The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-09
MINDED INSTITuTEs~
let Them look 10 the '"Noveii,crs" q,
Divorce, Not the "Pineys."

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir. Hov
narrow but how deep is the gulf fixed bs
tween the conventional best" and 'worst'
Of life. It Ia Just too wide 10 jump, % IA
get from the most learned. the most moral
the richest, the strongest. the super,s
lively good TO the most ignorant Immoral,
poverty stricken. weak. the unmatche
bad, we have to climb down ono side a
the gulf and up the other. We see WITH
our feet hence our ideas OF immateyiaU
distance are false. For example: Ona
would expect n modern highbrow prob.
lem" novel TO he worlds away from
Department Of Charities and Corrections
report of conditions in a notoriousy d..
generate region but recent fctonal
studies" Of marriage and divorce dove
tail neatly into official documents on The
Pineys OF New Jersey. The advanced"
writer's report the need of new free.
dom" IN wedlock the Pines people, not
given to theorizlng, calmly practise It
The writer's wax fat on royalties. the lean
but happy sandpipers OF South Jersey
are the object of a legislative appropria.
ton for research" with the friendly
purpose OF clapping them all into what an
Investigator with unconscious humor calls
IA Feeble Minded institution" metonymy
with sense for the cynic.
There is Mag A bitter cold morning
".
one end full Of potatoes. the other Of tur.
nips; in the middle three cabhages,
four pound chunk OF pork. five pounds Of
rye flour some sugar and tea. This N.
amazon iugged over shoulder mile 10
the snow home half an hour and there's
n new Piney In the world Neither
doctor nor nurse assisted al THE little
strangers" advent. Don't want none o.
them damn women!'' said Mag on one Of
nine other similar occasions.
The investigator inquired n John
Lackey, Mays "old man." was ever rough
with her: "Oncct I'd cooked him som.
soup or suthin'. He swore at me and sei
I'D like TO know what I ever married yog
fer An 7 mp an tells him, I SEE: Yer
married me- seq ]. ''cause OIL Dory Foster
made yer. That made him madden sir
an he ups with n dish an breaks Il o.
my mead an May Banks we was livr
with seq: oh. Uncle john"
The pith Of the story Is in the "t'nce"
John Lackey took up with Annie Dolmln
they lived roughly nomad and had Z,
brood of sturdy little "Pine rats" Anne
got tired OF John and went 10 live witt
Bill Arnet. John transferred his tendT
affections to Mag. Now in medals res
Bill Arnets brother Mike was married 70
Annie's sister Lib. Lib died, Bin died and
Annie went to live with Mike. Mix and IN
0du TWO Cnllulen, ana LID nhu lnlt' htnrts
whose parentage was attributed IN -
Garrett. whom she met mp with at ihs
almshouse one of the three WAS Nav
Garrett, who married David Rarlys May
Barks called John LaclSey uncle because
her mother was married to the brother
Of Johns other womans second man
and her mothers sister had had children
by John" Quite like high life translated
into the vulgate.
a lot more stories like II. and some much
worse. In more educated circles they
point TO scientific fact back Of the crudely
popularlzed idea that n mans whole body
and being change every seven years. The
man and the woman after seven yeau
are n new man and woman, they say;
and the mating once happy may now bs
most unhappy. The high lifer writes a
book about It. the Piney-goes and gets
new woman.
without attacking the Investigators and
| their conclusions, without INDUCING w
temptation to envy the simple lvers Of
the Pines, this speculation is inevitably
suggested TO the open mind: Are the
| Pineys low grade parasites Are
they and the community better of for the
feeble minded institutions is their race
apt to multiply like weeds and outroo'
the good stock? Are these natural AMI
mails In the Pine belt more Of a menact
than the more intelligent bad lvers Of
| the cities?
The most attention rivettlng detail Ia
such reports Is the admission. made SEEM
! ingly without recognition OF It's vital sig
nlticance, that the warped morals oo-
served by the Investigators are not tyrca
| and protrusve but rather exceptional and
submerged. They would be much mort
worthy of attention II they carried un
disguised threat. instead Of requiring eI
pensive investigation.
Probably. after all, such situations a.
| these are self-corrective nature vii
strike the balance. And she will have EN-
| Client assistance from those hard anc
hardy Pineys. They are not cutters
| Their fibre is tough.
Better Investigate" the novelsts
NEW YORK. August 8. W X