Rabbi Solomon Schindler Gives Some Interesting Facts

Rabbi Solomom Schtadler, the brit liant Boston scholar, ha contribuíed a most interestiing paper to a recent issue oí the Arena on lyiiig, iin whieh he takes the aew realistic story, "Who Lies," as a text. By special permission we are enabled to puibliish thiis notable paper. It may appear tautologieal to speak of tüie "purpose" and the -'jnotive' oí literary work botii' im one breath; still there is a slight distinction b;-; tween the two, and thiis diistinctiou separates taie former Mealistic school of novel vriters from the modern realistic school. It would be unjust to say that wrilters like Sdr Walter iScott. Euig-ene 8ue, Alexander Dumas, Berthold Auerbach, and others have lacked a "purpose" wlien -vvritimg their admirable novéis; .vet that "motive," that teaiidency, is indeed wantin them which cha.racterizes the works oí reallBtfc authors. Oharles Dickens. who may be terened the cooinecting link between these two schools, - the novelist oí the transirtion period,- adds a dhstimct "motive" tothe "pur pose," when lie attacks the miserable school system of hits time, or the in humanity ivitli -vhich the 6ubmerge( classes are treated, oor when he ridiculee the hypocriey of charitable inetittitiioais. Step by step we can thus trace thle evoluticwi of the "motive' in tlie progreíss oí the realistic literature of our time. The latest contriibution of this charaeter in fictfon, embodying a strong"motiTe," hias been preseaited to the reading public tairough the Arena Pub ligging Company, of Boston, in their fiity-uenit series of rtgwous worke by leadiing thúikers. The authors, EmiJ Blum, Plu. D., and Mr. Siftmimd B. Alexaawler, have eorrectly called iit ain 'Interrogatton." 'JUey desiire to cali attemtion to one of the moet serjous pppble-ms of lilfe; they hurl an accusation at oiir modern cüvilization, agakKt ivhfch a ctefense is not aii eay tak; thiey cast a flash light iipon society, and show the rotten íomidattan upon wlniich it reate. .LÜSht gentlemen, belonging to the cultuml and weU-to-do classes of society, and represen tiaig vuriou walks 'Of litV an issemhled at a ba.nquot. Tiicy are ajl graduaten oí tlie nauw collejje, in wliich they had beeu nicknainca by (da.sinatc.-i. the. '-ilodrl Nipe-". ïheir fricMulship inul existeü (liirimg teil years, iu wincli Unie each of t3iem had won tor liiiiusclf a rcepectofl poBltiwo in society, one is a suecexsln] ph.vsician; anothcT a famous lawyer; Ui.rd stands at the iead 'oí a lucrativo Imsiaies.s 'concern; ihf iourtli tlie eilief of a banking house, and luiown as a gret phiia.ntliroiúst; the fifth occupies the pul]i of a iiiKjiioauible church; the sixtü cdits a iK'wspaper oí large circulatiion; tire seventh hülds a professor' dhiaiir at the Alma Mater; the eifthth ie Utóntiíied with the politics oí Uitstate; the nintli, the most promising of them, liad imherited from his fathei-, au immense fortune, and had durirn-g these years travelled extensively. He had, therefore, never been presens at any oí tlieir animal reunkms, but ÍB expected to Jota them on this occasi'oo. A belated train brings him to the city ánd imto their oompany, at t.he momeait when they are drinking the health amid prateing the noble qualities of the absemtee. He íb warmlygreeted by his friends who, however, fiaid that he has ehanged ooinsiderably. Tliough apparently the same genial and brilliant iellow mom tney had knawm in times past lue ms to have beeoíme itifected witli the blackest kiiad of pessimisni. He fiercely attacks tlue very civilizatioa wiluilch they cherish eo dearly. A COa troversy ariiseg, whlich culminates in a peculiar wager. Rust, the pessimist, claims ttoat ou.r wlioie eiivilizatiou is a huge "Jjte;" that thie "Lie" ha penetrated and poisoned society to sueh a degre that no ooe could speak th truth, even if he destred, for any length oí ttane, without harming, if not destivayiing, his repuitation and business prospect. Tunis is emphatical ly denied by lijs iriends, who, on theii. part, claim tlhat for one week, at least, tlney would pledge themselves to adhere strfctly to the truth. The wager provkïes, therefore, that if thej adfoere to the truth for one week; Rust must pay eightt thousand dollars; but if one oí tiOm breaks lite word', he must pay ome thousand dollars] The money is to go to some benevoleait imstiituition, which the winner sluall desígnate. It in further agreed taiat aay member may wiithdraw hi obliigatiou on payment oí one thougN durimg the week, ií he finds telluig tlie truth too expenslve loe result was as predicted by Rust Disaster in same form overtook eadi of them lm the last chapter, Rust taforms taiem that he had offered the wager. not to wiln thieir money but to gu-e them euu object lesson. AU the mieeriee from which society is mitferimg, says he, are the logical toaifiequences of the prevailing untrutWutoeee. Inetead of tryinir to remodel taie world, and to better condi, Tíons Dy assailing comsequences tEey ought to attaek the root of the evil. tne L,e. He pro-poses, therefore the formatkm of a society of veritists- of meo who will piedge theraselves to speak the tmith always, uomindful ■oí possible coaisequences. It is his tiran belief that, in the end, people will learn that they prosper much better witli truth than with untruth ano that whiie for a short tinne they may be the losere, in the end thev wiii wui comfWence and make up íot tlie The lightoihig which Ilumines the patli' oí the waaiderer om a stormv aiight, show him the precipice into :1cllThe was aboat toi iall; thu Wlio Lies ?" reveáis the dangers with 7 I. ow Preeeint civilization is fraught, amd the root from which most oí lite evils grow. It suffprests the ooly remedy: "namely, to gpeak the truth amd nothinK but the truth regardless oí oomeequonces. "Wlio Lies?" will be foiuiid not only amusiJig and interesting, but the reader wU ladmii-e it for lts courage amdi teaTlessnesB. It is descrving of a -mide circle oí rea;ders