New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-30

man Killed IN uuei OF WHiCH " b""''N'
Victor Hugo received numbcrless Anonymous
letters not only full of insult Due sonc Vi '"0"'
containing threats against his He ,o
The political and literary revolutions OF lo'o
cane together and the young poets convictions as
TO the deusive nature of his royallst ana 'ehuean
sentiments grew stronger and stronger. Under
Ioris pbiIinne's constitutional monarchy ne
restrictions were imposed upon the dramatIst. and
the self respect of the man revolted. To-day n
cens,r depriyes mo Of my liberty rs poet, SAID
Uugo Tomorrow n gendarmo will deprive me OF
my lhertv "a n citizen" IIencefOrth he continued
his political struggle simultaneously with his III
erary toll the freedom of man became TO nm even
more dear an object than the freedom OF the
author. Liberty of thought grew to be the theme
of his poetry as it was the aim OF his HE. 10
dfuse civilization to lift the people, he 1et 10 NC
the pecnlar mission OF the writer; for TINS he en-
tered political life and welcomed exile To this emu
he has given to the world not the least marvellous
works of the time. In his three greatest romances
he included his study of the struggles OF the human
race weighed down by the triple forces OF It's rate
In Notre Dame de Paris" he has denounced the
rule of dogmas; in Les Miserables" he mas ne
picted the evils that reside IN an iron law whlle
IN Les Travaillcurs de la Mer" he illustrates the
rr.ssure of circumstances The suffering of man at
hands
Indignation ana his appeals for mercy and justice
have been heard throughout the civilized world
from America in the time of John Brown to Russia
in the early days of 1852.
NJ Rarbon gives minute details of the later years
If Uuco's uolitcal and literary life His state
ments as to the poets present opinions and beliefs
are in many directions exceedingly interesting.
Hugo religious creed is a brief one:
He fails to recognizes any intermediate agency be-
tween the soul and Cod and, consequently nus
conscience permits him to ADMIT no human couhsel
in divine things; he rcpndlatcs all narrow d0emas
and rejects all stern denuncatiOns of eternal pun
shment. In launching forth his lnvectlVes against
fauatics monks, lnqulSltors, Prclatcs' poP1S anu
Jesuits he Is aware only OF desire 10 sland Gear
of supcrstiion and to represent God SIMPLY a. lie
is-eood and great, and worthy to be loved IN ms
own glory lie holds that mora rectitude lar
transcends all religious ordinance. lie had Lamen-
mas for his con fcsSor, but like Lamennas he iett
the bosom OF the Roman Church. saying OF himself
Yes by education was CaIhS S1t G in t ia im Is
mortality of the soul | am thankful 10 Hod LOT ne
years of mercy He has granted me- and, above all,
am thankful that lie has permitted Inc 10 Spehu
those years IN useful laoOr.
al am conscious within myself of the certainty of
future lite just as. in forest that Is perpetually
feed Young sprouts start mp with renewed Vlgor
so my thoughts ever rise higher ana higher t""arl
the infinite: the earth affords me her generous SAP
but the heaven Tradlates me win the Ignl Oh nan
seen worlds The nearer ] approach my end, the
clearer do hear the immortal symphonies oil wofIns
that call me TO themselves. For hall century |
have been outpouring my volumes OF thought IN
prose and i'll verse, IN history philosophy uiaha
romance ode and ballad. yet appear to myself not
have said thousandth patt Oh wiat Il ah'nih
me : and when | am LAID III the tolhD snall not
reckon that my life is finished. The grave Is not Il
cii-dc-sGc il is an avenue; death T. the .suplhe
prolongatiOn of life, not It's dteary hnsh IL closes
ON the twilight it opens IN the dawn. My woIk is
only begun: | yearn for 1t 10 become higher ana
noblcr; and this craving for the infinite demon
strates that there Is an lnhnty.
NJ. Hugo approves the Republic and believes in
the upright and praiseworthy intentions of its
President.
The poet holds that we are now in possession of a
bouyrc0, SO Republic. which is not an ideal one, nut
winch will undergo "A slow but gradual 1rans.Orma-
ton Its present stage is Indispensable. because for
n form OF government that shall be capable oil ne
nr brought 10 perfection 1t Is essential to attach to
il All who have hitherto had any share IN directing
phbc affairs and the actual Lead OF the state ~
"A man of such rccttudc of Judgment ana honesty OF
purpose that he may well INSPIRE the completeSt
confidence.
TO this assertion Victor Hugo added the remark
that he did not consider 1t the place OF men oi hs
time of life to take tine lead in public matters He
regards himself and his contemporaries as having
been pioneers an monitors. whose advice IS worth
obtaining because they have gained their knowl-
edge by experience. having lived through The
struggles of the past but whose theories cannot be
pnt INTO practice by themselves. lhey are 0Id' ana
the relns of government should be placed III the
hands of men of IA younger generation They belong
to the nineteenth cntuIy; the utuIc solution OI the
social question belongs TO the two ntrth.
That solution. ne declares, Will he tound IN roth
inc less tnan the universal spread OF instruction {;
If will follow the formation OF new schools where
salutary knowledge shall be impaired. hitherto
fine teaching has been positively bad as Is demon
stratrd bv the fact that father, upon mature re
Election. ways has to say to his SON " Forget what
| have made YOU learn" ne great ann III lhstruc-
lion should he unity and truth. For this in due
time the suitable lesson books Will hc forthcoming.
These will replace the manuals OF the present cen
turv although the present century Is already III
advance, having taken stride and made be
ginning in Illuminating humanity. by educating tie
child YOU endow the man, and thcncefOrward,
after that is brought about, Won may proceed 10
exercise severe repression upon anyone who resists
what Is right, because you have already trained
him so that he cannot plead ignorance IN his own
behalf
And are we to expect Utopia he asks, as soon
as this endowment OF knowledge is conferred
Certainly not. When we think OF the progress OF
science and of the immense forces OF nature OF those
mighty currents that have hitherto remained I'M
utilized in the vast tide. now despiscd, but here
after TO be brought into service we become con
vinced that human efforts have been expended to no
purposc A great step has been already made; and
when the time shall arrive that IT Is no longer re
qnisfe for man thus to throw away his time and
strength, what will then be wanted to make hun
happy as man may be- lie VIII require land to
cultivate.
land take the land here is what will be for your
advantagew Distance no longer will he an OBJ
stacle prolific continents, such as the whole in
terror of Africa, are destined ere long to he CON
quered bv civilization
Moreover, in the course OF the coming century,
frontiers 80 to speak will have disappeared for the
idea of fraternity - making It's way throughout the
world Here the land is the monopoly OF the few
far away it is owned by none. He who pos
sesses none IN the land of his birth mnst not hest
tate 10 depart and become proprietor III country
that no longer seems distant. he whole earth be-
longs TO all men.
None are 20 unhappy the idle; none so dssatis-
fed ~ those who persist in doing nothing for them
selves but thcss thanks to salutary teaching, will
gradually become fewer and fewer. gOodY
future is dawuIng IL ia impossible that the labOrs
of centuries should forever roman unprOductIyc
NJ Barbon's picture OF Hugo's home life is a
pleasant one:
As a host he is. as We have observed, always de-