New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-20

Thought of as the dscoverer OF important new
Truths He derived his ideas from those VINO nau
preceded him, from the literature Vi occui'is'
and mysticism. But he was at the same time
much more than a mere copy1st, ZOE NO prousho
IN these recondite studies the temperdmeno inc
ATTITUDES. and. above all sthe special facuiues
which have in all ages marked 'nc oeet. i''
noorIior etress for this line of research lay In
the abnormal DEVELOPMENT in him Oh tne crea"Ve
IMAGINATION. Intuitiye knowledge, 10 many men
nositivelv inoomprehensible, was TO nm the most
natural aoouiremept possible Hc had not there-
fore. TO overcome the obstacles wnlch nave mosO
frequently hindered mystical research
To him the capitalization OF al phlngs was
perfectly credible for the splrtuai sue Oh pne-
nomenal existence was that when pressed upon
him most closely in his own experience us
tinctions between subjective ana oplecu'e seenieu
almost frivolous TO him, for when MS IMAGINATION
was working at full power oil sucn uis'ihc.ionS
ceased to exist for him. One important anu u
pecially interesting result of this apttuoe Is InC
wa have in Louis Lambert not mereiV
a statement of the THEORIES anu uoe
trines referred TO. but aso Anu
~ Endorsement of them. They have all
been passed through Balzac's mnd' ana nave rc,
ceved the illumination of his peculiar spiritual
insight.
a oer,air weight and authority, aud establish a
oloir, unor onr attention which is not to be
HgbtIv reuudated. 10 is fortunate thar at this
tire tbe reading public is better informed con-
oe,rino tbesubjects treated OF IN Louis Lambert
than AZ any former period 1t is the more prob
able thar this wonderful book will be received
with appreciation and be examined with care
and patience.
Il is not to be thought that a" Louis Lambert
Ia a oomplete exposition, however. Had Balzao
nretended 10 any such effect he would have
stamped himself charlatan. Nowhere does he
venture beyond hints and outlines, and in this
book even these tentative efforts are sedulously
confined TO the consideration OF that which is.
For il Is 10 be observed that Louis Lambert
is not the elimination Of the splendid scheme
of thought which il illustrates and helps TO
develop. II is only in Seraphita' that the apex
is reached; we lind ourselves In presence OF the
consummate flower Of en- ideal humanity-the last
material evolution on tho very confines OF Divin-
ity Louis Lambert is q great intellect. but
not yet perfected. Balzaos system demands for
It's working out the doctrine Of reincarnatons,
and in this and other details IL has much IN
common with the PHILOSOPHERS and religions OF
India. Lambert Is the type OF moral purity
and intellectual energy. These may lift the
aspirant TO great heights Of knowledge and
wisdom, but they must be vitahzed b. the divine
love before they can enable their possessor to
effect the final and absolute severance from
worldly and material things. Louis Lambert
sees and knows: these are his functions. lie
has liberated himself 70 o certain extent, yet
his task is but partially accomplished. BE is.
therefore, left in the state of ecstasy TO which
his profound meditations have raised him, aud
he ends his present phase OF existence without
having finished anything. IL is true he has
sowed the seeds Of wider knowledge, but his
guidance will serve only part OF the long journey
to be travelled.
"Seaphita deals with the higher, indeed,
with the highest stage. but it is
not necessary at this time ~ do more
than refer 10 the TACT In Louis LAMBERT will
be found quite rs substantial body of thought
as the most exigent student can digest at one
sitting; in sober fact such q body Of thought
as even with the help OF the Introduction must
demand serions application from those who desire
70 master this interesting work. But IL is certain
that until now the world has never been in
position 20 comprehend Louis Lambert" and
the need Of a commentary for II was so great
that IL may be said 20 have been put within
the reach OF the general reader for the first
time In its present English dress. Although the
book had a certain vogue in France when IL was
issued. IL can hardly be affirmed that IL was ever
comprehended there. So far as can be gathered
the common impression was that IL was an OK
ceedngly clever study OF the growth and decline
OF remarkable intellect; in fact, a sort Of
romantic experiment in morbid pathology. That
the sentences caught from Lambert embodied
any particular meaning. much less that they
outlined system OF philosophy, seems TO have
occurred TO very few even among the critics who
praised the book most warmly half century ego.
Indeed, so completely did some Of Balzac's
contemporaries miss the meaning OF the work that
they questioned whether 10 ought to have been
included in the general scheme of the Coincide
Humainc,' and thought it would have been better
20 publish both 10 and Seraphita' separately as
having no connection with the social and political
studies The truth is and the introduction throws
il into relief that the Coincide Humaine' would
have been incomplete without these two. books,
which at the same time crown the undertaking
and exhibit the marvellous scope OF Balzac's
genius. Nor is the range Of his powers more
clearly manifested than In the works which,
whether fortuitously or by design, mark the re
cent progress OF the American TRANSACTIONS From
Cousine Bette TO Louis Lambert Is a broad
stretch indeed; from the basest carnal indulgence
10 the loftest aspirations Of which the human
mind is capable. The sphere OF what BalzaC
calls the Instructive is in the latter work prac-
tically unrepresented. We breathe throughout
the rare6ed atmosphere OF pure intellect, rising
finally to pitch Of abstraction which has beer
held to justify the application Of the term mys
| tical' 10 the book.
1t may be asserted without reservation that
the fun significance of the Coincide Humaine'
can only be comprehended through the careful
study of Balzae's philosophical trilosy-the Pear
de Ckagrin," Louis Lambert and Seraphita.H
As Taine said, these are the final blossoms OF The
great literary enterprise, and they mark The
highest point fiction has hitherto attained. Bal
FAC, like Shakespeare, availed himself freely o.
the work of his predecessors but also like Shake
speare, he transformed and adorned all that he
appropriated, and he enriched it with the fruit
of independent research and reflection. Perhaps