Masterpiece Selection Resonating with the Themes of The Last Man: Cult Guide

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Jean Dubois, who has discovered a gold mine in the Canadian Northwest, seeks revenge on the man who ruined his sister. Jean befriends "Faro" Telford, a gambler who sends for a gang of crooks to take over the mine. Jean's wife runs off with a member of the gang, and Jean, heartbroken, is about to leave the village when "Goldie," a gang member, reveals that it was gang leader Dan Cregan who wronged Jean's sister. Jean is about to murder the crook when lightning strikes a tree, causing it to fall and crush Cregan. Jean's wife returns to him and the two begin anew.

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Dr. Guy Hartwell, a young and wealthy Louisiana physician, was a man of strange personality. Five years previous to the opening of the story he married and bestowed sincere love upon his wife. In return she basely played him false and shortly afterward died. From that moment he was a changed man. Embittered against the world, mankind and even distrusting God, the silent and melancholy man lived on. With the doctor lived his widowed sister and her daughter, whom everyone considered as the heir of the physician's wealth. In the same city lived Beulah Benton, who was sent from the orphan asylum out into the world to earn her living as a servant girl, while her little sister Lillian found a home as the foster daughter of a rich lady. At the orphanage Beulah learned to love Eugene, another inmate, but he, too, was adopted by a wealthy family and sent abroad to be educated. He promised upon his return to make Beulah his wife. Beulah yearned to see her sister, but Lillian's foster parents forbade the two to meet. This affected Beulah deeply, but the crushing blow was about to descend. Lillian fell ill, and in spite of every effort of Dr. Hartwell the younger sister died. Beulah, seeing the crepe on the door, forced herself in and for the first time met the doctor. The kindness of his nature was reawakened by the grief-stricken girl, and he took her to his home, attended her through a serious illness, then placed her in school. But Beulah found her new surroundings far from pleasant. While the doctor as yet refused to trust any woman, he treated her with marked respect and consideration, but his sister fearing that the adopted girl would become the heir instead of her own daughter, lost no opportunity to humiliate Beulah. It was more than she could bear, and at last the girl sadly left the doctor's house and returned to the orphanage, but the doctor, however, brought her home again and provided other quarters for his sister and her daughter, both of whom were wholly dependent upon him for support. The years passed and Beulah's lover, Eugene, returned from Europe, a dissipated wretch, his love for the orphan girl forgotten and his hand pledged to the frivolous niece of Dr. Hartwell's false wife. The physician warned the foolish youth to give her up, pleading with him to remain true to his promise to Beulah, but without avail. It was now that Hartwell realized that he himself loved her and declared his affection. Beulah expressed her great gratitude, but still grieving over her false lover told him that she could not return his affections. Hartwell went North and Beulah became a school teacher. An epidemic broke out and people were perishing by the score. Doctor Hartwell returned to the stricken city. The doctor and Beulah met and side by side they fought the ravages of the disease. Clara Saunders a friend of Beulah's fell in love with Hartwell but becomes a victim of the plague, and with her departing breath joined the hands of the two, and bade them be happy. Through comradeship with Beulah, the doctor's faith in God and Man was restored, and his life made still brighter by her voluntary confession of her love for him. Their marriage followed, and Beulah and her husband fearlessly faced the future.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Beulah perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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Gambler Dave Garrison has caused the fury of James Riddle and Mary Ballard by seducing the former's sister Bessie and by deceiving the latter's brother Billy out of thousands of dollars. As a result, Mary and James join forces and come up with a plan to outsmart Dave. In effect, Mary bets herself against Dave's money, agreeing to sleep with the gambler if his horse, the favored Shooting Star, wins a race, while Dave must pay her $10,000 if the horse loses. To make the odds more in her favor, Mary switches horses, putting the lumbering lookalike May Belle in place of Shooting Star. As a result, Mary and James gain their revenge on Dave, after which, made confident by their good fortune at the racetrack, they decide to try their luck as husband and wife.

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Walking aimlessly in the desert, crazed by thirst and hunger, Lucy Mannister and Gaston Sinclair are overtaken by her husband George, who has pursued them around the world. Threatening to shoot them, George extracts a confession from Sinclair, once George's friend, that a group of George's Wall Street associates had conspired to ruin him. They made it appear to Lucy that George was having an affair with the notorious Sylvia De La Mere. After Lucy saw Sylvia embrace George, she despaired and left with Sinclair, who said he loved her. George lets them live, and he returns to New York, where, with the help of Sylvia, who now loves him, George terrorizes the group. One by one he leads them, and then Sylvia, to either financial ruin, disgrace, or death. When George learns that Lucy is no longer traveling with Sinclair, and that she has never even kissed him, he locates her, forgives her, and takes her back.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Sporting Blood perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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A woman leaves her husband and children for mistaken reasons. After being thought killed in a train crash, she returns in disguise to be the children's governess.

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From Alphonse Daudet's 1884 novel comes a variation: A scheme by a beautiful vamp to marry a wealthy young man fails, and the woman returns to her former lover, a sculptor. She is shocked to discover he has committed suicide, and the tragedy catapults her into insanity.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Long Arm of Mannister perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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Architect John Chance, before building a "Dream City" for a religious cult leader, Prophet Stein, visits Paris and rescues an American girl, Cynthia Grey, from riotous masqueraders at a carnival. After they part, Cynthia returns home. Meeting Stein aboard a ship, and having an idealistic nature, she becomes a follower of Stein, who thinks her beauty will attract others. Chance builds the city, agreeing to say it was made by the "comrades" so that Stein's motto, "Beauty Through Toil," will seem to be true. Cynthia and Chance fall in love and when Stein, a married man, attempts to seduce Cynthia, Chance tells the newspapers, which expose Stein and his financially fraudulent practices. The "comrades" burn the "Dream City" and Chance saves Cynthia, while Stein, attempting to leave with his ill-gotten money, dies when a burning beam falls on his head.

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In a prologue set in ancient Rome, the pagan Valerain attempts to abduct St. Cecilia to his debauched birthday feast, but her spiritual beauty stops him, and he kneels before her. In the main story, Conchita Cordova sings in the cathedral choir in her village of San Miguelito near the Rio Grande. Millionaire oil man John Rannie, whose oil fields have displaced the peasants, desires Conchita, and when he learns that her fiance, Juan Mendoza, has been employed by Adolf Wylie, a German spy, Rannie threatens to expose Juan unless Conchita gives herself to him. Although disillusioned, Conchita decides to save Juan, but as she removes her cross, Rannie is moved by her sacrifice, and begs forgiveness. Meanwhile, the villagers, incited by Wylie, set Rannie's fields on fire. When Juan, thinking that Conchita loved Rannie, throws her cross in the fireplace and places it on her breast as a brand of shame, she rebukes him. After Conchita saves Rannie from being burned by the villagers, he kneels beside her in church. In Rome, Valerain kneels before St. Cecilia.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of East Lynne perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

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Dave Scott, a wealthy mine owner, is killed. His daughter, Marie, goes to her father's old friend Richard Clark, knowing that he will take care of her interests. Clark and his grown son, Ted, become attached to Marie. Innocent in manner, she sees no necessity for concealing her preference for the elder Clark. In time, Ted's attachment culminates in a proposal, which is rejected. Ted accuses his father of standing in his way and the father makes Marie promise that she will accept Ted. A few minutes before the time set for the ceremony, a note from Ted explains that he realizes the love that exists between Marie and his father, and rather than exact the sacrifice, he has left his father's home, leaving them free to marry.