 1914 * -33 \ {st,
Produced before the bloom of time:
Ambitions maiden sin, In heaven con- M
N ceived III 4,
And who could have believed
Dehlement could In purity begin;
And bright eternal day be soiled with
sin? 81 3. AZ
trell us, ally, penetrating crime,
How camst thou here, thou fault
sublime? M, Us
How dldst thou pass the adamantlne