South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-29

To interpret justly tho works OF
Eugene Sue, one must not forget %
take into consideration the epoch at
which they won their place in
world literature.
When Sue was born the novel was
still a comparatively new product
There had. II IS true. been books
before it's advent. for the invention
OF printing had put reading matter
within the reach OF the people, but
until fiction made its appearance
most Of the material published had
been OF a religious trend, consisting
OF lives OF the saints and treatises
on theology and science. Even theL
<such volumes were costly. to say
nothing OF their being Of far too
ponderOus a nature TO answer the
cravings Of a public scantily edu-
Gated and DESTROYS for entertain
mcnt at a time when arnusements
were few.
Therefore. when out OF this arid
literary waste the novel sprung in
10 being. we can easily picture the
eagerness with which the hungering
masses fell upon 81. Here. at last
was something human and within
the scope OF the everyday mans
understanding; here, IN fascinating
form. were Or scented not only char
acters from the life with which ne
was familiar. hut also adventures
in those mystic realms OF romance
that he had imagined. It was like
water TO the thirsty
Hence. II when reading the very
early novels. or even those Of the
later deca des 10 which Sue belong
cd we are conscious of stilted dia-
logue, and melOdramatic and i'm
probable situations. let Us remember
that the writer's OF this era were 20
no small extent pioneers I'm a
sparsely trodden Wilderness OF art;
and that when "the world was so
new and ALL in literary develop
ment II is a marvel that their handi-
work has endured for so many
years. Sues Mysteries OF Paris, %
penned In 1912, seems touched with
the fires OF everlasting youth. In
deed. II must possess the charm of
; have held its place for almost a
century. When we consider how
few OF our present-day novels sur
vive n second season, v7e are forced
10 dof our caps 70 this artist Of the
past who, like Stevenson, so well
merits the sobriquent OF "Tusitala,
a Teller OF Tales" and the secre-
OF whose spell lies I'm the eternal
child IN Us answering to the sorcer-
les OF a master stoTy-teller.
The book IN question is a laby-
rinth OF exciting and dramatic hap
penings. which, cleverly woven to
gether ernbody the authors unique
philosophy that the quest for good
may be made quite as seductive a
crusade as the quest for evil; the
only difference lying IN the goal to
ward which one turns his steps.
Certainly the story bears out this
theory. for we are swept along by
the magiCian's cunning page AFTER
page. chapter after chapter. until
his creative resources seem limit
less Never for an instant does our
<snterest lag. When the book is fin
ished we feel that had Sue so or
dained ne could have evolved Just a.
many more plots with an equal de
gree Of ease.
He opens his narrative with
scene in the slums Of Paris, where
FIeur-de- Marie. a beautiful girl OF
the streets, is being viciously at
tackled by the Slasher. a brute of
the underworld. A trivial quarrel
between the two has arisen and tho
man is about TO strike this helpless
creature when suddenly a stranger
intervenes, and by superior strength
and wit lays low the assailant. The
newcomer is NJ. Rudolph. who
styles himself a painter of fans Al
though poorly CARRIED and speaking
the jargon OF the pavements. we
speedily realize that he is something
other than he pretends: and IN this
superstition we are soon justified
for presently we learn that IN truth
NJ Rudolph IS no other personagc
than his Royal Highness the Grand
Duke OF Gerolstein in disguise. The
Slasher. however. does not know
this. and neither does his pretty
companion. and we soon find the
three crOnies seated amiably az 2
cafe table relating for one another's
amusement the stories OF their past
lives.
Rudolph has little 20 saw. He IS
an artisan. he declares. The Slash
er frankly admits himself 10 be an
escaped convict who has served ir
the galleys for murder: but with
the Inconsistency or human natur
he announces that while he has no
scruples against murder, ne viii no.
- steal Fleur-de-M Marie. or Goua-
leuse. as her comrades term her. j.