New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-21
FRENCH SWEDENBORGIANS.
THE BELIEFS OF SOME FAMOUS MEN.

lie hOun. on the site OF the house where lgnatius
Loyola, Launez and st. Francis Xavier lodged
when they were together IN Paris and engaged in
drawing up the constitution of the Order OF the
Jcsuits There has been a little church in the Rue
de Ia FaisandcrIe at Pas,y. But its existence has
been obscure that although take deep interest
in watching religious movements, never heard of
it until within the last week. Before the siege
knew several members of New Jerusalem Con-
grrgaton" one of which was Mrs. IIanau from
Philadelphia, and another the Russian Princess
ObolInska. he United states Minister then ac-
credited to the Imperial Government shared their
religions faith and was with them in spirit
although he did not attend their meetings. French
brethren and sisters were few. Yet there have been
always disciples of Swedenborg in France since
1856. The community Of the Mont nainte Gene
vicyc-or. to be more precise, of the Rue ihoun-is
on the contrary, made mp Of French members and
has for It's chief apostle rlch Alsatian named
Human. There is library attached to the
church It consists of Swedenborg's "Divine
Arcana" with other of his writings and.o scientific
works.
The religion, spirit is asleep in this country. But
here and there / have seen 1t wakeul and active.
should also add that whenever have found It so,
it was in most unexpected places. Victor llugo's
companion during upward Of forty years Mile.
Julette Drouhet used to speak religions subjects
with penetrating JUNCTION and "A mellow sweetness
which showed that she had lively experience of
the comfort which steadily piOus aspirations bring
with them Victor Hugo himself. though not pious,
is essentially God-respecting and God-adoring. He
believes that God has spoken many times distinctly
to his conscience, made his path plain in times of
difficulty and vouchsafcd him revelations which
enabled him to cast away the falsties in which the
conditions of hs childhood and the circumstances
of his early manhood bound him. He has an idea
that those to whom God speaks and who listen TO
His 20 CO. are sure of Immortality; but that human
beings who reject what ls Divine IN the facts of
their existence will die completely when the vital
spark ccascsto animate their bodies Ernest Rpnan
has Religions sentiment. But in trying to servo two
masters during the years which hc has spent in
writing books the origin of Christianity. hc has
como to state of utter psychological mudllc; he
does not know in the least what hc believes or dis
believes He has aimed at pleasing "a sccpticl1 pub
lie 10y doing violence 10 his personal munitions.
Madame Rcuan. who wns brought mp a Protestant.
is wcll.ulgh nationalist As she ia good amt
able. active and Intelligent woman. ahc prevents her
husbands rcligio,lty from leading him toward wnat
ho rs wont 10 term In his books the Celestial King
dom. Michclct's life wns hymn of praise To God.
lie believed IN personal revelation from above but
rejected theological crocds. In his boyh0od, his
PRIME and his old ago ho was in the habit of gong
into old churches which he said he felt were haunted
10y the spi It's of obscure SAINTS. and OF martyrs .
civilization.
Incredible though it may seem, the ioyial, and in
many respects immoral Dumas the elder was just
the kind of man 10 have edited Methodist class
meeting or to have thrown himself with ardor into
a revival movement. He longed TO fall in with
group of religious persons who went rather accord
e.. tI,a1 .tt. 4 I'M farf
With childlke faith he believed in the motto
which he adopted in setting ont in life a clerk
the employment of the Due dOrleans lafterward
Louis Philippe with salary of ZOO francs year,
and an inirm mother to support 1t was" Dleu
dome; Dieu donnera," or God has given and will
continue to give" In all his historical biographies he
brings ont the action of Divine Providence who
had willcd that the great and proud ones Of the
earth should be lowered and the suffering and
crushed peoples exalted. Dumas threw himself into
spir.-rapping and table-turnng in the hope that he
might therein find satisfaction for his pletlstlc
warnings. Lamartine found IN the mild Catholi-
cism in which he wa, brought mp all the moral sup
port that he wanted IN his old age. Louis Blanc
passed through the desert of inter sceptlcsm to a
KIND Of unitarian De.sm in VIII ch he found cousoa-
tou in the sad years which interviewed between his
vIic's death and hi, own. He often talked to me
about his views on religious subjects. The first
time hc DID 80 was at Versatile, iu ISL had been
-c,ug nus wife. who W., very ill, and Dee proposed
wuru was leaving that we should take 70 walk to-
a.thcr This happened ON fine summer .ht
The .,y WAS tn.chly studded with stars. Loui,
Blame asked nc whether | imagined Their. WAS any
lu.. moral or p~ychIsal, analogous % that Of CRAWL
tlti,n between them ami the planet which Nc n-
llI.t I replied that ! could not say Reason, ]
went ou ~rrm, hostile to an Affirmative conclusion;