New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-14
MADAME DE STAEL.
A VALUABLE BOOK,


MADAME DE STAEL. Par Albert Sorcl. 1omo. PIP.
olG. Paris: Ilacliette ct Gle. Ncwiork: +. W.
Christern
NJ Sorers monograph in the series of " Great
French Writer'S is good example Of critical
and exegetcal work. of kind too rarely at
tempted outside of France. The huge volumes
of Lady Blennerhassett reviewed in The Tribune
last wear may be said 10 have embraced all the
raw material necessary for an intelligent judg-
ment of Madame de Stael and especially as re-
CARDS her external life. The present work takes
for granted the readers familiarity with the main
facts in the history of the subject. and the author
devotes himself 10 the exploration of her character
through her works and to estimate OF the
latter and the effects they produce NJ Sorcl
on one initial point differs from many previous
writer's on the same theme. lie insists that
Ncckcrs daughter was impcllcd daring her carly
womanhood by dominant yearning for = pure
and deep love. Her training and the examples
from which she had leaIned developed IN hcr
o romantic passion which could not be satisfied
by tho marriage de CONVEYANCE alone wl'hpl
her reach. Wher, however. her unhappy union
with Dc Stael had disiusiOnlzed her. her I'M
petuous and almost virile genius sought an outlet
and an occupation in that perennial HOOD OF Talk
which made her a celebrity. The time was pro-
weight allowed TO mere conversation. The sa-
Ions in which the Revolution may bc said to have
been nursed were, to the eyes of their frequent
ers, harmless; vet in theui was organized inc
ideas which, when distorted by ignorance ana
directed by sclf-ntercst and ambition, were 10
issue in the Terror and all that 1t involved
Few things now surprise the student OF that
period more than the general unsnsPciohhcsS
in this regard. Nobody seems to have th"nSh'
that discussion however free and bold, could
have material consequences Madame dc St'cl
indeed. might not have shrunk from The truth.
though no one thea living could Dave 1"resr'n
the half of it,: hut with the horrors OF the Kew
olution she could have no sympathy. Her own
position was strange and ill-dchncd she wi>
protected by the belief that She was one OF rhe
precursors Of TIE Revolution, though scores VII"
could advance the same claim went TO the scat
foM during Robeapicrrc's rci!n. On the one
subject of her fathers abilities she was always
purbind but she saw clearly enough the defects
of Others In Mirabcau she never put faith
and while his early REMOVAL made it possible
ever since TO speculate upon what might nave
BEEN the evidence that he had really failed
before he died. and failed dcinitiycly, is very
strong. The most reasonable CONCLUSION appears
TO lie that no individual could AT that s'a.c
have checked or diverted the current OF cfcnf'
things being what they were. The Court l'Sc'I
was bent suicide. and would allow ho"o"s
to save it. Mrabeau could not overcome th'
madness of those whom the gods had doomed :"
destruction. As TO the people. they were ny
this time ripe for lettering the instructions 'h'f
had so long been receiving from the Philosophers
the disa iTccted aristocracy and The literary
salons They had been taught TO despse an"
hate the whole government, ami had been given
sppcific reasons for doing So When 'hfy iohhn
power handed over to them. II was not only ii-
evitable that they should make rash use Of w.
but that their wors, elements should rise TO the
top and by their Violence aud cruelty put "
stigma upon the whole revolution.
Mime de Stael was thunderstruck by the ahaStiy
accessories OF the uprising yet she never lost sight
of the fact that the abuses were real which icd
I'M TO it; and in after years she wrote noble
book upon the Revolution, pointing ont what ~
had done and what it had Supplanted, ana giving
its Just proportions ~ the Terror. But the hIches>
and temper of her soul were brought out most
strcrgly by her long and unequal contest with
Napoleon. There are few episodes III his career
more discreslitable than his steady, unrclenting
persecution of Nine. dc Stael. His attitude here
is a full confession of his crime against France.
1t was an admission that he feared woman. and
lie could only have feared her hecausc She stood
for that public and free discussion and crI'Ic>nI
OF his policy and adninis ration which lac dared
not face. lie clearly felt that open discussion OF
his government would involve condemnation Of
it, OF his mnsculn" contemporaries he had II"
such apprehension Them lie could buy or silence
at pleasure. 1t has been said that he believed
in no mans honesty, and ;u>surcdly no man who
ever lived had stronger Justification for such Gym
icism For he bad seen the Brntuscs and the
Cat0s of the clubs. the supporters OF the Terror.
the dcnrnciators Of the emigration, the men who
cursed the Church, dancing Attendance al the Con-
sular lcvccs cnrryng favor with Josephine. hcrain-
bling humbly and EAGERLY for Office, swallowing
principles and professions, rccail'iI2, SWINGING
shamelcssly from the Revolution 10 the Empire,
and all for pelf and power One woman III all
France he felt to be beyond temptation and hc
ragcI against while lie must lave admired her.
Her one weakness was Paris. Biniscd thence
she was like the Peri shut out from Paradise.
Curiously enough, she could not, 10 the last. real
ize that Napoleon had any sDid reason for his
distrist Of her She sent her book on Germany
TO the En- eIor with naive letter appealing to
his sense Of justice. The book really in
dictnlcnt of him, and she inla4i that il would
unlock the gates Of Paris fur her IL is diE!cnt
10 understand how she could have failed "a csti-
mate the tendencies and implications Of her own
work, but it is perfectly apparent that the failure
was real.
NJ Sorel gives interesting analysis Of her in
tcllectual processes. by nature and education
She was an "improvsa rather than n writer.
Talking was her normal mole OF expression: writ
ing she resortcd 20 reluctantly, and pursued
mcthodcally. She always was ready to drop the
| pen TO converse. No Interruptions annoyed her
| As was to be expected, her writings really
| reported talks more than anything else. The
dircctncss, CONCESSION, resi- r,ilEt and orderly pur-
suit of trains of thought which marx the true man
| Of letters were foreign to her genius. She was
always depressing, goinG of at a tangent. follow
ing side issues in bond, meandcring way, and
| losing the thread OF her argument. She wrote
just as she talked and she talked, though strongly,