, 1877-03-24

returns 70 her parents, Ike 4 wh,pped dog, when
.hc has no bread to cat. When ill tho ocono-
mics arc spent when everything Is zone 10 tho
pawnhrokcr, when Lauttcr haF wcll-nfGh de-
vnaret the family. he throws II away like tuck-
ell orange; ho varls1cs nn! goes somcwflcro
elsc to md nc'y rrcy. Cn,trcan, to pass rap
trcmens; t;crvasc bccom.A pauper, livcs on :
charity. tries everything In satn, anl finally dies
Of starvation In corner.
hare not much sympathy for what Is called
nnyth'ng Of the kind lasc cycr read. Eugene
huo attempted t., paint tho "Mvstcrtcs Of
Paris" and studied tl,c manners Of the danger
ons classes: but IL hs Tofk the ot.vrIer, the
great ladies' and Princes IA disguise. In tho
"AssotnInolrn y there Ia not oven mention Of
gentleman or OF gcntlcwoman. We arc fairly
misery; 20 hsve no horizon but thc dirk, dirty
strceta OF Clienancnurt. We never lcavo tho
,auatlry-shop, with It's hot furnace and It's fctd
atn'nsspIicrc; o. tho low hsandY.shop. with its
which lerraIso moyes Is q sort OF Inferno,
spesanla yoicl.'entrasc."
All speak aruot; they al tlctcst their employers;
they all sTcari they nli hate tc rcrv namu Of
rellraons and look With l,orfor on the priest a.
well as On the polite. They read tho ncwspa-
not sorialisss in nc Oil sense OF Tic words and
this is, In my eyes one Ut tho curiou. cilnrartcr-
isttca Of our working population. In tho year
1878 el,cse we're great nfany tocEalstic eehoolss
some Cabot, some were Phalanstcrians, soma
Poslttvtsts. The worklngmcn had M desire but
TO reconstruct society on fomo equitable ha:ts.-
they hal theories, doctrines. Now. i II. Zofa
feel sort Of fcntlfsh hatred of the classes which
possess capital; tl,cy arc lost all faith III polt-
tcal or oven eo.ia1Ist!c theories: They arc Re-
pub1lcaus, but merely berausc Tho Republic al
1nrnn in FFnn.H with FnflIInn. and
rebellion gives them what thoy dcsttc-a eors OF
| holiday. an urEtc. bacchanalfn.
There fa mucii IN tho book Of ". Xola that cat,
only hare hccn observed de rtsu; tho widest aud
coaracs. Imagination could hardly conceive sons
| et the characters and the secucs Of "L'Assors-
tnoir." Sill, 1t would probably be very unjust
tG 1uss the population q our .daa faneoag. r by
Kne Or an Emperor" but b If saanot tselieso that
It fs the people; Il only Describes we'll the worst
part OF thc population, the fraoti9n-alas! sefy
men who arc, e 10 tpcak, tl'e scum q ~ CAPT:
tn1. Tho terrible anttna'tsm untl rnutcrialisn Of
this class can probably only l,c lounl where tho
highest civilization hour'she;, :inec "Les *. +
says. The most alranccd culture requires
manure; you Will find IN city like Paris, elong.
side Of tho most adm!rahlc. purity
and the most extraordinary combinations
tho lowest tyres OF bc1tlalhy. The defect VI II !.
zola's book In my opinion. is III tho a',scncc Of
contrasts, IN It's tnonotpnT. We nest pas
itabit qui fait 10 lnoinc." says another French
prorcrb We t1ntI cvcry day In tho world IN
whtcl. VIC move, amidst thehcst-clucated people.
men who arc n,orallr as low a, !Coupca9 or
l.au.icr: their decorations, their dress, their
manners. dD not deceive uf. VIC ser tho villain
under nil tho wells OF civilization. We car rcepE.
nizc The cruel egolst under soft WORKS. tho liar
under honorable projections. tho cowart under
tho military uniform. The SAME may he said of
tho worktnc,ncn. the blouse docs not cover
only the hcn1ts Of rufiians, of lrunAanls. The
mofalist would drllaht IN finding IN tho l.un,bu
ouurttr virtues worthy Of admiration and OF
alteration. n. Zula, It Il true, tealncatcs
vaguely a Roolt IN unselllah wprklu.lnan-
only ono, blacksmith, wh0 Is tlnt,lly In
love with the unfortunate Grrvaite; but he
appears Vcry scl1utn, and tho noise Of hts honest
hammer Is lost In the chorus Of fools, Of sran'ps
Of Il!tts Of bcasts Of both tcxcs, who form The
principal actors Of bis painful drama. ! l.ave
unit this norc1 rs should hare Eonc ont Of .
ttisaertnc-ruotn: and llayc &rcatllrl tho fresh
mir nf ono OF LaInarttnc's 'Afcs1tatlons.'
"L'Assommotr lett IN inc an Impression 81
nnscr and disgust; and still could mt heir
thinking Ut It nnd tneditatng oyor t. What DIX
tho uuthor meant II he fricnd OF the people
or an enemy VI republican institutional Car
suci. works do my 1oodl What viii heenn'c O
n generation which IL fed upon such litcrature
IL this litcruture has no other oh 1T than tC
photograph life and vieci ! confess that ran-
> not unswcr these questions.