New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
BOOK ABOUT HIMSELF.

REMAINS BOOK ABOUT HIMSELF.
pFcorLEcrIoNs OF MY YOUTH BY ERNEST RE-
NAN Transated by G. b. Pitman. lzmo PIP o'''
G. p. Putnams Sons 80
final rather than with practical matters; he tells
not an much the story of his life as of the moral
influences which moulded his character and deter
mipad his belefs Asa study OF an intellectual
transition II Is full of interest. NJ Repan has, 1t
yoes witolt saying, the interpretive vanity
which belongs to tho French temperament ana
prattles gently OF his moral and social quaii.ic'
in fashion which would be impossible to tile An
glo-saxon autobiographer. 1t his idea OF himself
is nos entirely just it is certainly entertaining
There are curious bits of "posng" throughout
the book He speaks for example, OF sketch Oh his
beloved sister which no wrote shortly aiter her
death and which he did not publish Though Tempt
al to do sol on tho ground that she was SO unas-
Stunning and so averse to the stress aud STIR Oh inc
world that he woald have ancied he could hear her
renroacnuc him from her grave if be had made
the sketch public property. He felt that to do 30
s. vould La an act of PROCLAMATION" 1t would Dc
wrong of me to expose memory so sacred IN my
ewes to III supercilious criticisms whlch arc par'
and pare of the right acquired by the vi
book Ii seemed to me that In placing tne iIno'
referring to her in book for the trade shouio 10
acting with as much improperly as II sent por
trait of her tQr sale 20 al duCtou-iVoih' ~-
very graceful, aad tender and praiseworthy senti-
mani. lint he spo,s it by naively adding: "The
pamonlet In question will not therefore DO re-
r-,nted until after my death" Why the exposure OF
Aule Rsnau's sensitive and reserved spirit 10
aspercilous criticisms" should be the less proiaha
%;on after her brothers death only Frenchman
ccnld say.
The most interesting portions Of NJ. Remains book
are those dealing with his gradual relinqusnmeh.
of the creed to which he was born. Inc chiid o,
humble Sretons the most ideally conservative anu
faithful OF peoples he was royalist ana ortnoooA
xhe last derrec in his youth His first teaching was
s..ras from a 0roup of Breton priests, men OF pure
and noble lives TO whom their religion was the De-
Ginning and end of everything. Until Renan went
In Par;. TO study under Dupanloup he lived In the
Frame of the seventeenth and eighteenth cen
tures. He looked upon the death OF Louis AlV a.
marking the end of the world, and supposed that
serious Tearing could DO found only In tho Churcn
He was destined to the priesthood and is still, he
declares priest in disposition and-as he Is careful
to make his readers understandable morals My
&ntors y he saws u. taught me to love truth, TO
respect reason and to see the serious size OF life
have never departed from the sound and
,vholesome programme which my masters sketched
ant for me- no longer believe Christianity TO De
tbe.yupernatural summary Of all that men can
know but still believe that life is the most friv-
olous Of things unless 1t Is regarded as one great
and constant duty"
He reached Paris and the aristocratic seminary
of ST. Nicholas du Ctardonnet with a complete
,noral training INIT otherwise ignorant possible.
There the world of modern literature opened before
him and the current Of new thought swept him into
The nineteenth century. Transferred after time
to the great ecciesiastical seminary OF 81 Sulpce
bs buried himself for two years in phlosoPhic stud
les. never going into Paris during that time, never
sy.n Joining In any games and passing the recrea-
ton hours on o seat in the grounds and trying TO
keep himself warm by wearing TWO or three over
.oats Positive science began tv appear to him
TO be the only OF truth -easeless metamor-
.bosis seemed to him to be the law of the world.
Tn proportion as his faith in reasoning grew so de-
clined his faith in dogma. OF this, however, he was
only half conscious until another two years study OF
the historical sources OF Catholic Christianity and
the criticisms thereon led him inside the gate OF RI
toualism. There were times when he was sorry
that be was not Protestant so that he might DC q
philosopher without ceasiDg to be Christian He
became convinced that the Bible was not more e1-
empt than any other ancient book from cohtrauic-
lions inadvertencies and errors.
:" In this great struggle between my reason and my
beliefs was caieful to Avoid single reasoning
from abstract philosophy. Inc me.n9a Tt ; natural
itself upon me absolute law led me to dlstrust
all system. was never stopped 6y any Direction e
Sncarnatlon regarded in themselves These dogmas.
occurring in tue metaphysical ether. aid not shock
any opposite opinion III Inc. Nothing that was open
to criticism in the policy and tendency OF the
Chnrcb either in the past or the present. made the
slightest impression upon me p II could nave DO.
of the doctrines which We're afterward embodied
in the syllabus. and which were thereupon more or
trouble. Ny reasons were entirely of a
pathological and critical order; not In the
least OF metaphysical political or moral kind
Vhasq orders of ideas seemed scarcely tauglDlo
and capable of being applied in any sense. But
the question as to whether there are contradictions
between the Fourth Gospel aud the synOptcs is one
which there can be no difficulty IN grasping can
see these contradictions with such absolute clear
ness that would stake my life and, consequently
nv eternal salv atiOn upon tleir reality without n
moments hesitation. In question OF tnis KIM p,
volye ali moral and political opinions IN so mnch
doubt. do not admire either phi,p II or nus ,
but had no material reasons LOT e
fagots of the latter would not De OBSTACLES W my
faith.
Since be could not believe everything in the creed
which was his birthright he ended by believing
nearly nothing. "MY Catholicism" he says was
that of Scripture of the Councils and OF the theolog
ans. This Catholicism loved and still respect it
having fouod it inadmssible separated myself
from It. This is a straightforward course but
what is not straightforward is to pretend ignorance
of the engagement contracted and 10 become the
apologist of things concerning which one is igno
rant / nave never lent myself TO O falsebood oil
this description and have looked upon 1t as disre-
spectful to the faith to practise deceit with It, Ii
no fault of mine if my masters taught me logic and
by their Incorporating arguments made my mino
as trenchant blade of steel"
The worldly ambitions of Renan are the mos
modest imaginable. His competence is small but ht
does not care to increase Iii he owns net even lit
tie plot of ground
have never imagined that the product of my