The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-14
ETIENNE ARAGO.

No day passes that men do not do heroic
deeds. and no one remembers them; no year
goes by without its romance, as thrilling as
any that fiction has ever conceived.
Ten days ago there died in Paris, at the
age Of 80, one whose biography will form
part of the history of France during the
nineteenth century, and yet who is hardly
known TO the readers Of these lines. This
was Etienne Arago, the brother of the
famous astronomer Francois Arago. When
be was a mere boy of 20 he embarked
simultaneously in three Observation-Disclosures,
politics and science. OF these, he aban-
doned the last to bis brother, who reached
the highest rank among French scientists,
and retained it after he became blind.
Etienne remained a man of letters to the
last. he wrote more than hundred plays,
some Of them in collaboration with such
playwrights as Anicet-B Bourgeois, Desver-
gers and VLl!eneuve, and two or three
novels, one of them in collaboration with
BalZac. He was manager of a theater for
eleven years, and failed owing go, 600
francs. After his failure he led life of
pinching poverty and stinted himself Of the
necessaries of life for thirty-two years,
when he paid off his debt to the last franc
But his chief pursuit was politics.
He became from the start, and remained
TO the end, what the French call an adj
vanced radical. An advanced radical In
France corresponds pretty nearly to JEFF
fersonian Democrat in this country. NJ.
Arago held opinions which are entertained
In this country by Mr.. Carlisle, MIR. Crisp
and Mr.. Cleveland. In France he was
thought so alarming politician that he was
at war all his life with the authorities Pol
t.,I 4.
the revolution of 1890 gave him an oppor-
tunlty OF mounting barricade. lie sup
ported Louis Philippe until the bourgeois
King repudated his pledges, then lie Joined
Cavaignac and Ledru Roliin and conspired
against the King thr0ugho out his reign, be-
ing constantly driven out of Paris by the
police. In 1913 be became Postmaster
General under the provisional Government.
But he was soon in opposition again, and
escaped a sentence of exile to New Gale
donia by flying to Belgium. After the coup
d'etat he returned home, but was not al
lowed to remain in France. Napoleon III
not only drove him out. but insisted on Bel
ginm exiting him also.
lie remained in exile, chiefly in Italy.
writing vigorous articles for the Paris press
and lively plays for the Paris theaters till
Sedan. Then he returned, and was at once
elected to the most arduous and dangerous
post In the Countrywide mayoralty o. Paris.
That he held till he was forced TO elect be-
tween standing by the Government or join
ing the Commune. BE adopted the former
alternative and resigned. He served short
term rs member of the Chamber under
Theirs Presidency, but ne was 20 years old
and weary of strife. A place was found for
him in the School of Fine Arts, and in full
filling its duties he spent the last years of
his life in poverty. but with the respect OF all.
EtieDne Arago was the natural product
OF the period of fermentation which pre-
ceded the establishment of popular govern
ment In France. He was Southerner. as
hot-blooded as he was clear-headed. He
saw through all the shallow devices by