"The sentimental fiction defends itself by the shallow argument that it aims at making vice odious and virtue attractive. It professes the philosophy of Barnum, as put forth in his autobiography, where he says that the age insists on vast sensations and stupendous humbugs, and adopts his policy. Virtue needs no such auxiliaries as the reeking fumes of the bar-room or the pestiferous atmosphere of a gambling-hell to make her attractive. The writers and publishers of such stuff are the enemies of public peace and morals, and the sacred ties of society and the purity of home plead against them." Testimony of the Rev. T. De Witt Talmage.—(No. 4.) "Many papers that are most rapidly increasing to-day are unscrupulous. The facts are momentous and appalling. And I put young men and women and Christian parents on the look-out. This stuff cannot be handled without pollution. "The only question is: Will it pay?' And there are scores of men who, day by day, bring into the newspaper offices manuscripts for publication which unite all that is pernicious; and, before the ink is fairly dry, tens of thousands are devouring with avidity the impure issue. "O ye reckless souls! get money-though morality dies, and society is dishonored, and God defied, and the doom of the destroyed opens before you get money! Though the melted gold be poured upon your naked, blistering, and consuming soul-get money! Get money! It will do you good when it begins to eat like a canker! It will solace the pillow of death, and soothe the pangs of an agonized eternity! Though in the game thou dost stake thy soul, and lose it forever-get money!" SATANIC TRANSFORMATIONS. Testimony of Dr. W. H.—(No. 5.) 183 Vandoren, of Chicago, a minister of the gospel, on religious novels or white lying in families and Sunday schools, pushed into favorable notice by ministers and religious publishers, says:- "Ours is verily a fast age. One writer drama tizes the Saviour's life in the House of David.' Another ventures to endorse and describe heaven in 'Gates Ajar. Others, under the splendid drapery of romance, inculcate the doctrines of repentance, faith, new birth, etc. "The question arises, why are these works of fiction tolerated? Why are responsible publishers and Christian associations found to print them? But above all, why are parents and pastors found to permit them on their tables or to their Sunday-school libraries? We can easily answer why the youth love to read them. Is it for the infinitessimal amount of religious element contained in them? We answer, No. The fascination of the multiform pious novels that now swarm into our Sunday-school libraries, is anything and everything but their religious instruction. "It were a thousandth-fold better if nine out of ten Sunday-school libraries were taken from their shelves and committed to the flames. "Five distinguished elders of the city of New York, told the writer, with tears, 'We are compelled to keep our children out of Sunday-school altogether, because of the swarms of pious novels which infests the shelves.' These pious novels may not only advocate any one bad practice or evil principle; but as punches and various drugged wine lead directly to form a taste for alcohol, so these books lead to novels. The fact that some professors of Christianity and so-called ministers write them, is no more an argument for their being harmless than our reverend forefathers' use of brandy made it a safe precedent for their children. It is a well-known fact that those bearing the office of ministers have proved among the bitterest curses with which our race has ever been visited." [Is not this emphatically true of the author of "Norwood?"-ED.] Novels, religious and secular, cause not only an immense sacrifice of mental power and of moral energy, but also of precious time. How many hours, days, and weeks are thus worse than murdered by the youths of both sexes in our land! Some children bring these miserable pious novels to church, and under the very sound of the Gospel, Sinai's thundering and Calvary's calls of mercy, pore over their exciting pages. "We have known parents to neglect their offspring to gloat their imaginations over the scenes of passion glittering through the pages of novels. "What is time? Ask death-beds; the queen of England, who cried in her expiring moments, millions! millions! for an inch of time!' "I asked a spirit lost-but, oh! the shriek That pierced my soul! I shudder while I speak! Of endless years, duration infinite!"' "The morbid desire for novelty destroys that sobriety of mind inculcated by the Holy Ghost upon the youth to be 6 sober-minded.' "The wine to an invalid imparts an unnatural glow. Young minds, depraved in all their energies, soon reach an abnormal state. They have a glow, not of health, but of the hectic. SATANIC TRANSFORMATIONS. 185 "Novels are no proper food for an immortal soul. What would have been thought if young Samuel or Timothy had spent their days and nights sighing over fables-false scenes of sorrow, fictitious scenes of heroism, and falsehood everywhere? What a sad preparation for secret prayer is the flush of emotion and passion kindled in sensitive minds! We repeat, who can answer for the precious moments, hours and days worse than wasted, over these pious romances! "Time is eternity; Pregnant with all eternity can give ; Who murders time, he crushes in the birth "These religious romances lead our youth to the broad, gilded, flowery paths of modern novels. A novel is a theatre in the mind! All the gorgeous curtains, actors, actresses, enchantry, fascinating the depraved heart, kindling all its passions, fast prepare the road to the theatre.* It makes one sick at heart to think of pleasure's siren voice, and the promises given of joyous days and years to come. "Alas! the dead are in her house, Her guests in depths of hell; She weaves the winding-sheet of souls And lays them in the urn of everlasting death.'” We might fill volumes of similar testimonials did our space permit. *How true is this of Beecher and Dickens. 303 West Twentieth Street, New York. TRUTH AND LYING. Testimony of Elder H. Buckley. "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor."--Eph. iv. 25. “WHEN a child I believed everything which was printed to be true, and when at length I learned the contrary, I was shocked and felt indignant. Until within a few years I supposed all Sunday-school books to be truthful, and I was greatly shocked and grieved on learning that a large portion of them were fictions. I very much fear that the professed servants of the Lord are now sowing seed in Sunday-school publications which will result in a very fruitful harvest for Satan. "No matter how good the story, or correct the principles illustrated, if the facts are wanting, or if they are colored, the lawyer, lecturer, teacher or preacher thus illustrating his subject, is guilty of falsehood, and would be called a liar if exposed. "Is it not sinful to fabricate stories or tales for children? Or to mix fact with fiction for the purpose of interesting them? Does not the youthful mind feel disgusted when informed that the highly interesting book is the offspring of somebody's imagination? Or, if not disgusted, does he not conclude that he may make a good story when it serves his purpose ? Again, does not all fiction lose its interest when the mind does not appropriate it as truth-except it be with such as 'love a lie?' I apprehend that no work of fiction is read with interest unless it makes an impression |