The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-06-28
Sandeau and George Sand.

M. Jules Sandeau was not q genius of
the first order, but he won renown in the
days when there were intellectual giants,
ranging over every field of literature;
and having survived his early comrades
except M. Victor Hugo, the greatest of
them all, he found himself in his later
years the acknowledged superior of most
fiction writer's of the new races. He is
famous also for having been the sponsor
''in lteris," of Amantine Aurore Dude
want. better known as George Sand,
though it was not he who taught that
gifted woman how to write, but she, on
the contrary, first put per into his
hand when he was but twenty years OF
age and she was twenty-seven. San
deau's influence over the woman
who in the first place appropri-
ated half his name after taking his whole
heart seems, while it lasted, to have been
great, by his own confession. She said
in her Memoirs that she could never at
tach herself to men who could not hold
sway over her reason, and this is shown
by the distinguished somewhat mixed.
list of persons whom she chose, turn by
turn, to be her companions or mentors
Alfred de Musset, Frederic Chopin, the
composer; Michel de Bourges, Robert
de Lamennais and Pierrie LeroDx. Had
French law permitted divorce, Nine.
Dudevant would probably have married
Jules Sandeau when she separated from
her husband, and it is doubtful whether
he would have been any happier for this
arrangement. His mind was not of
strength to resist hers very long, and it
may be that he was too fond of her, for
he grieved sincerely when he discovered
that constancy WAS not one OF her lead
ing virtue.
Soon after she had parted from him
newspaper published that the pair had
uuarreled, upon which George Sand
wrote with ali the bravery of q French
woman to say that no one who knew San
deau could quarrel with"a being SO gen.
tle," and to the end of her life she took a
sisterly interest in his career, sending
him long letters whenever he published
q book, and reviewing his work with a
care at once affectionate and shrewd. 1t
is to be hoped that some of these letters
will be publish ed, as they embody valua-
BILE criticisms. There was one in partic-
ular that Sandeau delighted to show to
his friends; it was written in 1856, soon
after he had been admitted in the French
hCauCuy 0uu WASh kOOu hosuACa PCo
pie were saving that he had been elect.
ed by this learned body merely out of
compliment to his Egeria. George Sand
declared in her letter that she saw no
reason why she should not sit in the
Academy too, "but rs to your claims,
she adddd, "who that has read your
tales will dispute them? You sit as the
representative of no new school, but to
IL Il - ,,,l,ok halnnn Ill anthnra W hn
write without pretentions, simply and
curiosity, read with interest, and laid
down with regret" All this was true.
Sandeau was no great weaver of plots,O or
word painter, but he was charming
"rsconteur." At the time he began to
write publishers may have told him that
there was no demand" for the kind of
novels which he supplied, but though
the public may cry against such works,
it is always ready to receive them, aud
Sandeau achieved rapid popularity.
even with rivals like Hugo, Alexandra
Dumas, Balzac, Charles de Bernard,
Frederic Soudie aud Eugene Sue COM
peting with him for public favor.
The art which Jules Sandeau Guilt
waited was one much more difficult of i'm
itation, though it might not seem 30 as
first glance. He was classic-not
that he claimed that title-who made hit
mothers of families decorous, his priests
men Of proper lives, his soldiers honor
able and his judges honest; and yet his
characters were no more alike than iv-
ing men are alike because they may
wear the same costume or uniform. He
could delineate oddities with light
touch, and 81 he rejected improbability
from his stories. he wGs obliged to draw
very thoughtfully upon his imagination
for novel situations. Always slow
worker he liked to consult popular opin-
ion about his writings before they were
consigned to the publisher, and to do
this he had recourse to the device OF
preparing two or three copies OF his man
uscripts and leaving them in public
places with his name and address on
them. II speaks we'll for the literary
taste of tho French people that the man.
uscfipts were invariably read by the
finder, and in this way Sandeau collect
ed some pretty compliments. But he
also met with some cruel notifications.
A not too scrupulous person found one
Of his manuscripts and sent it to the
publisher Is production Of his own;bu
the publisher refused it as being poor
work. Sandeau somehow got to hear Of
this, and, mild a. he Was in temper. he
couldn't stomach the adront. He sent
the manuscript to the publisher with his
name, and OF course it Was accepted this
= H. Ia