New-York tribune., 1882-03-05
LE1rTERS AND ART IN PARIS
HENRI MARTIY-THE MOORS AND CELTS-
MUSIC AND PAINTINGS.
,r,ov THE REGrIAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuSE'l
Ii"'" INN i'"'' pARIq Fpbruary II.

At the first solree gwen thiS seaSon " '
of the Seine and Madame Floquet at the luilerics'
| found myself in a quiet nook with hehr' MaIt,''
He had lust returned from an excursion In 'he
Kabyle country, and was enthusiastic aDou' ''o
mountain tribes which had there taken refuge
from, tho Arabs Their women he found admirable
in all their relations The men were KIND brave
md trnth-tellng They stood nobly erect ana
looked an lnterOcutOr fair in the 1ace' heluI
Martin abode among them several mOnths' he u'S-
covered in their traditions and customs h''Nou
survivals of what was best in ancient Kome' In
conversing with me the eminent historian ana anu
ouor,an oncned new vista upon the Moorish clvlll-
zaton in Spain. 1t not, in his opinion, n mower
of Mohomctanism at all, but the aftermath OF an OH
Africo- Roman meadow When the early oaraceh'
advanced to North Africa they fohhd there au
admirable population which had grown up uhuer
the bcaIthiest conditions 1t was Berber with
strong Latin cross and its chief wealth was a9rlcu-
tnraL Nevertheless superb cities were tDicky
scattered over the North African territory. Inc
Gorerpaent was municipal. 1t favored individual
and social progress The civic body was healthy
and sound mind grew up i'll 1t. But the draWpdcA
was ncapacIty for general effort 10 resist lolole"
invasion. There no military Organization uo
militia force. The Saracens came. saw anu coh-
oucred and pressed into their service the adlhir-
able ROmo- Berber population.
According to Henri Martin the hrst Sataceh'c
wave bore on its crest some men ot genus. lh'y
felt they would be submerged IN the rising tue ol
Arob bo1drs that came sweeping on from the East
and they conceived the idea OF founding an AIap
kingdom in Spain the prosperity of which would
be assured by the emigration en- dsse OF the people
tbc, had subupatcd. 1t was this People when
made the aqucductS and canals OF irrigation which
transformed the southern provinces OF Iberia INTO "a
garden They were the M0ors whom the world mas
erroneously supposed to have been lShinaeIlteS'
The Saracens who crossed the Straits OF Gibraltar
were a mere handful as compared to the KomahHcu
Rorbers If they had been numerous. the GothS
would not have roconqucred Spain. strong inns
tan element was fcrmcnting IN the Moorish popnla-
ton which entered into tacit conspiracy with the
oIder inhabitants Among the kabyles Henri
Martin was enabled to understand how 1t was that
the Arabs who are essentially unciyllzable. were
able to build the Alcazars and the Mosques 't Ool
doya. Seville and Granada.
Fran the Kabylcs the eminent historian passed
on to the Celts the greatest of whom he said were
unouestlonably the Irish. He has studied all thc
Celtic dialects and literature The lrIsh ne S''lu
Lrought their tongue, when the rest ol western
Eurcpc was in darkness. 10 state OF almost lueal
| pcrfection. 1t was admirably suited Tor cohtro-
yersy poetry cpi~tolary writing and conversational
rcpartee The cloquence (Which Sprang from intense
| idcalsmi of the Irish preachers bore away the
| Celti, populations of Scotland, Wales, C"rnWal
and France north of the Loire. who Under'tooh the
| opostles from the Green Isle when they care 10
arouse them to a perception of the trnth1 oi IhTlS
ti,n Drism. WHY do not, =" said Henri Martin,
" Home Rulers get mp movement III FAVOR oI tue
study Of the beautiful Irish tonguel If they sue
ceedcd in bringing Irish children to learn 1t they
would place national unity on noble traditional
and moral basis There are ldeallstlc and emotional
sides in the Celtic mind which the Irish tongue eX-
pres,cs better than any 1t is a marvellous channel
for conveying lofty thoughts-and their anttheslS'
bumoristc ideas Write up Irsh,' he continued
and you will do good service to the world
BEFORE parted from the historian he recon-
mculcd me to attend the lectures OF - ArpoIs dc
Joubanvilc, at the College of France, on tho Celtic
language. | went to the opening one. All the
| sa,ont, who are particularly interested in Galhc
! and Kimrc archaeology were IN the lecture roohi'
CONCENTRATING each other on the creation of the
chair which D'Arbois de Joubainvil!e fills. There
were some beautiful women and girls. also. OF
Breton physiosnomy. The typical Brctonne has
splcndid hair generally Of a dark shade, strong but
| not coar,elv marked brows. Her eyes, whether
! black or grav have an intensity of expression
which vcrgcs upon harshness, but which Is an 'e-
! ncut of picturesque beauty. The features are
rccular the teeth of dazzling whicuesS aud perfect
evenness and the lips rosy and refined Vitality
is shown i'm the smooth glossy skin and brightness
| of the complexion.
The learned antiquarian whom we came 10 near
! told ms that the Cet did not, any more thah the
low fuse easily with other peoples. He observed
that there was not any natural barrier between
BRITTANY and Normandy. But how trenchant was
the difference between the inhabitants on the east
and west side of the frontier line. The lecturer
| =, ,,I, ,I,nll-
= man of the Celtic dialects of France. He quoted
| Rcnon's work on the Poetry of the Celtic Races
when he said " Three millions of men and women
keen M to the present day, beneath our eyes, and
under the goyernance OF our modern CODE their
autonomy and live ont n hlc Of their own amid
| isles and peninsulas surrounded bv wild ocean.
They have still a tongue, distinct national tradI
ton. ana the manners and customs and modes OF
Thought peculiar to their race
| The Celt, are the lecturer avcrrcd, a peculiar
| ,,o,Ic One has only 10 visit the out-of thc-way
,rts of Brittany and OF Ireland to be convinced Of
| This No race j. in more complete harmony with
th, land of it- forciathrrS or III more complete sym
natbv with its Typographical and climatic features.
| This is why 'hefe is an " Irish question. Ihe
! inoIo-SoXon cXpatriatcs himself without replnln!.
! The Cclt MISE, the sough of the wind which
ayya,cs hi, soul to poetic thought a. 1t would an
| milan harm 10 music. He likes hS melancholy sky,
| which il often frightened by snnbursts and ram
bows The gray blue mists that sweep over the
| l,ndscgue have a brautv 10 his eve for which the
nnrc blue atmosphere 81 the South would not COM
ncusatr Driving rains come from the Atlantic
laden with ozone The vitality which they give 10
the body reacts on the mIud and builds up TIN,
cheerful elastic Celtic temperament. The noise OF
waves and winds seems bound mp in the soul of the
| Tr.ton and the Irishman. a. the sound of the tide
| IL IN unnnvalvc shells. Rcnan and Victor Hugo,
who are the sons of Breton women, have something
in them which responds to drrIs ol every kln4:
The author of " Les NscrablcS' is proud To admit
tbc debt which H. owes o the Celtic race, and so,
too is the author of " La le dc Jesus.
| Ccslriuo Gallcoiti performed at NJ. and Nine;
Tulcs simon, reception last night The youthful
prodigv was listened to by amateur and pro'eS-
| I....I ,,,,-ir,nn. nnNnrnnu lhn rnmnn.nr and hIa