Wilmington journal., 1876-06-16
(ErOIn the New York World J

George Sand is dead, and there +.
mains to the world only her grave an
: her fame. To me there remain tw
memories; twice in my life 1 hav
tonched the hand that wrote ''CCL
suelo'-at greeting and parting;-
twice 1 have heard the voice tina
called to make love the law of life.
The first time, only a. few year
ag0-it seems much longer, now tina
death has come between the event AM
me-was at one of the great horticul
tural shows in Paris There moving
about among the fruits aud flowers, W
saw a woman of the medium size
plainly and rather peculiarly dressed
and accompanied by.a pale young MAJ
who resembled her so strongly that W.
at once pronounced them mother an(
son. The woman was in the autumn
OF life, the young man In the early
summer. On her face the woman
wore mPrks of care and time, q. tired
disappointed look such as they weal
who after hard climbing have reached
a height of fame and find it uncOm-
| pensating. There were remnants OF
beauty III the face, but they We're only
remnants. Have yen seen Mary
Clemmer? Draw some liues of age on
her face and she will look as this wo-
man looked. She, too, has the same
figure and bearing There were deep
gray eyes under brows too heavy for a
woman, head crowned with a
considerable wealth of carelessly ar
ranged HAIR just threaded with gray,
aud picturesquely draped with lace.
There was a little stoop of the shoul-
ders that comes of tie habit of think
ing hard and writing steadily. WLer-
ever this woman and her companion
went the spectators turned TO look at
them. The face and figure are clear
cut III my memory to-day, and there
is nothing commonplace in it. You
would have known that this was a dis
tinguished person. 1t was a face with
soul behind IL. The movements
were those of Il person accustomed to
be looked at and accustomed to hon.
age. One looked at this woma al
most an aged woman-and felt the
magnetism of genius. We asked of a
bystander who it WAS, and were told
that il was George Sand and her son.
the woman who has more strongly set
her mark upon her time than any
other. A French journalist who was
present, and whom we had long known
offered to present, and we were not
slow to avail ourselves of his offer. In
half an hour we were at the side of the
great writer Bnd talking with her, or
rather she was liking with rs as fa>
as if we had been acquainted
for years.
One is often disappointed in meet
ing with famous people, aud especially |
famous writer's. Their personality is
less fascinating than their work. Not |
SO with George Sand. Every word she |
said was worth tho writing down.
She was eloquent about the fruit. the
towers, the place. She was in this
exhibition the true greatness OF France.
speaking of the agriculturalist, she
said:
"What they entice out of the gronnd
makes the country rich. ''Ihey who
grow these things are felIow.workers
With the sun. with the clouds, with
no winds, with the warm old earth
)Ge should never forget this. and rate
hem highly for their great usoful-
less"
When the great woman was told we
we're Amerlcnns,. she at once showed
,Fent interest Ill our country "PcO-
lie of to day" she said, "should have
higher sense of the responsibilities
# life; they work for n whole CONT
Ient more than people worked u hun
lrrd years ago. Your people have
he inostirnabie advantage Of beginning
t the beginning III government. They
lad an old prejudice to root out. They
AVE the opportunity to practice what
ge write on our churches and wallis
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite,' Ycu
va ul fba honaf,to Of nor leoooOo |
Without tho trouble of learning them"
We etrolled through the exhibition,
nd as we walked from one display to
nother, each of which was closely in
pected by Mime. Dudevant, she told
8 of Nobsnt, her place in the coun-
ry. cit is Arcadia" she said. "Our
YES are so simple and healthy there
We bid nature good day every morn-
ng with pleasure, and say good night
nth regret. She is so good. is ma
ure, and SO grateful. If you give her
omething she does not fail to return
many times multiplied. Nature is
good banker-she never fails. If she
ecame insolvent the earth would be-
ONE a desert, and she knows better.
'he loves us all too well to d sappoint
5 when we confide in her."
So we talked on and on, and at part
ng that day she said: 81 am truly
rateful to you-you are the first
american / have met who didn't ask
ne about my books. how l wrote them
nd which liked best. Now, how /
Vrite them is my secret, and they are
ny children. so how could | love one
,etter than another ?"
1T was only a few days after this that
M at lannon's 81 SPHGn6 |
imc At d garden party given by a
oted French artist. There was music
nd dancing and tea. There we're no
nd of distinguished people present
nut no one tracted the same atten"
ion as George Sand, who, in a little
rbor, held Il sort of little court. After
ONE wonderful singing, she said:
II believe to sing like that is to
ave passport to heaven. l don't
ee how the angels at the gate could
esist it. There is nothing that so lifts
Is above earth as music. 1t Is an &C.
tasy, and to wakeu from it is painful
even when one i'll such good COM
,aDy as the present. The power of
nusrc Is estimable; words cannot reach
t. The noblest passions of our souls
re inarticulate. But in the best mu-
ic there is something of sadness-a
truggle to express an inspiration, a
truggle' that cannot succeed. Lam
,uage ties us down, and here is the ad-
,antage of the poet"
Near us were a pair of young lovers
Who never forgot they were lovers, SO
;lsoely were they devoted to eDch 9TH
If. If Sylvius spoke Phoebe smiled.
f Phoebe sighed, Sylvius echoed the
ugh, and was III raptures. They even
orgot the music, and whispered while
t played. "See," said Nine. Dude
7ant, "mIsic has one master"
Some one replied that it had been n
aithful servant, and done much good
service for love.
"Yes, and been we'll paid for it, for
owe has given to music its best
hemes. ranging all the way from the
simple 'Chanson d'Amour' to the most !
intricate OPERA" replied the author,
and cOntinued:
"When one writes Of love, whether
lOams or music he liz sure of q mi |