The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-07
SOME NEW hooks.
Victor Hugo. Latest Poem.

VICTOR HUGOS now WORK. lac Tune paris.
Colm,nn Iovv, soems tn cbnllonoc attention
not merely ns II nocm but ma n manifesto. In.
d.cd whom we noto the remarkable attitudc hero
,,krn bv the foremost of living Radicals to-
ward tho pnpncy we arc constrained To overlook
for II momont tho man of lettcrs in tho natriot
THESE shrcds Of yerse. hnlf lyric. half
frnma,Ic frarmentarv cnouah md some.
,.n,es incohcrcpt vet frnught for tho
most nnrt with tho authors in,ense and
infrct,ous eloouence. embody nm extraordinary
euggcstiop. An invitation is extended to
TN. Catholic Church 10 discnrd onco md for
ever its profltess league with tho monarchical
md oligarchical PRINCIPLES. to rcpudiate King
md Kaiser who have plundcred and betrayed
II. 10 revert 10 the democratic. not to say COM
munis,ic spirit of its infancy. and to preach.
frankly and exclusively, in organization and in
work those doctrines OF eounlity and fraternity
which II once proclaimed and has Mt no time
utterly overlooked. Whether or no this pro-
iectcd alliance between the papacy and the new
democracy is purely n poets dream we may he
nssisted presently TO determine by the con-
cordant hints of n shrewd Catholic thinker At
nll events. these latcst words Of Hugo deserve n
thoughtful hearing. even through the medium
OF n prose translation. IA the respectful. conci-
ntory utternnce OF n great republican poet who
has boon swift enough in the past to mark the
In tho poem itself such a revcrsion on
tho part OF Rome to tho unselnsh teach-
ings which filled the Cataconiis, and the
strange, scarce thinkRblo alliance with the
extreme popular tendencies of tho day
are seemingly RELOCATED To dreamland. II
is night. The Holy Father is asleep in his
bedroom within tho Vatican. He dreams; and.
inter following his night wanderngs, we are
brought back to the same apartment where the
poct. ms II conccding that his picturc Ind more
OF longing than of faith in IL makes the Bishop
OF Rome mutter. on awakening. d" I have dreamt
afrightful dream" But n moments reflection
suggests that a poet patriot does not give 40
much pains to the portrayal OF nm impossible
vision, and that his perception of the function
which events may press upon the Papncy is not
unbrightened with hope of its acceptance
In An early scene of this coud-drama the
Pope, who has been striving to spell the lessons
OF the Creative One written in the starry heay-
ems scans with pitying looks the file Of MON
archs which sweeps past him in august sitnill.
tude of the most Christian and most Catholic
defenders OF tho faith. We next see him on tho
threshold of the Vatican. nbout to abandon thnt
stronghold and symbol OF the old compact be-
tween priest and king. and 20 forth like the
first Bishops of Rome. those lowly. often nm
Iettered expounders of the gospel OF humanity.
He whom the sufrrages of the conclaye have
placed on the throne of St Peter. is represented
as speaking in the spirit Of the primitive prom
uganda to the city of Rome and to the universe
Listen he says. all ye living. shroudcd in shad-
DIV, led astray by the long imposture Of the
slavish centuries; know that thrones nre
black. the sceptre vain, the purple vile
Beneath the vast sky yonder uncomfortable and
mild. love is the only purple innocence the only
throne. The night and the dawn, two combat
The priest is a pilot he must accustom his eyes
TO the sunlight II he would whi,en his soul
As 1t is l am blind. like all the rest Of YOU my
friends; | know not man. or God or any part
of the created world the triple crown about
my brow Is but n threefold emblem OF igno-
rance. know not why dwell here in this pal
ace. why / wear diadcm. why they call me
Lord OF Lords. Sovereign Pontin heaven
chosen King. This thing know-I am n poor
creature. Therefore. | get me gone. I Quit
this palace. trusting that all these treasures
and this luxury will not curse me for usurping
thcm-I. whose roof should he OF thntch. Mans
conscience is my sister and go to talk with
her. l will know no law but 10 hate evil.
without hating tho evildocr. Henceforth will
be only monk. like Basil. and like Antony.
GO. set forth on foot over the earth. as
chance leads me. into tho dawn. into the
night; having the wind and the rain for cloth
ing. II 1t please heaven owning nothing but
the passing moment and mindful that the mo-
ments are short l know that man suffers.
60 to succor the tagging spirit the drowning
heart. l fare sdhid deserts. amid novels. among
brambles and focks. vagrant even as Jesus. the
divine. barefooted wayiarer. For him who owns
nothing. It's 10 gain the world thus to march
through the profundites of humanity. To heal
aching hearts. to prop sinking faith. to quicken
souls about his path. From kings, then. | seize
the earth to the Romans give back Rome:
go home to Gods house. which is no other than
the lowly house OF man. Give me way. people,
Rome. farewell.
Now we cannot shut our eyes to the astonsh-
ing vitality Of Latin Christianity. or deny that
the Roman Church, shorn Of all its tenn
poral possessions. remains on the whole tho
mightest organ cation upon the earth. To meas
ure tie profound and massive foundations OF its
authority we need but to compare the influence
OF the present Pontih with that of any OF the dis
inherited princes. whose ancestors have at times
seemed to control or compromise the Papacy.
Tho truth is. that in the great reaction which