The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-05-28

purse open to her literary comrades
For the great men Of letters whom she met
during these first years in Paris she conceived
no unbounded admiration. "Balzac," she
writes. is on pinnacle for having portrayed
the love OF a soldier for tigress. and the pas
sion Of an artist for odshdto. What does all
this amount to. .bon Dieu," Elsewhere she says:
Hugo the greatest nnovator of our time. has
not triumphed over these good classic writer's
at whom he mocks, although In q thousand
particulars he is greater than they But the
beauties OF detail are nothing without COM
prehensive concinnity fensenJle)." She tells
List. In one OF these letters. Il don't under
stand Sainte-Beuve at ALL l have loved him.
Jrdterndliv. He. on the other hand. has spent
his life in teasing me. scoldng me, lecturing
me. and suspecting me; 80 much so that at last
babe him go to the devil. He got angry. and
We are now at swords points 1t seems. fancy
he has not an inking OF what friendship means.
WHILE on the other hand, he has profound
understanding of seli-love." She touches
again, In another letter. on the character
OF the great critic. II do not say l
do not like Sainte-Beuve. / have had
altogether too much affection for him for
1t to be possible TO pass into indifference or an
tipathy In default Of some grave injury. have
not perceived In him any spitefulness, but a
certain aridity and perfdy not deliberate.
wilful. or interested. but proceeding from a
huge crescendo Of egoism." Lamartine's
Joceyn." which had appeared in the early
part OF 1886. she pronounces "a poor work
Thoughts commonplace. sentiment false. style
needless. yersication fiat and diffuse, subject
stale. personages dragging everywhere, affcc-
tation conjoined with reg gence. In the midst
OF all this there are pages and chapters such
xub r
have reread seven times. weeping meanwhile
like donkey. To sum up. 1t is a pity that
Lamartine wrote 'Jocelyn,' but 1t Is lucky for
the publisher that Jocelyn' was written by La
MARITIME"
In the summer OF 1884, after her return from
Italy George Sand formed deliberate design
OF committing suicide. Her purpose is an
nounced clearly and with manifest sincerity in
several of these letters. in which she takes a
last leave Of her old friends There
Is not line. however. to indicate the
cause Of such q sinister resolution. but from
other sources Of information we know that her
heart had been wrung by the interpretations
which, she found had been put upon her rup-
ture with De Musset In the circle in which she
lived in Paris. That her intention was not ex-
ecuted was obviously owing to her passionate
fondness for her son Maurice. whose prospects
pendent upon his father. Scarcely. however
had she nerved herself to resume her literary
work when an intolerable outbreak Of brutality
on the part Of NJ. Dudevant compelled her to
abandon the attempt to live with him on terms
OF outward amity. and to sue for a formal sep
aratlon. For the sake OF her children. she had
heretofore passed part of every year on the
farm at Nohant; but when her husband. in fit
Of drunken rage undertook one night to muir
der her she naturally determined 70 forego any
further efforts to save appearances. at first NJ.
Dudevant offered no opposition to the suit
n nnInNNa lot In
being satisfied. The agreement was that
lie should restore to his wife the little
estate at Nohant which she had brought to
him. while she covenanted to pay him ST60 q
year. besides deiraylng all the cost of the edu.
cation Of their children. After a Judgment Of
ans am SS fSs these eTnd
first nstance, N. Dudevant. either from malice
and at the date when the letters comprised in
this volume end his wife was anxiously awaiting
final decision from the highest tribunal. The
next installment Of George Sands correspond
ence will be awaited with much curiosity for it
H. likely for several reasons to prove even more
illuminating and interesting. NJ W. Ii.