New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-02
THE FRENCH ACADEMY.


coNTEsT BETWEEN PROGRESS AND coNsEhN-
ATIsN-rAISE AND WALTON DEFKATED-CoS-
ALTERATIONS WHICH DECIDED The ELECI1ON-
NorEp FRENCHMRN WHOSE MERITS ARE IG-
SORED BY THE ACADEMY-M. MARTIN AS A
HISTORIAN.
GPRou A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF TIE fRIBUNEI
PARIS. June ia brisk dispute over two cleo
lions TO the French Academy has enlIvened fariS an
this week. In certain circles 1t excited greater ID
terest for the moment than the Exhibition, or than
the Congress- of Berlin itself. The French Academy
s supposed to be literary body, but it was not III
pureIy literary circles-if such there be-that the
keeuest excitement was kindled. Sainte-Beuve long
since remarked that whenever the Academy Is III
question you cannot help talking politics. III Is un-
happily true, Also that French politics can haruly
be discussed without discussing clericalism 90 tnat
in the choice of two new members of the assembly
which exists to watch over French literature
Church and State have had more to say to the mat
ter than literature has If the compettloh
between NJ. Henri Martin and NJ. Tame
between NJ. Renan and NJ. WALTON had turned on
their relative merits and position in the world OF
letters there could hardly be two opinions on thesuD
eet But other considerations have divided the Acad
envy into bodies so nearly equal that NJ. HEM Mar
tin has been elected by three votes over NJ lame'
while NJ WALTON man unknown out OF France
had only four votes less than NJ Renan, whose
fame is world wide. Divisions due to non-literary
causes are no novelty in the history of the Academy
The popularity of the TaineMartin contest is that
parties have completely changed sides, and that
the men who opposed NJ. Tame when he first pre-
sented himself as a candidate have now been MS
supporters The clcTicals, who were strong enough
to exclude NJ Renan from the Academy TIL he was
past ffty-fve have at last seen him enter without
very great reluctance The same party defeated NJ
Tame when the Liberals voted for him, and have
now themselves been defeated i'll an attempt TO
elect him. What is the secret of these curious ter
giversatOnsl
1t is the custom to speak of the forty members OF
the Academy as occupying forty fauteuils, or arm
chairs and when a member dies his chair is said to
be vacant and an election takes place TO fill this
particuIar vacancy-all this being tradition de-
rived from the early days of the original Academy,
of which Richelicu was in some sense father, ana
surviving amid all the changes which have since oc-
CURED. The present Academy is often called Rich
elieu's But the old Academy went down with the
old throne. 1t was utterly abolished out OF the
world IN 1893, and the Institute founded by the
Convention in 1896 did not restore it. When the
Institute divided at its birth into three classes was
redistributed into four by the First Consul in $500,
the second class, that of the French Ian
guage and literature, once more bore
likeness to the Academy. In 1916 the Academy,
like many other things restored, so far IA de-
cree of the restored Bourbon known TO history as
Louis XVIII could restore it. But the ordinance
violated the first principle of the body that of self
election. excluding some who had been members
since 1903, and adding others. Hence has sprung
ND confusion in the line of succession to the sep
arate fauteuls There really two distinct series
of Acadcncians but that does not touch the direct
ness of descent winch prevails in these days; and
which prevails il NAV be added spite Of the fact
that there are actually no fauteas in the Academy
ITSELF the members Of which sit stuffed benches.
The two chairs vacant about which this last contest
has RACED were those of Theirs and Of Claude Ber-
nard, the Psychologist.
NM. Tame and Henri Martin were competitors
for the fauteuil of Theirs Both Of them had strong
claims to a seat in the Academy. The names of
both must be familiar even to the citizens of that
country which the painter Meissonier singles out
for contempt as the one to whose opinion he u alb
soiutely Indifferent. NJ. Taine began philosO-
pher, and began as young men usually do, by at
lacking and far his strength avaIed upsetting
all that was in authority in the world Of pure
thought. Then, with a short excursion into purely
literary fields he set about writing books of travel.
His Voyage aux Pyrenees" and Voyage en-
ton, with vivid porraiture Of the past and spark
ling criticism on art had a marked success. His
popularity was established. His cOuntymen.
who set more value than any other people in
the world on style, recognized in N. Taine master
of energetic and often brilliant dctiOn. Above all
things no was readable. lie wanted to De thought
a man of the world. and no wrote the Life and
Opinions Of Thomas GrundOrge.' which foreign
readers not too familiar with Paris, accepted rs
picture of Partisan life cynical. perhaps, but sub
stantiay true. Foreign readers also, English and
American at any rate abouudcd for his History OF
English Literature :" book which may safely be
put into the hands Of student already sufficiently
advanced 10 check It's numerous mistakes, and to
form an opinion for himself on its sometimes start
ling theories With all its faults, it was.
and is, the best book on It's subject.
So in some respect is his Notes on England"
albeit rather collection Of material for a book
than a completed work perfect in form. Ii has the
fault, also, Of being written IN part as a satire on
French society. France is never out Of Taine's
mind, and perhaps the great people, the
great houses of England, and the superior
classes generally, are too steadily present TO
him. He sIgnalized his return TO philosophy by
treatise de PlntelliRence,' and last Of all he
sought fame a historian. Two volumes Of Les
Ongines de la France Contemporaries" have been
published. The first, which dealt with the abuses
of the old monarchy, disappointed but did not
ALLEVIATE his friends. The second in which he
attacked the Revolution, exasperated them. 1t is
Thames appearance in the unexpected character of
an enemyOf the ideas Of 'S9 which has earned him
the support of the reaetiOnares. Heretofore they
have denounced him atheist and material
ist. No abuse was too gross for the man who had
ventued to say that the value Of existing giOns
being only one form of many expressive of hui
thought and feeling, was purely historical and
who had suggested that thought itself was only a
secretion of the human brain. There is no evidence