New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-16
FRANCE AND FRENCHMEN.


Victor Hugo has given to correspondent
of THE TRIBUNE his opinion of the ac-
tress who has succeeded Sarah Bern
hardt as q tragedienne. He also went
into a discussion of religion, in which he
spoke Enthusiastically of that subject. lie
Lesseps speaks confidently of his scheme
for canal at Panama and lavishes praise
upon the United States. The advent OF
De Freycinet to power as Minister OF Pubic
Works is giving new life to many Important
projects. Among other enterprises on 1901 Is
q restoration of the ancient glory OF La no
chelle as q seaport. Improvements nave Deeh
begun which it will take ten years 10 conn.,
plete.
~. VICTOR HUGO AND De LESSEPS.
WHAT THE FORMER THINKS OF MILE BARTTEr
AND OF 'RFLIGIoN-How DE LEssEIs TALKS
ABOUT HIS CANAL NOTION.
tppo,f THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
PARIS, May IL spent Sunday evening at Victor
Hugo's house and heard him express himself de-
lighted at Mile Bartet's rendering OF Marie dc No"
boarg In answer to my question whether the
Young actress at the Francaise who replaces Sarah
I.oT.borat wos a tragedienne he said
she was NOT if by tragedy we mean what is sinister
and awful she would not be good .Athalie or a
Lady Macbeth But, like Homer and Byron, Victor
Hugo loved the fair sex too we'll ever to incarnate
evil MISSIONS in q woman. When lie had to produce
a sinister effect the instrument was man. lie gave
as examples Do SalluSte in 'Ruy Bias" the Church
man in "N6 re Dame de Paris" the Policeman in lies
Miserablcs ~ and in "DIlistOiTe DUN Crime" he
left purposely in the penumbra the degraded women
who. under the influence of champagne and sensu'
BUS excitement, bounded on the generals at the
Elysian orge to execute Louis Napoleons orders IN
nassacring the people of Paris. There were tenn-
nine monsters in history; but Victor Hugo did not
feel it was any part of his mission to invest them
with immortality, as Shakespeare had done
Tor Catherine de Medics in handing her
down to posterity as the type of the spouse
Of the weak-minded Scotch tbane, Macbeth None
If the herones of Victor Huco's dramas are terri
be There is not, therefore, any necessity to
ook out for tragedienne TO personate
Them. Tenderness. grace and urselfshneSs
we're evinced by Mile. Bartet. Mile. BernhaTdts
attitudes were eegant but she had not the soul OF
IN artist and her heart not on The level OF her
intellect. She was mercantile; her standpoint was
hat of an odclothes seller eager for good bargains
She gave out no sweet alOma The poet said " The
roma is the soul of the flower L hate blossoms
which have no perfume, and for that reason
never eould endure the camellia. will
lot say that Mile. Sarah Bernhardt was scentless
had given her n little more aroma. She addressed
herself to the eye and the ear-never to the heart.
Madame Dorval, the most exquisite actress that
ver lived. made the affectiOna chords vibrate.
There are touches in MILE Bartet's personation of
Marie dc Neab0ug which remind me of poor
Madame Dorval. DOrval was not tragedienne of
The sinister Kaleidoscope school, but she had the
lift of drawing floods of tears to the eyes of the
Jpectators"
AprOpos of his newly published work,
Religion and Religions" Victor Hugo says
that he feels lie is the threshold of eter-
nifty, though his body is vigorous and his mind in
splendid working order Before taking leave
Of this existence he wished to write
something which God would accept in
proof that the talents he gave him had
not been thrown away. Religion was the saving
grace of human societies 1t drew them together
and fused them into vast brotherhood and sister
hood. Religions were walls of separation. They
we're the custom houses of the human soul,
erected by priests who wanted to coin money out
IF the souls highest needs. AS the final
aay approaches, Victor hugo loves more
profoundly the God revealed to him in Nature. in
Ills conscience aud in history. He is now seized
with o holy ardor to preach this Omnipotent and
All-present Father, to affirm his providential
care for the universe, and to hold up TO
ridicule and contempt the atheists the ma
terialsts and the dogmatists of the
old religions. The tendency of the athestical creed
was to eat, drink and be merry to-day. because
atheists had no future before them. Atheism would
suppress posterity. 1t had affection for coming
generations Victor Hugo turned a deaf
ear when tue name. of Mr.. Bradlaugh was
mentioned.
asked Victor Hugo what he meant by religion,
as opposed to religions, for had not had time as yet
IL I'll he Hi sc Cat
In the tutoral rights of the conscience. The Qua
kers had an admirable term to express them-tho
promptingsf OF the spirit and the inner
light After that he thought it behooved
the human race to. believe in the
Individual Immortality Of the soul, and in Gods
iustice.as well as in Gods goodness Each human
being had his personal revelation, and be should
never disregard it. There could not be religion
without the fullest individual liberty. Religions
were the strat-wastcoats of mems souls
They were the enemies of God working
through the pen of the poet the chsel
of the sculptor. the brush of the painter
Billed profane. Victor Hugo found God in Shakes
peare. Homer, JOB, Ezekiel. Isaiah. Milton. Dante
and the like He remembered the one malay day
land, in the same boat with the Bishop
of Rochester, having quoted a verse OF Homer
about ocean with its thousand smiles us it pos
sble," said the Bishop. that you. who have dis
coursed with me so eloq1ently about God and
Divine truth can attach any Importance to HomerT
HomeI's Had is only parcel of fables" Like,
my lord, your Bible" retOrted the poet
Victor Hugo does not think Roman Catholicism
the worst sort of strait-waistcoat for the soul 1t
loves art, which the Protestant sects do not; and
NIL ITS foies expressed at mass Sunday in an
unknown tongue. The NOnconformist minister dog
matiZes in a tongue his hearers understand !;
but as his sect is too weak to crush down its rivals
Il has not the same opportunity that Popery has en-
Ioyed for playing the part of ferocous tyrant.
LECTURE By DE LEssEPs.
b. Ferdinand de Lesseps gave another lecture
yesterday at the Champs Elysee Circus. which was