Year: 1872

ly smoothing her apron.


Satanic Literature.


The question of what we shall read
must soon become a prominent one.
What we do read, or what large portion
of our population reads, is plain enough.
A number of fiashy and sensational papers
IN New York count their subscribers by
the 100, GOO, while the two or three sober
| and sensible weeklies are barely sustained
what is to be the result of this sensational
and dangerous mental gormandizing? In
physical way we know that the con-
sumption of sound and substantial food
gives US better limbs and stronger
muscles, while, on the contrary, if the
food is diseased or unsubstantial we may
look for disorders and weak physical de-
velopment. If the same law obtains in
mental culture we cen safely predict an
alarming crop of minds diseased" dur
ing the next few years.


We are accustomed to call that morbid
taste which induces people to flock to
hear the wife of Joaquin Miller complain
of her wrongs, and fills houses to over
flowing to hear or see Mrs. Yelverton in
her character of the divorced wife. This
taste is "depraved," we say; but how
about that which induces large class of
our young people, boys and girls from
thirteen to twenty, to pore over dime
novels, and revel in the 'sblood and
thunder" stories of the hebdomadal press :
These young people, or the majority,
have hardly yet grown vicious or de-
praved. Their minds are plastic, but
curious; and is not the taste that they
manifest rather the natural one for start.
ling adventure, bold figures and wonder
full exploits, which simply requires edu-
eating, developing, elevating, to become
very proper and commendable one?
The boy has world outside of that i'm
mediately around him, peopled with
fabulous giants in courage, strength and
intellect. You only need to travel the
road and point out the fact that these
heroes are men of straw, mere creatures
of the Imagination, to have his interest
cease in the recital of their exploits. If
we read a story for the story alone, it
must be reasonable or possible, other
wise the interest ceases and it becomes
ridiculous. When boys can be made to
laugh at the tremendous exploits of ficti-
tious heroes, instead of admiring and be-
lieving in them, the danger has well nigh
vanished. How this may be done, or
how the minds of our young people may
be drawn into another channel of reading,
may be the subject of another article.
Just now, we wish to show in what di
rection the tastes of large percentage
of the people mostly lie.


The records of public libraries reveal
the fact that Emma D. E. N. Southworth
is read more extensively than Dickens,
and that Thackeray falls far below Syl-
vanus Cobb, Jr. The writings of Mrs.
Southworth can hardly be called vicious,
but tthey are weak and, in every respect
that we can conceive, improbable. There
is another class of story-writers, how
ever, to which she is an angel of perfec-
tion. We have noticed the avidity with
which the first numbers of a serial now
being published have been seized upon
by the gushing youths and romantic
young maidens who buy and read the
very weak or very wicked story papers of
the country. This story was extensively
advertised by the popular means of large
cuts and striking extracts of thrilling and
blOod-curdling import The cut, pasted
on fences, sidewalks, brick piles and bull
letin boards, thickly scattered over the
city, represented three or four young
men and as many women in the midst of
quarrel. Two pistols were displayed,
and, from the sanguinary sentences that
were put into the mouths of the figures,
it was plain that shooting was imminent.
Large numbers of the first chapters
of this story were distributed. From
glance at these we find that the hero
is gambler, a brawler, and frequenter
OF all manner of the darker dens Of in
iquity. He is represented to be, with all
this, one of the mostlearned, respectable,
elegant, brave, courteous, modest, and
altogether lovable young men in Gotham.


We are no great sticklers for the pur-
chase and perusal of stupid books just be-
cause they happen to be harmless; but
we most earnestly believe that if the
devil ever invented stories for his own
private purpose he was at the bottom of
this one, and the kindred denominations
with which the country is being flooded.


The average young man addicted to
this class of stories will come to the con-
clusion that it is the elegant thing to
gamble-not exactly right, perhaps, but
showing a recklessness that is generally
admired; that he displays high degree
of chivalry in looking out for deluded
young women in houses of infamy, and
that it is proof of the highest courage
to carry pistol and use it at the very
first opportunity, and, if possible, with
deadly effect. Swearing, drinking, lit.
tie prize fighting mot for the money, but
the glory, and a steady attendance on all
sporting amusements, come in as mat
ter of course.


The plain truth is that the publication
of such stories ought to be made penal
offense. We doubt not that they have
been the cause of more crimes than any
other that can be named. These stories
are read by boys, whose first movement
afterward is the purchase of a pistol, not
for any definite purpose. but to ape their
hero who always carried one, as did this
fast young man. Saloons are then fire.
quented, and in some unlucky hour,
when craZed with wine, the pistol does
its deadly work, and this second edition
o. '' a fast boy" awakes to the reality
of his position. When too late he sees
that the bright pictures of fast life
which he has tried to initiate are cheat
delusion, a lie, and that the end of sucf
a life is the State prison or the gallows.


"a little learning is dangerous thing,
and that which only permits the perusa
and comprehension of such vile trash il
worse than the most barbarous igno
rance. Is there not in this theme fooC
for grave reflection on the part of the
press, the pulpit, the legislators, and


above all, on the part of that committed
of ours who have specially charged
themselves with an inquiry into the causes
Of crime ?-Chicago Inter Ocean.