New-York tribune., 1886-03-21

klndie q CcCp interest III II new o''h' Hhi'i H."
ever. has other golfatheTs. There is NJ. Caro-, OF
the French Academy. who first Intro luced him to
the public Of the Rerpe DIS Dc1r Noadcs IN 1883.
NJ. Panl Bourget followed year later with anoth-
or critical pancgyric. If ". Paul Bourgeois nalne
be still new TO the American II Is not so 10 he
parsian fe is the most rising of young rchcn
authors indeed he is far risen as t. be I'cko'eu
by those who have a keen scent for fresh successes
the writer Ia mode at this moment. lie lsahoN'lst
and student of psychology in one which is enough
TO account for the coupling OF his name Win
Balzac's letter from the late Rector oi
Lincoln. the Rev. Mark Pattison, is quoted Dy
Mrs Ward as a remarkable testimony to the inter-
est of the Journal and so 1t Is Pattson Gals II Tic
nrecious record of a unique experience; moro
sweeping phrase than was usual IN the mouth OF
that fastIdious reader But tho certificate WHICH,
in general estimation, Will be held to outweigh All
these is that of NJ. Renan. In the deHghtlu'
" Souvenirs d'Enfance ct de Jounesse," NJ. Renah
spoke of Amiel as a distinguished thinker. ms
casual mention was followed by two reviews OF the
Journal both published I'm the Journal des D6bats,
in which a deliberate Judgment is expressed.
In these two volumes of Deas6es, without any
sacrifice of truth to artistic effect we nave potn
the perfect mirror OF modern mind Oh tnS g pfSI
type matured by the best modern culture, ana also
striking picture of the sutierings which beset tDe
sterihty Of genius. These two VOlnmeS may GER
taInly be reckoncd among the most Interesting
PIN Osophical writings which have appealeu oA A"Vo
years.
The fullest account of Amiel the man that
I know of IS To be found in a volume pub
hshed since Mrs Wards translation appeared en-
titled " "Henri-Fr6d6ric Amiel 6tude biOgraphlque,
por Berthe Vad6o"; Paris 1856. This lady knew
Amcl well, had been his pupil, taken his advice
about her own literary work, and saw him dally
during the last ten years of his life, two OF which
he lived with her and her mother. Mrs. ara
however, gives the English aud American reader
an adequate account of tho journalist and OF his
work.
Amel. il is TO be added, has not achieved all this
sudden fame without provoking some hostility or
dissent. No new candidate makes his way into the
Pantheon uuoppO,cd. There is a whole school %
writers to whom he seems morbid Iho processes
Of intIOspCction are for thom no moro interesting
than those OF the dissccting-room The French
have begun TO find out moreover, that patriotism
requires protest against the authority OF n
thinker who can put his finger on some OF the
weakest points in the Frclch charactor N.
Brnueticre has lately set himself in the hecae dee
Beuc Mon4c3 to ta,c the Swiss critic
down from from the pedestal which earlier and
more eminent Frcuchmeu had raised or hlm. pas
sage or two from tho Journal viii throw some light
on this petulant chauvInism; uso for the most
part Mrs. WaIds rendering:
Tho fundamental error of Franco lies IN hcrp7y-
cnclogy France has always believed that 70 say n
tir,, ls the same ne 10 do it, rs though speech Wcre
action. - though rhetoric could regulate tie ten
dcnces habits and character of real beings, and as
though ycgbiago W. re efficient substitute lOt tie
will tor conscience. and for education.
France proceeds by bursts Of elclucncc, Of can
uoaadlng OK of law-uakngi she thinks that 50 ebe
can change the nature OF thi0G5; and sac p4oAuCca
only phrase Atu RUNS.
In those penetrating sentences you sec Amicl at
hls best as political observer; but they are not
sentences well adapted to cOnciiiate the favor of
that France TO whom they hold up the mirror An
4mcrIalu audience ought perhaps, n fairness 10
be warned that Amicl can say sharp things of
America too. In criticisng iaine's History or
English Ltcraturo,' he finds it too full Of the
s1Irt oS modern science; q CmcN Of fbc laboratory
aloutii. "Iho boo',,' says AnI2l, IS instructive
IN the highest degree, but instead OF animating
and stirring Il parchcs, corro1c9 ani sadGenS its
reader. Il excitcs no feeling wh9.cyeri it IS sim
,lg a means of fiufoImauon." Then he adds:
imagine this kind ofthinp viii lc hclitcraturc
Of the fItuIc-a literature d tImCTcis"e-aS
different g., puNs bic lIom GIcck arr, giving Us
algebra instead Of Iifo the formula instead OF the
image. tie cXhalatious Of tho crucib!c instead OF
the DIVINE frenzy Of Apoloi cold vision III place Ol
hdyed and dissccted by science.
Whatever we may 90, the Frcnchman m Sht for
give LrnIol his attacks on France when he reads
passage on Germany.
It is in the novel that the average vulGority Of
German society and Its lLfuUuuiyio The NaIlou5
Io1ns of socI3i ne III Ii'lC' Us" I5'du ~ aoU ~
clearly visible. Inc sense ol Gi."t Is tii'C.iIy
IS waiting u German psthctics. Thor elegance has
DO grace IN II, and they cannot undoTrtaud mo
enormous difference there IS between distinction
lwhat Is gcntlemanikc ladylikc, end their stt
rOrHchmNch Tt Their imagination lacks style, ey-
pcTicnce education, and knowledge OF the world;
II bears The stamp OF tho pleben oven IN ltS sun-
day dress. The race Is pocttcql Qnd intctgc,t
but common md provincial. Flexibiltty aud s.e-
Kance' good manners, Yit, ylvaclty GlgnIly ana
charm are qualities which belong to otAcr5'
AmIo you perceive. has au eye to blcmishcs.
Saturated as he is with German lore he is not
bind to the defects Of tho German method lie
misses those traits the sum Of winch
we have in mind when We use the
word literature He has been reading a big
German book on Esthcics, and yawnng over It,
and signing for q touch Of esprit "Oh for clcaness
precision, brcvity" One little article Of SGinte-
Beuve or Rcnau affords him moro pleasure, sets him
20 thinking molo than a thousand Of these heavy,
overladcu German pages which give you tho mate
rials of a book but not tho book. The remark is
counterpart to that of Paul Louis Courier on the
ProriaciaLs: Ia moi1drc lctho de Pascal Gljt plus
.aala,stc a faire que toUte PEncycoDf3iG' Perhaps
30 one has put the question of criticism higher than
Amiel When Saiutc-Bouvo dies he leaves behind
HIM. says his a1mirer n greater void than Bcranger
and Lamartine; they already belonged to the past,
he was still helping us to think,
The true cIitc is he who teaches tho world
where to take its stand. He is the representation
of Judgment that is to say OF the pubhc reason he
Is iLc touchstone and the scales, the Tcdning-rod
winch assesses every ones worth and the value OF
every work Iufailibily OF Judgment IS perhaps
more rare than ythlA- else, SO hne a balance or
qualities does 1t dcnand-Quailtic5 both natural
and acquired, qualities OF mind and heart. what
years Of toll what study and comparison, arenceGed
10 bring the critical faculty to maturity. Like
Patos sage, il is not till be j. fifty that the critic
rises 10 the height Of his literary priesthood, or 20
put it less pompousy, Of his social iunctQn.
modes Of being. and for mastery of all possible
shades of appreciation. And 60 thts refinement OF
culture without limit Salute-Bcuye joined pro-