The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-05-27


author Of this Journal, Thomas Jefferson rode
unattended from the White House to the Can.
itol. and tied his horse to = board ioncs before
could recall the chatter about HIS Highness
preenings Of tho first fedsed Senators. without
q qualm OF solf-contempt or u shout q H34mg,ric
laughter. NJ. W. IL.
Confessions OF = Transcesdcstal skeptsc.
4 ticularly OF his speculative works. such rs the
Philosophical Dialogues" and the two Shake
spearean fancies. "Caltban and "Prospero. 4"
revens in their author many psychological
complications. Having been early thrown into
the chaos OF manifold criticism. and having
tasted an that he understood NJ. Roman became
| n dilettante. Having lived a childhood Of pro-
found religious belief. and having mono but
sweet souvenirs Of that period OF bis life. he
has remained religious In svAte OF tho mega
tions OF his mind In his newly pub
lished volume. called Sospenirs OF Cntld-
hood aud Youth. N. Roman has further
illustrated tho psychological phenomena
above mentioned and developed In u
singular degree tho priesuiness OF his whole
being. . quality which. It IL true. had never
escaped those who are In the habit Of seeing
and convorsing with him. but which. perhaps.
lions rs are revealed In the " Souvenirs"
Th6Ophilo Gautier. inventing new word for
the purpose. used to say Of Benan. IL est pro-
treux." and the impression one feels after read
Ing this now volume Is that the author. as no
himself oonfesses ought TO have remained q
priest. In two or three passages NJ Roman
says: "Je suis un pr6tre manpue." Another
impression that one feels is that since Jean
Jacques Rousseau's Confessions" We have had
no book so curious and so interesting from the
point OF view OF psychology as NJ. Romans
Souvenirs"
M. Remains Souvenirs" however. do not
form a complete or continuous narrative. They
consis. simply OF half dozen fragments. al
most without order. images that have appeared
to the author. and reflections that have come to
his mind on summer days when he amused
himself by calling up tho memories Of fifty
years ago. the lost Atlantis OF his youth. M.
ltenan does not pretend to record the
small details of his life or to furnish ready
material for his future biographers. His
cndeavor is to express certain shades OF
thought not rendered in his other writings. to
transmit to us in measure his theory OF the
world and thls he does while relating the
conditions OF his life successfully In his native
Breton village OF Tr6guier and at the semina-
ries OF Saint Nicolas and Saint Sulpice ut
Paris. And the first chapters full Of stories
and legends OF Brittany. while the latter are
full OF discussions. sombre intellectual strug-
giles and reasonings. In the last chap
and make. ssgsssl view OF his own life;
will be curions to examine. Here. once for all.
let 1t be said that NJ Remains Souvenirs" con-
tain many delicious pages. The descriptions
OF Tresuier and Of all the different holy fathers
with whom he came into relations. are quite
perfect. Throughout the volume Is fascinating
yet dangerous withal. and not to be placed
readily in the hands Of persons OF young and
unstable faith.
NJ Renan has been described rs n skeptc
| n tranScendenta skcptic. who doubts even
his doubt Skepticism is. however. a doc
trine implyinga certain hxity OF basis. q deter
mined attitude. Would it not be preferable to
call VI. Roman n diettante9 For dilettantism Is
much less n doctrine than an intellectual dis
position. NJ once Intelligent and pleasurable.
that ncines W.. butterhy-like. by turns toward
all the different forms Of life and makes us lend
ourselves to all these forms without abandon
ing ourselves to any one OF them. Happiness
Is manifold. The ways Of tasting it are mani
fold: they vary according to epochs, climates
temperaments. agss. days and even hours
Generally II man arrived at the age OF maturity
both physical and intellectual. makes his
choice. and the more logical his nature Is the
more he disapproves the choice OF others, or at
least understands it with difficulty. For.
in fact. 1t Is difficult to got outside
OF ones self. to represent to ones self another
kind OF existence, and much more to live that
other existence were it only for few minutes.
wholly. heartily. and without regret. without
even a thought OF criticism. To realize this
dream. sympathy Is not sufficient; 70 fined
skepticism Is necessary. and tho art OF trans
forming this skep.icsm into an instrument OF
enjoyment, Thus dilettantism becomes deli
cate science OF intellectual and sentimental
metamorphoses. Among the great diettanti
were Alcibiades. Cesar. Leonardo da Vinci
MontaiGne. and Shakespeare. Only those
great dilettanti lived in ages OF action when
tho creative energy was abundant and thar
dilcttantism did not reach tho poetry OF the
dile.tantism OF ages OF extreme civilization.
where the faculty OF creation seems gradually to
yield place to the faculty Of comprehension. vir-
81! il credited with these words. which form tho
diiettantes creed: We grow weary Of all
things. except ofcomprehending." NJ. nsnan s
dllettantism Is only mtixatsd by a ,remn ant OF
priestliness and rancorous recollection OF dis
appointed political ambition.
1t ID by this refined skeptieism or dilettan&-
ism that We must explain the contradic tory
propositions which are as abundant In NJ.
Remains Souvenirs" as In his philosophical
writings. In politics and In philosophy" said
NJ. Rsmn 10 one OF his Academy speeches.
whenever find myself In presence OF Axed
ideas am always OF the opinion OF my inter-
lo.utor. In these delicate questions each ono
is right in soma respect" In the same spirit
VI. Raaan can write In his Souvenirs" II no
longer believe that Christianity IL the super
natural rasum y OF al tn 1t N IN u!ht to know
l.. Nls