File:Social Dynamite- The Wickedness of Modern Society from the Discources of T. De Witt Talmage (1887) (14773345115).jpg

Identifier: socialdynamitewi00tdew (find matches)
Title: Social Dynamite: The Wickedness of Modern Society from the Discources of T. De Witt Talmage
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: T De Will Talmage Frances Post Van Norstrand
Subjects:
Publisher: Richmond, Va., H.E. Grosh
Contributing Library: Hackney Library, Barton College
Digitizing Sponsor: Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of North Carolina. Grant issued to Duke University for the Religion in North Carolina project.

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e fantastic will-o-the-wisps across the swTamps, when we might walk in the bloom-ing gardens of God? 0 no! For the sake of our present andeverlasting welfare we must make an intelligent and Christianchoice. Standing, as we do, chin deep in fictitious literature,the first question that many of the young people are askingme is: Shall we read novels? I reply: There are novelsthat are pure, good, Christian, elevating to the heart andennobling to the life. But I have still further to say that Ibelieve that ninety-nineout of the hundred novelsin this day are baleful anddestructive to the last de-gree. A pure work of fic-tion is history and poetrycombined. It is a historyof things around us, withthe licenses and the as-sumed names of poetry.The world can never paythe debt which it owes tosuch fictitious writers asHawthorne and McKen-zie, and Lander and Hunt,and Arthur and MarionHarland, and others whose names are familiar to all. Thefollies of high life were never better exposed than by Miss
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NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE. 174 IMMORAL LITERATURE. Edgeworth. The memories of the past were never morefaithfully embalmed than in the writings of Walter Scott.Coopers novels are healthfully redolent with the breath ofthe sea-weed, and the air of the American forest. CharlesRhigsley has smitten the morbidity of the world, and led agreat many to appreciate the poetry of sound health, strongmuscles, and fresh air. Thackeray did a grand work in car-icaturing the pretenders togentility and high blood.Dickens has built his ownmonument in his books,which are an everlastingplea for the poor, and the an-athema of injustice. Now, I say, books likethese, read at right times,and read in right proportionwith other books, can nothelp but be ennobling andpurifying; but alas for theimpure literature that has come upon this country in theshape of novels, like a freshet overflowing all the banks ofdecency and common sense! They are coming from someof the most celebrated publishing houses of the country.They

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