New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-18
DE SEvIGNE.
,ur GREAT FRENCH WRITER'S

NJ the new and In many ways admirapie SIIe" VI
monographs or the great French writefs ih's0
little books, five Of which have ALREADY appe"'e"
are models Of their kind. They are noo iof""i
biographies, their purpose being 10 pro',"Y 90
romplete q picture as possible, accompanied W
compact perspicuous commentary "n" 'Npo'
,ion which should realize the character, aspec'
sna b.havtor Of the celebrity under study with
clearness and fitness The writers OF the mono
craphs are all men of established literary reputa-
.,.r and several of them are masters OF style
tn. Arrt of the series IS " Madame de Sevlgne,
hv NJ Castor BOLSTER, who has accomplished MS
task with equal grace and Judgment. lie Ill
vtdes his subject into three principal heads: Inc
Woman. the Writer, and the Worker, and discusses
and examines each carefully and interestingly
Madame de Sevigne is woman who VIII always
h. attractive even though her letters should
.cease to be read; and perhaps already, OUTSIDE
Of a select circle in France, these letters nave
bepun TO occupy the higher shelves IN bookcases
At the beginning Of the present century her
memory was kept greener She enjoyed inc
rare distinction of admission to English iadles
schools where her letters were employed as models
of style and treasures OF chaste ana tender seho'
ment 1t is probable that when Becky Sharpe
received her education at Miss Pinkertons Acao-
envy for Young Ladies, on Chiswick Mall, she was
instructed in Gallo ethics from the pages OF
Madame de Sevigne and learned to turn French
sentences by studying the style OF that charmlngy
natural and brilliant writer. This was tribute
10 the purity Of the Frcnchwoman, which, wrung
as it was from the prudery OF British Phiistlnlsm
possesses considerable significance. Nor can there
be any doubt that Madame de Sevigne deserved
the implied compliment, and that she should nave
done So living and writing when and how she
did is a still higher guarantee OF her superiority
II was difficult for FrenchwOman OF noble olr'h
and breeding attached by many ties 10 the Oonrt
thrown continually into the highest society OF the
period, to live. during the reign OF Louis the
Fourteenth an altogether exemplary life Social
morals are no doubt to some extent questions
Of the period but the period mentioned, while
less thoroughly and hopeessly corrupt than that
of the Regency was what would be considered
pow--even in the time of the Republlc-eXtremeiy
free and easy There was about it a certain per-
fume of aristocracy which, however assocateo
with profit gate morals and frivolous lives Is one
indication of kind of life possessing from the
aesthetic point of view, an interest not to be
found in many more robust and essentially Dig
nifed and useful states Of society Amlel described
the old French noble salons very well IN MS Jour
nal" when he wrote not especially OF them'lhoeeo
" In society people are expected TO DehaVe as il
they lived on ambrosia and concerned themselves
with interests DuU Sucu tS arr Hooic' N"AN,
need. passion, do not exist All realism is sup
messed as brutal In word, what is called
sc crande monde gives itself for the moment
the fattering illusion that it is moving In an
ethereal atmosphere and breathing the air OF the
rods For this reason all vehemence, any cry OF
nature all real suffering, all needless familiarity,
any genuine sign of passion, are startling ana
distasteful in this delicate milieu, and at once
destroy the collective work, the cloud-palace, the
imposing architectural creation raised by
common consent BY the instructive
collaboration Of everybody concerned VIII
and taste hold festival and the as
sociations of reality are exchanged Tor the as
sociations OF imagination. So UNDERSTOOD, society
Is a form of poetry the cultivated classe' de-
liberately recompose the idyll OF the past anu
The buried world Of Astraea.'
1t was in such society that Madame dc De-
vione moved Married at eighteen to spend
thrift who did not die too soon for the staoili'y
nj his wife's fortune the young widow al twenty
xix took that place in the salons OF hef ume
which she continued TO hold to the end she was
cav. fond Of admiration liked to be courted
and 10 have a train of followers, was always DE-
sieoed by lovers, but never surrendered TO them'
Her purity was constant source OF WONDER 10
her dissoute contemporaries and 1t Sui perpleAes
NJ BOLSTER who is driven TO explain 1t, with Busy
Rabutin by supposing that she was temperamentalIy
cold She herself gave what outside OF France,
may seem more natural explanation. She said
she had too much love for her children to have
any to give to other people. Love for her children
is in fact the dominant note in her life. She was
devoted 10 them, and to her rather cross grained
daughter in a special way. But it can hardly be
admitted that she had no love for others, for as
NJ. Boissier observes: :" She beloved because
she loved Others Whatever may be said, this is
still the surest way to win hearts people only
returned to her what she gave She was indeed an
ideal friend and the secret Of her escape from the
jntrigues into which so many eager lovers sought
TO urge her probably lies in the fact that she knew
how to maintain all her relations with men at the
stage of warm friendship, and how to prevent thar
stage being passed without losing the regard OF
those whose passion she disappointed.
She had not TO fear loss Of caste, for she asse
ciated constantly with great ladies whose reputa-
tons were heavily furnished Simply, she did not
choose to follow the common example She had
been disillusionized without losing her optimlst
disposition She was cheerful and inspiring to all
who knew her One of the most curious TRAITS
of her character was her mental Elasticity. She
babitually reflected the opinions of the society she
had last frequented, and she knew this as well rs
ANYBODY Yet while thus acting the part OF
living photograph, she did not permit pubic
opinion to control her own conduct 1t was
wretched condition of things which existed around
her The French nobility on the verge OF
financial collapse. Everybody had become bank
rupt in trying TO live up TO the eXtravagant
standard of Versailles. Everybody looked to the
King as the general almoner. The Court was
good oflice-seeking mart. The greatest mobiles
begged for places. Even Madame de Sevigne
wrote: I'VE must not despair What though we
ore not his body servants il we pay court to him,
he may chance 10 let some droppings fall on US
The doctrine of the divinity that doth hedge king
was still accepted The victims Of royal caprice
and tyranny did not venture TO call in question
the sovereign justice. They abused ministers
ranndlu hut tLcy bowed a q Providence when