Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-08-06
CONDENSED
CLASSICS
~
THE MYSTERIES
OF PARIS
~
BY EUGENE SUE
Condensation by
Miss Sara Ware Bassett
~ lNrERPREr fugtly tl,e works

of Eugene Sue, one must not
forget to take into considera-
ton the epoch at which they won their
place in world literature
When Sue was born the novel was
still comparatively new product.
There had it is true been books be-
fore its advent. for the invention of
printing had put reading matter with
in 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 then such volumes
We're costly, to say nothing of their be-
ing of far too ponderouS nature to
answer the cravings of a public scant-
lily educated and DESTROYS for enter
tainmant at a time when amusements
We're few.
Therefore, when out of this arid lit
erary waste the novel sprung into he
ing, we can easily picture the eager
ness with which the hungering masses
fell upon it. Here, at last. was some
thing human and within the scope of
the everyday mans understanding;
here, in fascinating form, were pre-
sented not only with characters from
the life with (which he was familiar,
but also adventures in those mystic
realms of romance that he had imag-
ined. 1t was like water to the
thirsty!
Hence, if when reading the very
early novels. or even those of the later
decades to which Sue belonged. we are
conscious of stilted dialogue. and mel
dramatic and improbable situations.
let US remember that the writers Of
this era We're to no small extent nj
oneers in sparsoy trodden wilder
ness of art; and that when "the world
was so new and all" in literary de-
velopment 1t is a marvel that their
handiwork has endured for so many
years. Sues "Mysteries of Paris"
penned in 1912, seems touched with
the fires of everlasting youth. Indeed.
it must possess the charm Of universal
appeal or it would never have held its
place for almost q century. When we
consider how few Of our present day
novels survive q second season. we are
forced to doff our caps to this artisi
of the past, who, like Stevenson, so
well merits the sobriquet of "Tusltala
a Teller of Tales" and the secret Of
whose spell lies in the eternal child
in Us answering to the sorceries of
master story-teller.
The book in question is a labyrinth
of exciting and dramatic happenings
which, cleverly woven together en-
body 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 ly-
ing in the goal toward 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, IN
til his creative resources seem limit
less Never for an instant does our
interest lag. When the book is fin
ished we feel that had Sue so or
dained he could have evolved just as
m@ly more plots with an equal de-
gree of ease
He opens his narrative with scene
in the Sums of Paris, whore Fleur-de-
Marie, a beautiful girl Of the streets,
is being viciOusly attacked by the
Siasher, a brute Of the underworld
A trivial larrel between the two has
arisen and the man is about to strike
this helpless creature when suddenly
a stranger intervenes and bv superior
strength ana wit lays low The assail-
ant. The newcomer is a NJ Rudolph,
who styles himself painter Of fans
Although poorly Rarbed and speaking
the jareon Of the payemeuts, we speed
lily realize that he is something other
than he pretends; and in this supuo-
sjtiou we are soon justified. for pres
entity we learn that in truth NJ. I,u-
dolph is no other parsonage lhan his
royal highuoss the grand duke Of Ger
olstein in disguise. The Slasher. how
ever does not know this and neither
does his pretty companion, and We
soon fad the three crouies seated ami
ably at a cafe table relating for one
au0thcr's amusement the stories Of
their past lives.
Rudolph has little to say. 10 IS an
artisan, he declares. The S'a-her
frankly admits himself to be an as
capped convict who has served I'm thu
galleys for murder; but with She 81.
consistency OF human nature h. an-
nomccs that white be- has 20 -crap.os
against murder be ALL not steal
FIeur-de-Marie, or GouaIe8se. as bier
comrades term her, IS 81 sIzteen-Eear-
Old waIf who has never known any
parent save Screech owl a cruel wom-
an from whom she fed wien a child;
nor has she had any home save prison
walls and the haunts Of Vice. Never
theless, despite her vile surround
lngs, she has kept her soul uataiated
and is essentially pure Of heart, being
the victim Of environment and clrcum-
stances rather than It's Vo'arv.
(th-A-,.ff,- tIts pr4lTr.F -s-H1ea aim