New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-19
TOPICS IN PARIS.
urCOs "rORQUEMADA MEMORIES OF
GARIBALDL

,,r,cOs "TOROUEMADA MEMORIES OF
GARIBALDL
,~,ox THE nrsuLAR CORRESPONDING OF THE TRIBuSk'I
tfkoA IN" PARIS. juno z.
v,.,r urc,,. "Torouemadar ia held by literary
er,ics TO DO the most powerful work that has issued
So h;o nan since be brought ont Lies Missrables"
n Is very startling very grand. and. nike every pro-
auction of the Same author essentially Hugotesque
This do not say to carp. The literary giant OF
,oodern France is not an observer. He does not so
much look upon the world in which all men 1.-Two and
move as the one that he has evolved out OF ms own
moral consciousness have often heard him say
OF look inwards Js regarde en- deddns. In
childhood he stored his nind with impressions, and
his manhood has been spent in rejecting aud brood
ing upon them.
The germ for q" Torquemadar he told me, fell INTO
the intellectual soil in which it has so mlghS veg
otated ~ long ago as 500 In that year no was ~
Madrid, and he saw the inqusition thrown opc" "
French soldiers under his fathers command, ana
h.rd 90 caunt rr.tche. released. Their liberation
was for some DAYS the thsmo OF conversation Al
the Maternal dinner-tabc, to which he
md his brothers were, in frcnoh lash
ION admitted. Had they in English fashion
been rolegated 20 the schOoroom to dine, the tsfa
tnre of the nineteeth century wonid not DO en-
riebed hy this drama Among the guests there was
an erudite Italian ecclesiastic,-a frce-thlnKef'-
VINO had lived many years in Spain. General hugo
was Voltairian. and spoke very freely about the
Holy Office lie described the instruments OF tor-
ture which he had found, aud which had been uti-
lized Q short time before. This led nun ana ms
quests 70 talk about "the Acts Of Faith" of the
spanish Kings at which Jews and herotics used to
be burned. The Italian had seen ono in the last
occtury. He said they had become less
frequent ander the Bourbons and that they were
yerv rare after Maria Louisa the Queen of Charles
Y broke with etiquette and dooOruIn and was
publicly the mistress of Jovsliancs and Gedoy.
The first monarch OF the Bourbon hne-Phllp V
refused to witness An auto de- te. hln9, he Saiu'
when invited DO present 1T ono, should only see
"A criminal Ia pardon him. General Hugo had risen
frum tho ranks aud was not learned III
historic lore. Ho asked tho Italian ecoles-
nstic to explain to him how Is WAS that 10
internal al institution became - powerful IN SPAIN
In reply he was told thai dabolical IA 1T WAS, Its
authors were Ferdinand. an enlghteo.d Prince for
tho time in which he lived, Isabella his wife,
woman OF extraordinary moral elevation, and
Torquomsds. who was q great conscience. and ono
NJ the most yirtnous men that ever bresthed."
The gifted boy who was intertly listening {" this
conversation felt Indignant at hearing that
Torquemada had any rcdeoning quality. lie
would have liked 20 hear that no was
nm out-and-sst monster, Tho Italian explained
the monstruus crselty Of which Iorquensda was
euiltv by the DOGMA OF eternal punishment. The
transitory pain which being roasted alive involved
was Of no account when vet Of against eternal dam
nation Admitting hell. into which Gods mercy
could not penetrate, and tho old tbeolosical IDEAS
about the danlnable nature Of false doctrine
Torqnemada WAS to he oumended for his hrIaness
in trying to eItirpsto heresy by the fagaot
Victor Hugo wa, religious boy. and Of = devo-
tional habit His mother a Brittany Catholic.
aud h. acquired her projudices aud beliefs.
What lac heard about tho lnqusition had terrible.
soul-shaking effect upon him. He did not sleep for
many nights for thinking about it, and 1t haunted
HIM IN the day time. To quote his own words, ne
felt as II TorQuemads stood between him and God.
The painful feeling returned when he was Adde'S
cent He never lost opportunity OF studying the
history OF Spain in the time OF Ferdinand and lsa-
bella When he broke with the Roman Catholic
Church and became Humanitarian Delst he un-
derStood that kindness is the law of laws,
and that if justice ia not tempered
with mercy II becomes injustice To bring forth
good fruits conscience must be softened and en-
Ightened by charity The train of thoughts which
Torquemada engcndered had outlet in " Les Mi
serablesr Javert the policeman, Is a reduced copy
OF the founder of the lnqaistion and Bishop Syrel
il modernired Francis de Paul
"Torqucmada" is a drama in verse. Whenever
Victor Hugo goes far north he makes a fool OF him.
self In this work no never leaves the sunny south
which a. understands. The vorshcation Is noble and
iis grandeur is well-sustaned throughout 1t is moi
an acting tragedy. It's interest Is psychological
The picturesqne and dramatic elements sre rele
gated to the bac ground In tho form OF dialogue
the questions OF religious fsnsticsm and vrtuou
criminality are discussed. There virtuous Grim
insls. and Victor Hugo proves them to be the mos
dangerous lie also shows them 10 be sol
itary and unhappy. for they are out o.
,ympathy with the human race, and
indeed with all creation. Torquemada Bloody
Mary, Robespierr-, st. Just were vIrtuous crin
nails aud | dare say, there persons who would
range Guiteau In this category.
Apropos of Torquemada." its author said &c
me: The evolution of monstrous crminahty Is
always slow. Bloody Mary's wickedness 10 ex
planned by her grandmother's conversations with
Torauomada. Isabella. may be sure. recoilec
from burning haretics and Jews when first advised
% do ~. Storms must have ragged in hel
heart and brain. She INST hayo worked
herself up to believe that lorqne
mazda Wac right and then excluded pity from he
breast. Catherine OF Aragou OF hel
Younger children. She was born. doub, afte
her mother had steeed herself against the cries fol
mercy Of the unfortunatcs who were going 10 b'
burned aud distorted her conscience to bring il
into harmony with the Grand lnluiStors. Bloody
MARY WAS the spiritual granddaughter OF Torque-
NADIA
St Francis de Paul ST. Vincent dc Paul Eliza
beth Fry. the late NJ. de Metz, Of Mettrsy. were
rnan aud women whose consciences wcro softenec
and enlightened by charity. The character o
st. Francis de Paul is exqui,itely delineated. Thi:
sainted parsonage tries to forget harsh dogmas am
briinsfonc theology. He is a Cooled man--for Coo
Is love The channels through which Divine good
ness operates are the sympsthies and sensibilitie