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Show "No God, No DeviL" I The news'ipr in a measure supplants sup-plants oilier literature; ispec;-y since th? telegraph U iaue. Tin? daily paper is becoaie iiiinCat t ;c i library ot the average citiz'-n. The tune uf tuis current iit-ra'-un- is ol much importance with ref--r-;i'e to iu utility, as well lis its rcmunei alivo-ness. alivo-ness. What, then, is the relative value of literary culture disjoined from morality that is tron t::e sybtem of truth which inrolv publication pub-lication and creates duly? It mi it as well be ask'd, rch.it "i? the i .;r lio-ver worth when hs stali n broken from the sustaining nxit; u.- what is the niguificancy of fine dre,- and rich jewelry when the cni.-t v.in..:i of lemale virtue is wautii.g? Literary , abandon is as hopeless a thing as is female re c k less n ess. J It really seems impoible for im- J morality to simulate the rtpo?r, and ea-e, grace and spontaneous cheeriul-neso cheeriul-neso which grow out of a sound conscience. con-science. Tnere is an eager lussines of journalism which destroys t; e reader's restlulnes. Literature, especially es-pecially newspaper literature, is social, or it is notning. Whatever is osseulial to the perfection of good manners in society is therefore essential essen-tial to Lhe success of the daily literary intercourse of journalism. This seems almost too obvious to be dwelt upon. Journalism which lays down as its own, the theory, "no God, no devil," etc., may be endured, just as any illustration or embodiment of recklessness reck-lessness would be till its abandon becomes be-comes an overt nuisance. American toleration is happily very broad; but the crowning beauty of that toleration is its deference to natural laws; its waiting upon the sure operation of i social rrtnciples. It is content to leave the punishment of immoral abandonment in minor developments to the instinct of society; the inevitable inevit-able social consciousness. VMtaire, Paine, Byron are marked 'by this unrest ful fidgetiness this lack of culm repose of nature, so necessary in all the natural relations of social life. They write as if in a worry; full of fault-find in?, of scorn, sneering and ridieule. Now suppose that tone and style innovated and exhibited ex-hibited in the actual personal intercourse inter-course of every day lite. It would make the intercourse of domestic and drawing room life impossible. So also suppose that immoral tone to speak of theoretical principles only, to be adopted aud exhibted in daily journalism, could it succeed ? Dress up the literaturo in grace of style, make it ever so trim and beautiful iu phrase, would it be long endured? . The immoral air and manner alone would destroy it. There is about the genuine literary tone a "jc nc sais qnoi" a calmness that epeaks ol moral hope: of trust in the absolute right, which throws an attractive serenity over its sayings and teachings. teach-ings. The main fault of even Chesterfield's Ches-terfield's code of politeness is its latent hypocrisy. It is smooth, cold and shallow because selfish: an attempt at-tempt to win the social rewards of goodness by seeming good. In other words it is a treatise, the best that couid be produced on the "no God, no devil" theory, but even it had to take (or granted God, obligation and duty in order to please, and gain the coveted reputation of fascinating manners. Gentile. Dec. 30. 3875. |