New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-04-29


s often surprise himself uucOnsclously hummiog t te
tune OF one Of his aunts old songs, Win many 'o' "
bis eyes.
At the age of eleven Jean Jacques was placed in
the office of notary, but finding the employment
repulsve and intolerabe, he neglected its duties ana
was soon dismissed for dullness and incompetence
His fellow clerks pronounced him hOpelessy stupid
He was next apprenticed TO an engraver, man OF
violent disposition and coarse manners, whose IN
fuence called out all the latent cussedness IN the
bows nature 1.-The vilest tastes the meanest bits
of rascality, succeeded to my simple amusements
without ever leaving the least idea behind" Mr.
Morley here introduces an opportune caution:
1t would be mistake let the story OF the Confessions
and the harsbness of his life led him 10 nothing very
criminal only TO acts which are despicaDe by
told lies as readily the truth. He plfered things to
eat He cuunngy found means OF opening his masters
private cabinet and OF using MS masters pest nsuu
mens by stealth. He wasted his time In idle and ca
PRECIOUS tasks. When the man. with all the gravity OF
an adult morast describes these msdeeds OF the boy
they assume certain ugness of men that exeies dis
gust which, when the misdeeds themselves are before us
In actual life, experience III far more cOnslderate
The effect OF calm retrospective ayowa Is to create
kind OF feeling which is essentially unlike our Ieehng
at the actual conduct avowed Still IL Is clear that MS
unlucky apprentice brought ont In Rousseau
tlyness greedlness sovenhness untrunlulhess Th
the whole ragged regiment OF the squalder wees ihI
evil OF his temperament now and always was OF the du
smolderng kind seldom breaking out INTO active lame
There is a certain sordidness in the scene.
He had now arrived at his sixteenth year; his
character was absolutely broken down and, fearing
punishment for his misconduct at the hands of his
MASTER he ran away from his service. This was the
turning point Of his life. 1t Introduced him to the
worst of company, and converted the idler into the
vagabond and thief But for this, he wrote many
years after Il should have passed, in the bosom OF
my religion, of my native land of my family of my
friends mild and peaceful life such as my charac-
ter required in the.uniformty of work which suited
my taste, and of society after my heart. should
have been good christian, good citizen, good father
of family, good friend good craftsman, good man
in all. / should have been happy in my condition.
perhaps might have honored it and after living a
life obscure and simple but even and gentle,
should have died peacefully in the midst of my own
people Soon forgotten should at any rate have been
regretted as long as any memory Of me was left"
This period of his life is aptly described by the
author, who is never blinded to the soul of good
ness in things evi even by the most desperate ex-
| ternal appearances
IL was this deep internal vebemence which dlsun-
guIshed Rousseau all through his life from the common
place type of social revoter. vagrant sensuous t
permanent, strangely compounded WITH GeneSese aus
ously shot with threads of firm too little CON
science and too nuch monstrous and diseased oye OF
SELF intertwned with sincere compassion ana Keen IN
terest for the great fellowship of his brothers. Wild
dreaming of dreams made TO look like sanity by tDe
close and specous connection between conclusions and
fault of being profoundly unrea:-this the type OF
character that lay unfoded in the youth who, toward
the Autumn Of 1729 reached Annecy penniless and
ragged throwing himself once more on tle chary OF
the pdtrOness who had given him shelter eighteen
months before Few figures IN the world az that time
less likely to conciliae the favor or excite me IN
terest observer, who had not studied the hdden
convouons of human character deeply enough TO know
that boy of eighteen may be sly, sensual restless
dreamy and yet have it ia him to say things one DAY
which may help TO plunge world into conhagraon'
The patroness referred to in the preceding extract
is of course the notorious Madame de Warens who
played so odd figure in the history of Rousseau and
whose career as depicted by Mr.. Morley is more
effectual than a sermon a lesson of morals. The
portraiture which he presents of her strange con-
Trajectory nature has every intrinsic mark of truth
fulness:
She was born at vevay 1901 she married early and
early disagreed with her husband, from whom she
eventually went away, abandoning family, religion,
country, and OF subsistence, with all gayety or
heart. The King OF Sardinia happened to be Keeping his
small town the southern shores of tine Lake
Of Geneva and the conversion OF Madame de Warens 10
Catholicism by the preaching OF the Bishop OF Anneey
gave zest TO the royal yst as Dfing ssSGesso pee
pursue at the expense Of the reformed church IN Swzer
house. conferred the convert small pension for
fe but the tongues OF the scandalous imputed less
prince Madame dc Warens we'd from the court
settled at Annecy. Her conversion was hardly more
serious than Rousseaus own because seriousness was no
condition of her Intelligence on any OF It's sides or IN any
OF its relations Sue was extremely charitable TO the
DOOR, full of pity for all in misfortune, easily moved 10
forgiveness OF wrong or ingrattude careless gay open
hearted; a
spring IN certain generous soils from human Impulse
and hardly any of those which spring from reflection,
had been warned in her youth by an instructor OF the
devils stamp, who finding her attached 10 her husband
pregnabe on side of the attacked her by
sOphsm and at last persuaded her that the Of tue
sexes is IN itself matter OF the most perfect Inder
ence provided decOrm OF appearance preserved and
the peace OF mind Of persons concerned not disturbed
This execrable lesson which greater and unsehsh
held aud prOpagated in grave books before the end
Of the century took root in her mind and il accept
on eX IA lie
temperament cold and thus corroDorated the idea OF
the Indifference OF what public opinion aud private passion
usually III investing with such weight
mess. will even dare 10 say, Rousseau declares,
that she only knew pleasure the world ana
that was to give pleasure 10 those whom she loved" He
is Of great pains 70 protest now compatible this cOones
of temperament is with excessive sensbity Of charac
ter but theological theory practical
ton of men and women is at all hostile to what he Is
anxious to prove The cardinal element OF character is
the speed at which It's energies mOye its rapidly its
steadiness concentration or volatility; whether the
thought and feeling travel quickly light, slowly
az sound rapid aud volatile constitution like that of
Madame de Warens, is inconsistent with ardent and
glowing warmth, which belongs other Sort but
IL essentially bound up with sensbilty readiness OF
sympathetic answer 10 every from another soul 1;
is the slow brooding smOdering nature like ROusseaus
own, in which may expect TO find the tropics.
To bring the heavy artillery OF moral reprobation TO
bear upon poor soul like Madame de Warens is If
should denOunce fragrant want Of moral purpose
the busy movements OF ephemera. Her activity was
ncessant, but IL ended in nothing better than deDt
embarrassment, and confusion. She Inherited from
her father taste for alchemy and spent much time
in search after eliXirs aud the like. "QuacKs
taking advantage OF her weakness made themselves
her master, constantly infested her ruined her. and
wasted, In the midst OF furnaces and chemicals, in
telligenCe. talents, and charms, watch would have
made her the delight OF the best societies. Perhaps
however, the too notorious vagTancy of her amOlrs
had least much TO do with her failure to delight the
best societies her indiscreet passion for alchemy
Her person attractive enough "She had points OF
beauty says Rousseau which last because they reside
rather in expression than in feature. She had tender
and caressng air soft divine SMILE light hair Of
uncommon beauty. You could not finer head,
bosom finer and hands" Her portrait, which Is
still 20 be seen by VINO will, very well to
this verbal picture II presents certain wondering
cheerful Ooseness, openeyed readiness for such
goods as cheerful gods should provide, and a !
multiplicity Of gaily rounded outlines which mark |