New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-24
BALZAC IN ENGLISH.
A NOVEL WITHOUT A HEROINE.

greed The characters are few, the situations com
monplace But the interest of the story never nagS
The development of the ltte drama proceeds with
steady pace As the people concerned go aooui
their several functions their reality grows upon u.s.
and the fortunes of the two musicians absorb us
until the climax of the sordid tragedy Is reached.
The friendship of Pons and Schmucke Is one OF the
purest aud most beautiful creationo In fiction.
Those two old men. drawn together BY community
OF occupations and tastes come 60 have but one lire
between them Each Is the mplement OF the other.
Each Is necessary to the other Of the two.
BchIaucke Is the higher soul. Pons Is capable OF
baseness lie sacrifices his self-respect TO MS
gourmandise. lie dcgrades himself into the barely
tolerated des pissed and pu-upon poor alton rather
than forego the good dinners which are the recon-
pense for his humiliation. In comparison with most
of the other people IN the story he is indeed a
good man; but in comparison with Sohmucke
he is fun of foibes
The poor old German is one Of those tender Great
ures VINO seem sent into the world without an cpl
derrnis or any means Of defence or offence. Age
does not bring them worldly wisdom, nor suspicion
Nor craft nor indurated feelings Gentle and ahec-
tionate as women tn v are as innocent and as SEN
sitve. When such characters are exposed to the
orueltes belonging to the battle of life they faint
and wither. They have no mental stamina
Misfortune strikes them harder than then
fellows and they have far less power OF
endurance and far more capacity for suffering. No
where In fiction has this type OF humanity been
drawn 80 admirably as IN the pages OF Balzac. NO
where has a more exalted and touohing friendship
than that Of Pons aud Schmucke been depicted
There episodes IN the history of this friendship
which approach the sublime; such. for instance a.
that IN whloh >ohmucke recalls Pons from the very
hold of death by the intensity OF his WI
force aud the agony of his love. There Is only
ItaIt in
movin. event in the career of the Hebrew Prophet
which resulted Ia che re- ,overy of the dying lad
into whose sinking frame the strength of divinev
reinforced vitality had been breatnet Only SEQ
opd to this Is tue picture of Sen nucke wrestling
with the dark angel for the life Of bis friend
But su IA men ~ the two musicians are apt to
have double portions Of sorrow measured out t"
them IN this life. The world only recognizes thei
heipIessness AS indicating that they are an easy
prey, aud it rends tlem pItiIessy. B,lzac make
no mistakes in his social diagnosis. Wen Pon~
and a schmucke come together there will be d
Madame Cibot to ensnare aud rob them The de-
scriptnn of this wo nan is lstcrly. She is typ
cal concierge; vulgar, cunning. greedy. full OF
ioquacity boastful. irritable without real humanity
or compunctlon and capable even of crime when
her avarce is fully revealed she has all the quail |
ities and vlcss of her class together with then
mannerisms and ways OF thinking Her visit to |
the old medium or sorceress Is a wonderful piece OF
work She goes because she is anxious to learn the |
future, but though the revelation frlgh ems her
has no deterrent effect. and she proceeds to CARY
out her plans with char icteristic persstencv. The
gathering of the yultures round a
dying animal is suggested by the ha,ching
of the conspiracy against poor Pons.
In forty years of assduous collecting aided by the
know ledge of specialist he mas 'tnered together
mass of art objects paintings. statuary. carved
work, enamels etc, worth at least million francs
To rob him Of his collection Is the OBJECT of the
jew. Ellie Magus. the Auvergnat second hand dealer
Remoneucq and the Robesperrean lawyer FraisIer
The last becomes the agent of Madame do Mar |
Vile the crueliest of Cousin Ponss relations. and |
the combination OF which the CIbOt is the centre |
gradually draws the net closeraround the victim |
The progress of this hdeous plot. the awak- |
enIng of suspicion in the mind of the |
diving man. his discovery of the man@uvres of the |
rogues his attempt to couuteract them the failure
of his plan through the simplicity OF poor |
Schmucke all is told with unapprolched reals II |
and force There Is no distraction in the current.
Everything marches toward the tragic end with the |
steadiness of Fate There could be no chance OF |
escape for Pons and Schmucke with such dellber-
ale yilany as ucity and resources massed against |
them An inferior writer might have made the u |
triumph over their enemies, but Balzac was doscrio-
ing real llfe and he would not be unfalthfnl to hi"
model
In life the Ponses and Schmuckes are Dredestined |
victims. rhackeray, hmself also a great and pro
found artist has gnized this truth fully. From
the first Therefore the collection Of POns wa,
doomed. there any hope that in bedueath-
ing II to Schmucke his friend could secure the sue
cession The will making Schmncke the heir Is
indeed valid. but TO lawyer of Frasier's callbre
the circumvention of the most valid testament is
facile undertaking. The means EMPLOYED by this
b-scoundrel 10 hunt down the III SCRABBLE heir tin
isbes the work OF the cousprators by killing the old
German. Accused OF having schemed aad intrigued
to get himself made POnss heu-he who would
have given his life ten had II been pos
sible. to save his friend-the poor righteous mans
heart Is broken and ne simply hes down and dies.
II tragedy There is no love-making IN the
book. for it would be blaspnemy SO to denoninate
the british courtship of the Cibot by Remonencq
There is heroine. There is scarcely ayoung
man ID The story. aud but one young woman. Cecile
de Marvile, and she repulsIve creature,
feebler than her wicked mother, but not
more lovabe. Yet we do not miss
the accustomed amorous motive. nor
the intercourse between youth aud beauty. the
frequent change of scene By which ordinary
writers seek to avoid tedium. The power aud
reality of the story riyet us from the beginning
The series of marvellous portraits by which BalZac
makes not acquain led. merely but Intimate with,
his characters. forces upon our minds ALI The dis-
tinguishng traits of these people. Ii Is history
rather than romance that we are reading It's
only in actual life that such men and women are
seen. and that such deeds done in such ways
II is q terrible picture and vet it is so skfuliy, so
artisticaIy relieved that the beauties OF the old |
meu's friendship. the pathos OF their martyr
dom create Impressions which dominate
The painful recoiIectIons Of their undoing. La eff
feet, vice trumphs and virtue is tramped under
loot as 100 of en- appens real life. BalzaO does
not tri9e with tle !egItIm ite effect of ais work
by suggesting moral. AS in the actual world we
are all free to INTO the events which pass
efo us he meaninU the sp,ritual sIpnIficance