The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-04-29

genial and amusing companions Win wnom We
have foregathered for many . day. N. ". II.
Moro Letters By Oesrgs Sand.
The fourth volume OF GEORGE SANDS Cbr-
responidnce Paris. Calmsnn LevyL covers the
period between the wars 1883 and 1864. The
letters here collected are. on tho whole. less in
teresting than those published in the first two
volumes. recounting as those did. the trials.
vicissitudes. snd eventual triumphs Of the au-
thor's literary career. or than those comprised
in the third volume. which set forth George
Sand's relations to the Socialist party. and to
tho events which followed the revolution
OF 1s4s. NeverthelesA some extrnets may
be made from the correspondents. now
presented for the hrst time in book
form. which will help Us TO under
stand the religious and political opinions
cntertainsd by George Sand At . mature
epoch Of her life. II seems clear that. while
abe remained q virulent enemy Of the Catholic
Church. and could not be described Is Chris
tan In any sense she was not only deist but
cluna to tho belief In the perpetuation Of indi-
viduAl life beyond the grave. As regards politics.
she seems to have undergone transformation
OF the Same kind though not "a accumulated. a.
that which came over Heine In the years
OF disillusion that dispelled the dreams
Of $780, She continued TO believe that
republic organized on Socialisttc prin-
ciples was the true goal OF human
progress. but she had quito lost the hope Of
Witnessing Its attainment in her life time. and
she was not indisposed to accept. as the best
temporary solution Of the political problem. n
liberal Dictatorship and there were moments.
during tho Crimean war. when she seemed to
acauiesce in the second empire as the only
practicable regime for tho France OF her own
day. But the ruthless prescriptions which
followed the Orsini conspiracy revived her
prsjudices against Napoleon Ill. caused her
to lose faith In his intellectual capacity as we'll
a. In his moral fibre. and led her to predict the
early downfall Of his government long before
any signs Of weakness were betrayed
to the ordinary observer. Yet some OF
the letters In this volume show that in her
opinion at least. the scsptre which was about
to drop from the grasp OF Napoleon III. might
with advantage to the French people. be taken
UP by his cousin. the Prince Napoleon tJerome).
1t 10 indeed hard to reconcile with the con-
tempt expressed in many quarters for tho lat
ter's pretensions when his recent manifesto
was put forth. the evidently sineere esteem and
profound admiration for the Prince which the
most remarkable OF French women repeatedly
attests. 1t is true that George Sand often
had recourse 10 the kind offccs Of Prince
Napoleon on behalf Of her prosecuted
friends, and that she accepted some favors
on her own account-!or example. her son
Maurice accompanied Prince Napoleon and the
Princess Cothilde on their tour through Alge-
ria. and in their subsequent yacht voyage to
the United States-but We cannot easily believe
that mere sense of personal obligation would
draw from woman who had a reputation for
sagacity and patriotism to lose. such unstinted
professions Of respect and conf lence. Besides
the letters to Prince NAPOLEON. which on sew
eral accounts are the most important in the
volume. there are some short notes TO AleNan-
der Dumas the younger. Octave Feuillet. and
Edmond About which will interest the reader
By way OF calculating George Sands re-
iigious and philosophical opinions. which
supply. Of course. the master keys TO the
ethical purpose and Significance OF her
books. We can hardly do better than quote
a passage from q letter to Prince Napo-
leon. who had expressed wish to learn her
opinion Of Remains Life Of Jesus" which had
recently appeared. M. Keenan," she tells him.
has lowered his hero a little in my mind on
one side. while elevating him at the same
time on another. / used to like to persuade
myself that Jesus had never believed himself
God never proclaimed himself Son Of God in
any special sense. and that his belief in
an avenging and chastising deity was an apoc-
ryphal gloss upon the Gospels. Such. at least.
were the interpretations had always accept
ed. and even searched for: but now comes VI.
Renan with moro profound. moro competent,
and more puissant researches and investiga-
tions. One needs not to bs rs erudite as he to
feel a truth. combination of indisputible re-
alities and expectations in his work. We're il
only for the color and vitality. you are penetrat-
ed. as you read it. with k.sner light upon the
time the environment. and the man. l believe
them that he has got better view OF Jesus than
the gimpsss we had before. and / accept him as
Renan draws him. lis no longer Philosopher
man OF learnin: a sage. a genius. summing
up in himself all that Is best in the philosophy
and science OF his time: it's dreamer. an en-
thusiast. poet. an inspired seer. a fanatic, "a
simple heart. BE II so. love him still but
how small the place he fills now for me in the
history Of ideasi How has the importance Of
his personal achievement dwindledi How
much more henceforward will his religion
seem evolved by the chance play OF human
events. rather than by one Of those great
historical necessities which we ara agreed
and in some sort obliged to call proyidential.
Let US accept the truth. even when it
susprises us and alters our point OF view.
Hero We have jesus pretty we'll demolished
So much the worse for Him; so much the better
for US perhaps. His religion has reached a
point where it does al least as much harm as it
once did good: nay. whatever may DO NJ.
Renan's opinion on the SUBJECT. I am personally
persuaded that. at this day. 1t can no longer do
anything but harm. l believe that NJ. Renan
has made the most useful book that could have
been made az this moment. I might say
good deal on the artifccs OF ". Remains diction
II needs courage to complain OF form so ad-
mirably beautiful But it il too seducing
and not sufficiently precise. when It strives
tot leave q veil over the degree and mode
Of divinity which should be attributed
to Jesus. There are. TO be sure. flashes Of
keen light in the book which prevent an atten-
tive mind from going astray. But there are
too many charming. though puerile. efforts to
lull the c!ear-sizhtedness OF minds forewarned
and 10 rescue with one hand what is shattered
by the other. This comes. not. as has been
often said. from a surviva! Of the clerical
education which this mans virile talent
has not known how to shake OIL do not be-
lave that-but from an artists doting foudness
for his theme. There Is some risk. perhaps
sOma inenr van Tan, In baina npoa n ~ ~,