SMART SET SATIRISED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13847, 9 March 1907, Page 5

SMART SET SATIRISED

THE WORDS OF A PRIEST AND THE WRITING OF A WOMAN. Ever since there has been society there has always been a, Smart Set, and the scandals of the .Smart Set have continually provided material for the' satirist, such satire taking the form either of sermons or novels. Everything has Us use ill the world, for the record of history, read rightly, is but a repetition of the operation of the unchanging laws of cause and effect. Given a section of society with more money than britin's and a Smart Set at once springs into being; given a popular preacher who is a puritan and! a> zealot, and he conceives it his duty to denounce tho doings of the " vulgar rich"; given a. woman writer who is clover and caustic, and we have a society novel. These things always have been; they are but ,the ripplings 011 the surface of some of the underneath workings of that complex composition which wo call life. The appearance, therefore, of the hooks now before us need occasion no surprise. Father Vaughan, in response to a general request, lias put into book form the sermons, which, preached by him at Mayfair during last season, caused so great a sensation, and .lie has entitled his book " The Sins of Society." • Father Vaughan's portrait makes the frontispiece to the book, thus acquainting his readers with his outward semblajice as well as with his inmost thoughts, Tho other book is frankly a novel, by a lady writer, whom we do not remember to have heard of before. 'But Miss or Mrs Charlotte Mansfield is the author of at least two other stories which appear to have been favourably reviewed. Her portrait also fronts the titlo page, and reveals a pleasing personality. We do not propose, to enter into tho merits of the story, which is unpleasant enough in parts, nor to discuss the literary ability of the writer; indeed l , we should have hesitated for many reasons from giving this book prominence, wore it not that in a striking degree it corroborates the. sweeping condemnation hurled by Father Vaughan against' the Smart Set. And although this " Smart Set"' probably does but represent an 'infinitesimal part of what, for want of a better term, is called society in England, yet even allowing its limitations, the state ,of things disclosed is bad enough in all conscience.

The book of sermons has' a preface and and epilogue; indeed, both prefaco and epilogue contain statements more sweeping than the sermons themselves. Father Vaughan confesses that his denunciations aro confined to that, particular section of tho community, the "vulgar rich." who haunt tho neighbourhood!' of Mayfair. "Not," lie adds, "that I think they are tho only offenders, but they are amoug the worst, and with the least excuse." Ho then proceeds to indicate the nature of the offences, by condemning the action of those who declare that Nothing can bo wrong that they think right; that- there is no sin except that of being dull or poor; that money must bo had at any cost; that cards without high stakes are not worth playing; 'that intimacy of all sorts between tho sexes is only " bping human"; that if there be'a God at all, He can only \\;ant you to be happy in 'your own way ; and that the only way to be happy is to say what you like, do what you like, and when, and where, and with whom you like. . The advocates of these pernicious practices may be but few in- number, .but they are noisy, and their voices prevail. They batten on garbage; on putrid l novels whicli for the most part are imported for their use andl benefit into this country from tho Continent. I have before me catalogues of books the very titles of which are enough to send a thrill of horror and of terror through any man or woman who is normal. But, alas! theso books by thousands are devoured in tho boudoir even' more than in the smoking-room; ves, devoured by beautiful women, of whom you would feel disposed to say with the poet: They havo but fed on i-lie roses, and lain' in the lilies of life. We talk- of tho gutter press, but it is cleanness itself beside tlie. sewage literature in which only too--many of the present generation disport- themselves and wallow swinelike. - As one outcome of such reading, "the conversations that are carricd on between tho sexes and among wohien with each other are nothing less than shocking." In her novel, "'The Girl and the Gods," Miss or Mrs Mansfield lias something to say unta the same head. The scene is a luncheon at Mrs Watkin Watson-' Smith's-.—

Cigarettes were handed round, and the women sucked tobacco and chocolates alternately.

Then Psyche strove to keep the conversation within the bounds of decency; she might as well have asked Spaniards t-a prefer blowing soap bubbles to baiting bulls; Margaret was, silent, listening with an amused smile. Mrs Mostyn tried to talk to Pippin to divert her attention, but the ivomen once relieved from the security of sobriety, vied with each other in telling nasty stories, recounting risque adventures, and indulging in lewd chaff, and yet- they were _ supposed to be gentlewomen! but 110 louger is ribaldry confined to the barrack room, women have taken to themselves the bestiality of man as well as bis .professions. If the stories told at men's dinners are anything worse than those related (it women's luncheons, it is to bo hoped the servants in attendance are deaf mutes. - « Psyche is the heroine', unmarried, and almost the only pure-minded woman in , the book. Psyche shuddered as she contrasted this luncheon party with, the simple delicacy of her own repasts; here everyone had eaten too much, half'the ,food would have sufficed, a quarter the wine been more than sufficient; she had to say again and again to herselfas she looked at the flushed faces and wicket eyes, "These are gentlewomen, not chorus girls; wives, not prostitutes." One other extract from this bookwritten, be it remembered, by a woman — will be sufficient to illustrate the atmosphere which it seeks to portray. The scene is at Lady Muriel Mordant's; I syche has called to condole with her upon the death of her husband :— , Psyche's entrance interrupted a shriek of metallic laughter. Colonel Vibrant was present, and had been relating a little story, quite the latest and nastiest ■he could remember, and he had enjoyed the recital the more because a young girl was present, and had understood and appreciated all its coarseness. Lady Muriel came forward with a surprised smile, saying, " How d'ye . do.' How kind to call, especially as although we have often met in crowds, we have not, I think, been introduced —yon know Colonel Vibrant. I fancy?" Psyche bowed. "And this is "my niece—we'call her Pippin because she is so deliriously ripe."* Psyche smiled sweetly and shook hands; Pippin smirked and stared at Psyche from under heavy lids. Pippin belonged ; to an essentially modern class; a youthless, over-developed girl of 15, with a superabundance of passion and 110 moral courage; since Smartness l took Modesty by the neck 4 and slew her there ■ have been many such, they will probably breed a race of vampire mistresses and dissolute men unless the gods are just and make them barren! Pippin could flirt or purchase in the common language of several tongues, "The Sills of Society," by Father Bernard aughan. London: T. Fisher Umvin. Dunedin: Whitcombs and Tomte. (23 6d and 3s 6d.) . *" The Girl and the Gods," by Chailotio Mansfield. ■ London: Tlie Hemies Press. Dunedin: R, J. Stark and Co. (as 6d and 5s M 4

but had never studied the beauty of either; life was her literature, and that of tho baser order. She looked at Psyche and felt envy for her gown but not her beauty; instinctively she realised that Psyche's body was encased in a shield of spiritual glory; Pippin preferred- her own warm young flesh, and she noted with satisfaction that, Colonel Vibrant .was of the same opinion. If this in any degree represents the actual atmosphere in which the Smart Set lives and moves and has its being, then all must agree that the most stinging and scathing of Father Vaughan's denunciations are not too strong to meet the needs of the case. But as Father Vaughan proceeds to point out, the Smart Set is guilty of worse practices than foul reading and filthy conversation. Who oan find words to express one's indignation with parents who for their own selfish ends rush their sons or daughters into loveless marriages, that can result in nothing but lifelong misery or else in legal separation. Too well we all know the sort of society woman who tries to persuado lior daughter that unless she accepts tho offer of marriage that has been arranged, not in view of her girl's happiness, but of her own convenience, she herself will be driven to commit self-slaughter. Nay, perhaps many of us could cite more than a solitary instance of a father who, for the sake of getting his gambling debts paid, has not hesitated to sell to some mammonite fiend an only child, who, rather than face her parent's anger, has closed with the hideous bargain, signed tho contract and become a slave. One of the most striking of Father Vaughan's sermons, is that which, after picturing the dance of Salome and the (Kinand of Herodias for the head of tho Baptist, proceeds to apply the picture to modern society, with especial reference to the limitation of the family. A couple of extracts will reveal the trend of tho sermon: — ,

There a no language to express tho thrill of horror which, as a Christian gent'.eman, I feel when I pause to, reflect upon the consequences to my dear country, even' England, of the ideas now in vogue among fast' married people about married life, Is it not appalling to think that- tho very last thing for newly-married people to want is mutual love? Nay, they ridicule belief in any such old-world relic. It is "bad form," and that is the end of it. Present up-to-date parents ridicule the notion of having big families : so that instead of being proud, society is becoming ashamed of owning to a nursery full ol children. In a sense, it may be a for what with club-life and club-habits and club-morality, there is little or no time for a mother to look to her one and only child, .which,- of course, she neither feeds nor even sees, except perhaps at tea-time, when it is brought down to show off its fine clothes. One of tho most striking scenes in " The Girl. and the : Gods" is where Dr Ralli takes Lord Stanford to task for the condition of his infant son. Lady Stansford was " playing bridge with a lot of cats," and Lord Stansford was in a bad temper at being .summoned frqm his compilable olub in order to hear the doctor's report about tlie cliild. Little Leonard Stansford had been starved mentally and physically before ho ivas born—in this lie was but one of many—few fashionable , women re : gard maternity, as a sacred sacrifice, few men bum incense at the shrine of love, they prefer to squander cheap perfume on the lowest steps of passion, and are unworthy to receive living gifts from the gods..

The theme discussed in both looks is avowedl.v unpleasant, but the state of things disclosed is so serious as. to. justify the publicitygiven. ' lit corroboration o : f his statements' Fattier Y'atfghan "lias received a large number of deeply interesting letters, the purport of which lie publishes 'as appendix to his book. Many of them are from parents. They, too, wrote in a kindly, grateful spirit, thanking mo for the help I was giving to them in their efforts to stem the strong tide of evil practice? and customs that had of late years set in. Most distressing is much of this read- ( ing, for it goes to prove what littJo hold some parents have of their girls once they have come out, and of their boys even in their teens. " The freedom between the sexes," the " bear-lighting," the "horse-play," "the romping in one another's rooms," "the vulgar practical jokes," " the grossly immoral stories," " the scrofulous novels," the " religious indifference," "the ntter neglect of daily prayer" are among the tilings that parents deplore, and wliich in so many instances they tell me they are powerless even to chcck. Some parents have written to say that sinoe I denounced with all the fore© of my being the practice of young men and women driving home "together after an elaborate supper that followed a questionable play (the sequence of a sumptuous dinner), they had come to realise how unbecoming it was, how fraught with moral danger. Some writers have tried to persuade the public that 1 made out it was wicked for a man and woman to drive together under any circumstances. I said .it was wicked to allow young men and women to do so under a definite set of circumstanccs. I say SO still. ] Regarded as symptomatic of the times in ivhicli we live these books call for consideration at the hands of the thinking portion of the community. Happily in New Zealand we have no room for a " Smart Serfc" such as priest and novelist here depict. These exotics cannot exist- in the healthy air of a sturdy democracy. Yet. the craving for pleasure and excitement, and the lust for riches, if perhaps not so pronounced, will, if continued in, bq productive of the same evils, although in a lessor degree. It is for New Zealand to heed the' warning hero given and profit by the satires so pungently directed against the sins and follies of society in the older civilisations.