Life — April 16, 1896 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

*LIFE: A CAUTIOUS CUPID. Y love, of cherry lips possessed, And cheeks of rose—the usual thing— Inquired, as a passing jest, Why Cupid always wears a wing. Ianswered, kneeling on my knee, (My favorite pose in love's affair,) “Because the god on foot would be Run in for what he does not wear.” HOW THE NATIVE AUTHOR IS ENCOURAGED. London's imprimatur is omnipotent; without it nothing in fiction goes.—J. SELWIN Tat in the Evening Post. AN ENGLISH REVIEW OF AN AMERICAN BOOK. . There is no doubt about the American origin of this novel. The spelling, of course, is atrocious, and the phrases used in what is supposed to be polite society are beastly. From the first page to the last the English reader will be shocked by the freedom enjoyed by the young girls of the story. We expect them to be rich, beautiful, and impertinent—but, by all the powers of American civilization, why are they made to live their butterfly exist- ences ina savage freedom that would com- promise and forever ruin the reputation of any well-bred English girl! We have long ceased to expect anything approaching liter- ature from American novelists ; but, at least, they can attempt to make their so-called well-bred heroines up to the standard of our lower middle class. * * . AN AMERICAN REVIEW OF AN ENGLISH BOOK. . Ethel: . The latest London sensation has just been reprinted by one of our prominent Pa and Ma: **T PROPOSED TO FRED GORDON AND HE PROMISED TO BE A BROTHER TO ME.” publishing hou: story s, and we are bound to say that the fully justifies all the enthusiastic things that have been said about it in the cable despatches of our London correspondent and in his recent letter quoting opinions of leading English authorities. We can heartily commend the book to all of our readers, The startling plot has been very well exploited in the daily and weekly papers, so that we need not again summarize it. What some prud- ish critics have faintly called ‘prurient audacity and ob- scene sentimentalism" is, we can assure our most careful readers, only a frank, scientific statement of certain dominant facts of life that it behooves us all to face openly. We are accustomed to consider the American girl a model of modesty and sweet innocence—and she undoubtedly is, but it would be wise for her to open her eyes to som: of the abstruse social problems which her English sister is so bravely con- fronting. The ideas of the most advanced people in regard to the sanctity and permanence of marriage have been ma- terially modified by recent scientific discussion. If our young women are to continue in the van of progress they must be familiar with these ideas, no matter how disagreeable they may at first seem to be. This epoch-making novel is in the line of such enlightenment. We are told that the masculine nom de plume conceals the identity of a young woman of twenty—the daughter of an English peer, near the throne. . * * AN AMERICAN REVIEW OF AN AMERICAN BOOK. Why will the young writers in this country con- tinue to fill their novels with pretty tenuities and inane gos- sip! The latest book of ourmost popular young novelist is now before us,and init he plays the same tune which he has made us familiar with in five successive years. » How can he expect intelligent people at the end of the century to be interested in the love affair of a young college athlete and the beautiful daughter of a proud New England millionaire? We admit that he does it very well; he writes good, crisp English, and is never prolix and stupid in style. Moreover, the girl and her lover are ** well charactered,” as the phrase is. But who cares for their philandering? The world is full of men A LEAP YEAR CATASTROPHE. I GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO ADOPT A SON, Wuat!!