New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-16
NJ. REMAIN.
PICTURES OF THE FAMOUS MAN IN HIS
LECTURE ROOM AND IN HIS HOME.


Paris. Oct. 4.
The death Of NJ Renan. though neither sudden
nor unexpected. is distinct blow to France 1t
makes greater void in the French literary world
than any event since the death of Victor Hugo.
Indeed il may be Justly estimated as surprising
even that In sense of loss, since Victor Hugo hal
long outlived the strongly creative period OF hs
intellectual career while Rcnan, though an OLD
man, was vet in the full glory Of hi9 powers
Renan, TOO, was not merely great scholar ana
a great writer. he was popular inquire IN the
daily life of Paris. His lectures at the College
Of France Were numerously attended by otlcis
than students: il was as much the proper thing
to 90 10 them as 20 20 to the opera. There
WAS n difference. it j. true between his audiences
and those of NJ Caro- at the Sorbonnc but
they were still popular and typical Partisan
audiences. And then he was forever 70 the fore
in the newspapers, in contributed articles or
interviews Now and then he would 60 down
10 his native Brittany and talk TO the fisher
people and farmers. So. altogether, there was
no one better known to the public than he.
There was no better place to see him than In
his lecture room at the College of France. lie
lectured twice wecl-on Wednesday and
Saturday afternoons. As rule. of course, his
topics were what arc called dry Hebrew and other
Yet seldom were there many vacant seats in
the room. The visitors were all sorts and con-
ditions Of men. There priests OF the
Church. who came 10 crticse and condemn :;
frecthinkers who came to applaud; travellers
from all parts of the world anxious TO see and
hear the famous man: Partisan oilers who came
because il was the proper tllng to d.. There
were some who came expecting to hear some
shocking attacks upon religion. and they went
away disappointed There were others who
| came to listen 70 they cared not what, phrascd
in the most perfect literary style of this genera
ton and they never were disappointed But
| whoever they were, and why ever they came,
they did come, and filed all the rather uncom-
Portable seats that rose tier upon tier around
three sides OF the room In the centre of tie
other side was the lecturers desk, and upon il
a glass of water.
The appearance of the lecturer was not exactly
prepossessing lie was certainly not handsome
man, attractive TO the eve. He was not
tail, but he was tremendously stout, and he
walked and moved in an clephantinc manner
that made him seem heavy md clumsy beyond
description. lie stopped considerably, too, a.
though he were too heavy TO be held erect.
However, his head though not handsome, was
impressive 1t was Of vast size, the length
TOln lfOHt u D'lHb pll'HOu'Idi tHou!H
the forehead. seen in full face, appeared rather
narrow. The face was clean shaver, and the
lower part of it was heavy. In an unn-
tellectual man it would have been gross. that
big jaw surrounding double chin. But one
realized by instinct that this was a glutton Of
knowledge, O gourmet in words only. The nose
was big. too, and the mouth had a peculiar
curl at each side, which sometimes was pathetic,
sometimes humorous, sometimes cynical II
was a wonderful mouth, the whole worthy
Of the wonderful flow Of language that proceeded
from it. His eyes were Of ordinary size, but
| seemed small by contrast with the other
features. They very bright and twinliling,
beneath big bushy hrows and gave a world Of
animation and changeful expression 70 his face
At the appointed time he came into the room
and began 70 tall. lie paid little attention
to tie audience lie did not object 70 the
presence Of strangers but he did not court
them. As 70 mere sghtsccrs who aazcd at him
rs at lion in menagcrc. he detcstcl them
But he said what he had TO say without regard
to his hearers. lie not to say thinas that
they wanted to hear. but they TO listen 10
whatever he chose to say Sometimes he said
things that greatly dsp!eased tho priests 81
that they would get up and walk Indignantly
from the room. Then people would say: lie
IL.
would have said precisely the same things if
there had not been priest in the room. He
probably never uttered word for the mere sa.,e
of pleasing or displeasng. He read his lectures.
and he usually kept two or three assistants busy
handing him books and manuscripts as he re-
1uired them. There was not much oratory
about it. But there always that same
matches charm of literary style that one finds
in all lbs books, and that ranks him above
almost every other writer of his generation.
IF one sought NJ Rcnan in his home, he found a
charming scene Of scholarly life and domestic hap
pncss Nine Renan was a daughter OF the famous
artist, AIRY Scheiler, and was In intellectual quail
itcas wcl-ltted to he her husbands sympathetic
comrade The rooms were crowded with books and
NJ. and Nine. Rcnan seemed like two students.
working together This may seem remarkable, since
she earnest member OF q Christian church
and brought up her daughter in that faith Tie
fact only shows however, how entirely free was NJ
Renan from bitterness or bigotry IN his philosophy
He was not an opponent of Christianity No one
ever heard him speak cv1 of it. He cordially aT,
proved his wifcs and daughters attachment 10 the
Church, and often said that he, too, believed In
Christianity He did not believe in Christ as God
bnt as a great wise and good man, the founder Of
the most perfect system of spiritual philosophy in
the world IL am a moral disciple OF Him. he
would say AZ for the Deity, there was never a
firmer believer. He did not, he said, know much
about Cod but that there was a God he believed
absolutely.
NJ Rcnan was popular figure in the world, yet
he was not much in touch with the world He was
n good deal of n rccluse. and would have been
cvnic and almost misanthrope had he not been so
full OF kindly optimism. :" 1t is the age of the
mob, be said. Everybody votes we have mob
government. Everybody writes or dictates what
shall be written and we have mob literature. The