The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-19

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was then living in the Rue de Ciichy, and it was
understood that the temple in the Rue de Clichy,
like the other temples in Catholic countries, was
open to worshipers every day. From 10 to II
every night you might go there and be sure of
finding the doors open. The very slightest intro
duction would do, and even no introduction at
all. 1t was rather a disappointing temple for
most worshipers, especially for those from
abroad, who expected to find a writer of Hugos
reputation AMI reputed wealth living in a
fine house. 1t was very small, and you had
TO mount two or three flights of stairs to
reach it. The door was opened by a big fat COOK,
who led you along a narrow passage past nef
kitchen into a waiting room. III You were carrier
than 10 you would probably have TO wait some
time. The poet kept open house for his trends,
and received some people at dinner every day.
They were a most heterogeneous crew, drawn
from all parts of the world and from all grades
OF society. One, perhaps, would be a venerable
snn- keeper of Jersey, who has been conspicuous
ia his defense of Victor Hugo at a time when
the poet get Into trouble there another would
be some raw youth who had just come to Paris
from Hungary, or Manchester, or New York. or
Chicago, to write correspondence: another a po-
htical conspirator- nationality and even politics
no ~oblect-another an enthusiastic young person
of the softer sex, with an album under her arm.
The foreign poet, of course, was not wanting
the man with a volume of verses in his pocket
containing a brand new dedication. to Victor
Hugo, which he was ready to fire off the mo-
AlNAb lie NICtIm uidu0 Ho dpPt1 NV
BY and by he had his opportunity.
There was a stir in the adjoining room, and
Victor Hugo would come in. 1t was quite like
the smaller reception of a monarch, as such
things have been described. The old man would
walk round the circle peering with his falling
eyesight into each face and trying to recognize
Ii. and If he failed to recognize it still saving
himself by his ready tongue. He would say
something to excite the emotion of gratiied
vanity in an image of stone. The next thing
Eva RI ioad Tho asSanhlv into HE n YawipO room
which in taste was the ante-room intensiied-a
perfect wonder house Of curiosities from Europe
and the East and arranged by the host himself.
When all were assembled IN the drawlng-room,
which was just on the same l%iliputian scale as
the ante there was scarcely breathing
room. You had to find a seat as you could.
This was the moment of the ceremony proper,
the high function, the blessing by his holiness, the
literary pope. The raw young man from Chicago,
the poet with his verses In the unknown tongue,
the young lady with the album, the wild, un-
kempt, foreign patriot, would advance in turn
and sit down by the poets side on a small sofa
which Just held two. Here they would pour their
several appeals into his ear and get from him a
kindly word of general commentator, which
they were to make the most of and in some in
stances to understand as best they could. 1t
was very good of him to take any notice of them
at all, for they not only had nothing to say to
him, knowing but little of his works and still
ICES of his life, but they did not even know how
TO say it. Still his urbanity and desire to please
never failed; but the one condition of your en-
1oyine the benefit of it was that you should
show the same desire to please him. 1t did not
matter what jargon you talked so long as the
the general theme of it was understood to be
your reverence for the poets genius. But one
thing was forgotten while all this was going on
namely, the fatigue it imposed on the object
of worship. Hugo was a very old man, and these
nightly receptions following a nightly dinner
s%on proved too much for him. His family took
counsel together, and the result of it was shown,
frst, in their moving from the center to a
point in the circumference Of Paris quite near
the Notifications; next, in their shortening the
hours of reception.
In 1881 his seventy ninth birthday was for
naily and enthusiastically celebrated, and in
1882 the eightieth anniversary of his birth was
remembered by the people, and Herman was
given as a matinee at the Theater Francois.
There are only seats for 1,400 people in this
famous theater, but fully 1900 managed TO
crowd in and stow themselves away in corners,
or standing about, contrary to ali ordinary rules
of the management. More than a thousand dis
appointed mortals failed to find entrance, and re-
manned outside the building to echo the shouts
of the crowds within. It was a wonderfully
%cncg znd-orderiy crowd, and the police had not
q sole occasion Of interfering with the multitude
which waited outside to greet the poet when he
came.
And such cheers as rose to heaven when, at
the close of the fourth act, the master appeared
In his box with NJ. Jules Ferry are seldom heard
even In CnlS eXclLaDl0 TarlS. IHo drtlStS, III
spired by their share of the ovation, played re
markably well.
At the close of the play the curtain was raised
again to reveal a large bust of Hugo in the mid
die of the scene. ornamented with garlands and
palms. About it were grouped the artists who
had taken part in the drama, together with a
great number of the poets friends, who had
come to hear the recitation of the poem. written
Ror the occasion by Francois Copree, the author
of LIE PEASANT" Memorial verses were recited
~ oil tho fhnoforo IN tho rtfv nr fha Nnoacinn
of the celebration in 1881 it was estimates that
rot less than 500, 900 people We'd to do him
honor.
81 entire and irreprcssible an author this cen
fury has hardly contained. He was the inkiest
of inky mortals. He wrote constantly for more
than sixty years. and would write for FIVE times
sixty could he have lasted so long. To make
manuscript with his own hand generally was his
rest. not less than his labor, and to deprive him
of this occupation would have been
like Withdrawing the oxygen from the
air he breathed. A complete edition Of
his works would make fifty or sixty
good sized volumes, and he had enough com
pleted and half finished manuscripts on hand to
make ten or twelve volumes more. Unless for
some special or urgent reason. he was seldom in
haste TO publish. He was so enamored of his
own writings that he liked to keep them I'M
printed as long as he might, without wronging
the public or interfering with his proper interest.
Ia their original form they are more nearly a
part of himself, and, therefore,, doubly dear to
him, for he loved everything connected with
Victor Hugo with a love that exhausted his
possibility Of affection. 1t is impossible to con
ceive the depths of human devotion until one
has known the devotion of Hugo to Hugo.
That was q characteristic letter he sent to
President Grevy on Withdrawing from the Ma
tional Assembly at Bordeaux: Three weeks
since the Assembly declined to listen to Carl.
baidi. Now it declines to listen to me. / resign
After Sedan he came back here and issued a
tuuld address to the Germans asking them to
Form a republic and join hands with the re
public of France. He could not for a moment
have supposed such a thing possible. But it
front That was sufficient. Everybody adj
dressed him as Dear Master" and strangers
who called on him-he was very accessible4did
little else than echo the praises he expected as
his due Many of these praises are ludierously
excessive, but they never sounded SO to him.
His hearing had grown calious to the exagger-
ated compliments that had so long assailcd it.