Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-10
Al Victor Hugo's Newspaper once.
~ HANS CHRISTIAN AspEEsxs.

Ifooaeiy the most interesting Newspaper
Office have ever visited Is that Of the Paris
Rdppsi, which IL owned by Victor Hugo aud has
son. The RdPpsi Is the largest OF the radical
journals of Paris; il is ably written As any OF
wonder. considering that the great poet himself
Is regular contributor 20 its columns; and IL
has circulation 30 extensive A, TO make IL very
1 had letter TO Victor Hugo, and. not lind
ing him at his residence In the Rue Deluc, drove
to the Office Of the Rdppei, where, was told. |
would be certain 10 meet him. Il Rdppel occu-
PIES most elegant apartments in new i've
story building on the Boulevard Moutmsrtre.
The editorial ssnctum is q splendid room on
the second noor, with large windows, and a
most most aengnuul view OF one OF the finest por-
When was ushered in by young page, I saw
pale, slender gentleman OF fortynve or ffty
rising slowly and painfully from sofa on which
an. Victor Hugo" 1 asked.
81 am Hugo's son." he replied. "My father
VIII De here presently. Can do anything for
told him who / was and what had come
Tor Then we were friends at once. He was
Kind enough 70 tell me that he had read some OF
my books, and I was proud 20 hear from him
that his father would be delighted TO see me
Poor fellow! He next told me about has bad
health. He has been an invalid for years ana
| saw from his psliid. hollow cheeks thai h :
days are numbered Still, although homeless
coDsumptiye, he is daily at his post aud cheer
fully carries on the lsborious work OF \ mAaas
ing editor. To do so in Paris is not only an
srduous and delicate, but also adangerOus task
heard with profound emotion the pathetic
story which NJ. Hugo told me about the misfor-
tunes of his ilustrious family. lie himself il
its last representative since the death OF h )
younger brother. He has a wife but no chill
dren. y few years vet, and the world will kno y
no more OF the HugOs, who for three-Quarters
of q century have played so conspicuous q part
in the history of FTance-Nictor Hugo's father
general OF the First Empire; bis elder brother,
Abel, a brilliant historian. his sons, excellent
DOffs and still better iOurnaifgte The N "a n
with whom l was cOnyersing told me all about
his lamented brother, who. an ardent student,
undoubtedly worked himself to death, writing
IN the daytime for lie Rapid, and trsnsladng
Burns and Walter Scott until late at night.
Half an hour passed in this delightful, AMI
withsl saddening manner, when the door open-
ed, and Victor Hugo himself stepped in. re
cogDiZed him at once, although nearly thirty
wears had passed since l had seen him last
That was in 1S45, when he delivered a fiery
speech In the Chamber of Peers. His hair then
was black, now ii was white as snow; but his
bearing was still as proud and erect as then.
and hIs eye still possessed that magnetic, won
though not exactly handsome. 80 remarkably
attractive. Louis Philippe, with whom Victor
him
"whenever NJ. Hugo asks ANYTHING of me |
grant it at once. would not dare to look him
In his great curious eye, and refuse"
Let me add that Victor Hugo never asked
anything wrong of that king.
His welcome was cordial in the extreme. He
informed me that Dickens, my poor, dear
friend, had told him, in 1855, that intended
TO visit him at his retreat on the island of
Guernsey. How kind to remember il! We
were friends at once. Not trace of haughti-
ness is TO be found in the manners OF that
prince of poets He invited me to dine with
him that day at six, and would not hear Of any
excuse.
lie asked me to look at the papers moment,
rang bell, and took from the entering boy a
proof sheet. L could not help watching him a
he glanced over it, 1t was a brief editorial, but
it evidently did not please him. Selling iesd-
pencil, he hastily wrote some lines on the proof
sheet, ana then whispered 10 his son. The latter
made soothing remark to his father, which at
once removed the frown from Victor Hugo's
fine brow.
1 asked him how he liked newspaper work?
He laughed, and said he was hardly able 10
little of IL.
"TOu must ask NJ. de Grardin about il. " he
said, good naturally. "He can tell you all about
1t. never was much of journalist"
"No gu write your editorials in verse; I said,
and complmented him with unteigned al mi
ration upon the magnificent lines he b ad recent
ly addressed to the Count de Chambord.
To my establishment, father and son looked at
one another and smiled.
The son explained il all TO me. "Father, :" he
said, "bamed me for giving the poem TO the
printer. He was dissatisfied after fni-hing il.
II was not good enough. gave it, without biz
knowledge, to the c0mp0sitOrs. Next dsy he
was angry with me. 1 am glad, VI. And srsen,
that you side with me-
And thus We chatted on for over an hour.
Assistant editors and reporters came IN. The
Younger Hugo gave them their instructions In
the ktncest manner, his father inter posing. now
ana then. with enc OF those caustic remarks for
which he is noted.
In the course of the conversation he asked
me about my eyesight. He said he had read
somewhere that had been in danger Of losing
it entirely.
4" was twenty-five years old - he said, s'when
the doctors forbade me TO read, under pain OF
becoming blind. Eighteen months l did not
open a book nor write a line; but when my eyes
did not get any better, I pursued the opposite
course. Then did get better. For once the
doctors were at fault"
A number of proOf-sheets were brought to
him, and rose.
He took both my hands.
" At six he said. warmly to me; a. and you
must stay all evening"
At the appointed hour was at his house. He
took me to his dining room. No one was there
but he and L. Still, there were six chairs be-
sides our own. On one of them was the inscrip-
ton, in letters of gold, "Absentes adsunt." In
this manner the great poet honors the memory
of his departed dear ones.-GOIfschniifs Skdn-
tindpiSE Rerislc.
-*Since this article was in type intelli-
gence of his death has been received.