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Show - Howe About : New Literary Find FindHistory FindHistory History and FictionDomestic Fiction FictionDomestic Domestic Mystery MysteryBy By ED HOWE1X7HEN HOWE HOWEWIIL'N ' one encountershat encounters , what \hat hat \ be he be- be belIe'cs be-VV be VV - - WIIL'N WIILN WU be- be bebe beeves - hcyes lIe\'cs lIe 'cs cs eves ! \ ' to be a n good tcnden-cy tcnden cy .ndeD'cy .ndeDcy ndeDcy tendency t < . ' - Inhuman tn in tnhumn inliumgn hum\n hum n liumgn ' \ IIf life ( > , . I believe bdlcve be he should men mentlon mention menIon tlon tion ( It frequently , . , there is so little of ofsuch ofsuch ofsuch such encouragement encourigement to be found J I Jtherefore Itherefore Itherefore therefore mention again the statement statementof of n it literary obseiver obsel \ er and critic thatthe that thatthe thatthe the people seem to be tiring tmng of ot th the thebociety thebocictv < . > 1 > bociety 0ClCt , ) stories storIcs so long used as ve ve- ye- ye vehicles yehides vehicles - - hicles hides of sex filth and fooJl foolish < ; h romance romance . . The romanceThe critic dies cltes cites a story called calJed "Too Too "The The "TooVIctor "TheVictory "TheVictory TheVictory " Victory VIctor VIctor.ft .ft ft , . ; .ftas " ' as an example of the new newnatmahsm newnaturalism newnatuiahsm natmahsm naturalism he savs SRS says ) Is gro growing lng In pop pop111arlt popularity popularitv 111arlt ularity ) TIie The story is simple and nnd wellwritten wen well wen"ritteD wellwritten "ritteD ritteD written " , and nnd naked human Imman nature n'1ture n1ture ' np ap nppears appears appears In 1n ' ' but the sub substnnce substance substance pears every p'u pu paiagraph p'ugraph \graph graph ' \ . , , stnnce stance may be to told ] ( } In a few linesA linesA lines linesA A woghy wor worthy l1y man In lives Ines es to ol old age with witha a cold , cutlcal ciitical wife \ Ife who finally fin\lJy fin lJy ' \ cornpletel 'Com Com tom 'Competf'l tompletrly ' petf'l petfl pletrly ] ' } ) dominates t1omln\tes t1omln tes ' \ him blm as she doml dam domlnates donilnates ! nates e e\ e everyone eeryone \ eryone " with "lth lth \ whom hom she come comes comesin comehin : . JD in contact The TlIe old man mnn fears fenrs her as asa asa asn a cliild child often whipped fears a crnel cruel crnelmother cruelmother cruelmother mother and lives ll\"eio ll "eio eio \ " u a completely suppreyed sup supprccsed suppressed prccsed pressed : life In his last Illness ilIness he hehas hehas behas has a bad cough which he knows hnows paiticularly pm pat pmhcularly patticularly hcularly ticularly disturbs his wife , and he hecons heconstantly beconstantly cons constantly ntly struggles to : . s-mother s mother f.mother fmother smother - It It.When ItWhen . , When In dire need of assistance asslstnnce he be Isafraid Is Isnfrald isafraid nfrald afraid to ask ash It , , and spends m'lnv mlnv m'tnv mtnv m'lnvnIghts m'tnvnights manynights ' ' nIghts alone smuggling strugglng s11 ugglIng [ to suppress hiscoughing his hiscougbrng hiscoughing cougbrng coughing One night when seriously , 111 11l he lie e knows kno s he sliould should call his wIfe wile wIfeasleep wileasleep wifeasleep asleep In an adjoining room , but butafraid , , afraId to disturb her , he staggers staggersabout staggersabout staggersabout about , old and gaunt and pitiful pltlful Buthe But Buthe Buthe he manages mnnages to suppress bis his coughing ; / his wife Is not disturbed dlstllrbed When sheenters ebcenters she sheenters enters his room at eight o 0 clock dock next nextmorning nextmorning nextmorning morning , . slie she finds him dead * . * . $ . * I lately visited ' i 1 't t ' circulating cIrculattng library libraryhoping , hopIng to find a book to Interest meduring me medurmg meduring durmg during : an m approaching evening eveDlng prom promis promislag promisIng Is Islng lng lag to be dull duI1 TJiere Tllcre There were hundredsof hundreds of sbel shelves es displaying dlsplaymg fiction fiction , , but butonly butonly butonly only one little corner containing books booksde.oted booksdevoted booksdevoted de.oted deoted devoted . to sobci sobel sober truth During Durmg a lull lullI lullr lullI I r talked with wItb the thc librarian "All All "Allbooks "Allbooks "Allbooks Allbooks " books are fictitious fictIttouc : , ' , ' she said 5'lld 5lld s'iid siid ' "Thehistorical "Thehistorical "The The "TheHistorical " Historical DO\ DO not DOcl novel \ cl el Intended inieiiaea as us fictlon fiction . - . ) l.ontmns lontmns contains . as much truth as tue the mem mein meinoils memolis . oils of SIlerIus Silerlus , said snld to have ha\"e ha "e e \ " been beenwritten beenwritten beeiwritten written b\ b br bthe \ the own hand of a powerful powerfulnomnn powerfulRoman powcrtunoman nomnn Roman SIIcrius SIkrius Slicrius told only such trutias truth truthns truthas ns as suited him , and exaggerited exngger'lted exnggerlted exaggerated ' th'lt thlt that thatWas th'ltWas thatWas ' Was he truthful in speaking speakmg of thfive the thefive thefive five wives ties n es " wllh "Hh Hh with whom he had contro contra contrat centreversics7 t \ erslcs ersies ? ' Was 'Vas Vas ' he truthful and fair ialr In InWs inhis libis Ws his references to othpr other oti r Roman noman gen generals genorals generals erals orals ? Lie Ile wiote wrote lote when vcr veri very ) old , . when whenall \ wheiall ben benall all those be he lie ' criticized 'CriticIzed were dead Takthe Takl Take Takethe ' the Bible Dible , , . n a sacred book , it giv gh gig cs es fuf dif different fufferent diferent ( ferent accounts of the same s\me s me ' \ eventsAll events eventsAU eventsAll AU All truth is hidden In fiction and tbe the tbereader thereader th'reader threader ' reader must find It " . * . * . * . SIIenus SIlerlUs Silerius savs sats sm s ! In n his memoirs he nev never never er r knew whether he was fool iool or wisman wismanGrotius "Ise Ise wlse "Iseman wlseman " man manGrotluc manGrotius Grotius Grotluc : , , . contempoiary contempoulry contemporary and friend , lia In Ina ina a long and Interesting interestmg Introduction introduetiop intro uctlop tu to tuthe tothe tthe ) the memoirs , savb S'l\1 S'l Sl 1 sgvb ' \ " : > th-it th it th\t t that ' \ - \ while hlle Slleriu8 Silerlus Slleriu8was Silerluswas SIlerluwas was prohibit prob'lbl problbl probably ' an e exceptionally etcepttouelly ' : ceptIou'lll ceptIoulll ' sensi sensible seas sensible ! ble man , he al'50 al50 alco also : ' had unusual respect respectfor respectfor respecfor for the average Ryerage Intelligence of the pecpie peo- peo people people - - ple Grotius GroUus Grollus believes this \ was as the reason rea reason reason son Sllerlus SlIerius Silerlus declared declare he never knevwhether knew knewwhether knewwhether whether he was foolish or wIseThere wiseThere wise wiseThere There were so many opinions con contUcting conflitting cocflicting tUcting flitting with slth \ Ith his own and he had such suchmarked suchmarked sudmarked i marked respect recpect : for the opinions opmlons or of orothers ofothers oothers others he was uncertain as to his owijudgments own ownjudgments ownjudgments judgments and rightsDuring rightsDuring rights rightsDuring During the le most troublesome days In Inthe I inthe ; the history of Rome . , Grotius Grotms further furthersa furthersax furthesavs sa\ sa sax sas \ s , , Sllerlus Silerius opposed public publl'C publlC ' pol1cles policies pol1cleslater policielater policieslater later proving disastrous , . but " was "as as so somuch somuch Bmuch much In doubt as to rights rIglits of the thequestlon thequestions thquestions questlon questions under discussion did not usthe use usethe usethe the army as he might ha\e ha e ba\e ba have \ done to en enforce enforce erforce force his own conclusions as to what whatwas whatwas whawas was best for the nation In an emer- emer emergency emergency erneigency erneigencyThe ' - - gency , ' The wrong policies pollcles liter hter later proving disastrous dIs dIsastrous disastrous ' ' astrous had more popular support than thanthe thanthe thathe a the policies Sllcrius SlIerius Silerius believed to bthe be bethe bethe the best way wa ; This opposition from frommen frormen frommen men he respected so confused him , , he hehesitated hehesitated hhesitated hesitated , . and Rome was destroyedMuch destroyed destroyedMuch . Much of the last part of the Memoirs Memoirsof Memoirof of Silenus SllerlUS Silerius was written "nttcn nttcn " when "hen hen " he waold was wasI I old and ill m In the last chapter he hesa hesay hsa3S say sa ) S " ' " "A A " funeral director Is being kind kindto kindto kinto to me I think I will "Ill Ill " lea\ lea leave leae \ e dIrections dIrectionsthat directionsthat directionthat that he be employed , , although I shalll sha'dislike shadislike shall shalldislike ' l/ l / dislike lsII.e lsIIe ] . to offend other acquaintancesengaged acquaIntances acquaIntancesengaged acquaintanceengaged engaged in the same trade I likethose like likethose likthose those eolIcitingIs solicitingis who solicit me , , If the sollcltinIs eolIciting soliciting ; Is done \ with Ith reasonable politeness " . * . * * . I once lived In to a community where wherea whera a rather decent man left his wife and andstubbornly andstubbornly anstubbornly stubbornly refused to longer Ihe live lh e withher with withher wither her . TIie The neighbors weie were wel e astounded a astoundeifor tounded , . for the vife "Ife Ife rife , " wis was ; known l.non l.no\\ l.no . \ n among nmong themas thcias them themas as gentle . , , womanly ; : capable capabr ] > and In Intelhent litelligent intelhgent telhent telhgent & : No Ao o one can understand why whya wha a man should refuse to live Ihe the with such sucha suea a woman They have br1e br1\ br1 \ e chlldl childien children en , , andthe and andthe antlie the wife has said s'1ld s1ld ' to me after the searitlon sep- sep separ'ltIon ] - > - . alwaibeen alWa)8been alwaysbeen ar'ltIon arltIon aration ' that th\t th t ' \ lier her hl1 husband 1band < had alWa)8 alWa8 always ) been good to her and the children chU ren It Itwas Itwas : [ was the reigning m m&tcry mtcry mystery ; ) & tery for yearsand years yearsand yeaiand a and Is today todayI I am like others In that I do not notunc1elE notunderstand n nnndeistand < t nndeistand understand unc1elE nd it I suppose the tJJe e'Yph- e'Yph eYph etple e'Yphnation expl'nation explnation ' ' t- t - nation Is that th'lt thlt th-it th it ' - In the gentlest wife'sdisposition wifedisposition wife's wifes wife'sl1cpocItIon ' ' l1cpocItIon disposition ( ; ; there Is a II touch of the Old OldHarrv OldHarry 0Harrv ] nclgliborbut Harrv Harry not obsen observed ed by tlic the neighbors , . but " which hlch appears occasionally occaslOn.lUy occaslOnlUy . in mIn- mIn mIngling mingling mlgling ] - - gling with a husband hushaud . * * . . * When two men meet now they soon soondrIft soondrift soodrift drIft into icnunclitlon lenunchtIon tenuncigtlon of congress ; : Ibabe I Ih ha\e ha e babe h l\e l e . \ \ not heard a n politician poHtlchn politiclen favorably favorablymentioned favorablymentioned favorabmentioned ! , mentioned In months monthc ; , and Dtmocrats Democrats Dtmocratsare Democratsare Dcmocra ; Repullicans RepublIcans are is 'is as ' ' active 'lctlve lctlve In the cursing as Repub- Repub . - lIcans beans . + , . . ' There 'lhere lhere ihere Is ie ; fine flne opportunity opportunityhim opportunllnn/ opportunllnn opportunllnnto : 110'1 1101 him ' / ) to form the new n.w nw ( . party purty long neeed need- need needed needed . - ed but It to have , seems occurred to no noone noone rone 10 one tliat that Americans Amerlc'lns Amerlclns ' can possibly get getalon getalong gialong it along alon \ without \ Ithout the Republicans UepublIcans Repubilcans and arDemocrats Dpmncr'lts Dpmncrlts Demncrats andDpmncr'lts andDemncrats ' Dpmncr'ltsl Demncratse l e ( : ) < B 1S33 1933 Bell Dell Syndlc Syndlcaw SyndlcawWNU Syndicate--WNU Syndicate WNU t - -WNU WNU - - TTNTJ Strvic Senlc Servh * . . . |
