The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-27


saw ut to call himself voltnirc. was born in
Paris. Nov. 81. 1904. He came into the world
10 eickiy an infant that for months he was
not expected to survive. and. though he lived
20 DO SO. he suffered much from i'll health
throughout his lie. His father. Francois
Arouet, sprung from a reputable middle
GLASS family of Potion. belonged for many
years to the highest class OF Paris notaries.
and shortly before the birth Of lis second son.
voltaire. obtained the wcll-paid and responsi-
bic oifico OF Receiver OF Foes aud Fines to TIL"
Chamber o. Accounts. Nine. Arouet was
friend OF tho famous Ninon dc fEnclos.
Who after having been made lovs to by
three generations OF Frenchmen. was In her
old age tho centre OF II rather brilliant "'rcie
Of free thinking and !rse-and-casy persons OF
both sexes. one OF Ninon's most intimate
allies was certain Ahbe de Chatcnun"uf, who
became not only great TREND OF Nine.
Arouet. ut the godfather OF her second son. OF
Vhon as II. grew older. he made quito COM
pnniun. 1t Ia clear that in contravention OF
his VOWS ut tho bartismnl fount tho godfather
instilied u premature skcrtcism in the pro-
cocious cod1on and taugh: him t" SCOT at
most of tho things regarded throughout Chris
tendon rs sacred.
The boy. Francois. lost his mother In his
seventh year. and three years later entered rs
a bourder the College Louis-le-Grand. This
seminary was the greatest o: all the teaching
estnblishiD ents which tho Jesuits had founded
throughout France. Tho fact is noteworthy.
considering tho attitude which both of them
subsequently assumed toward religion. that
, both Volti,re and Renan should have been
semiparlsts. Sixty years after leaving this
boarding school Eotaire put into the mouth
OF an interlocutor in IN imaginary dialogue a
scornfui denunciation Of the insufciency and
general inutiity OF tho education received at
it. AS matter of fact he acquired tolerable
knowledge of Latin. but never wrote it with
anything like scholarly correctness. and his ac-
quaintancs with Greek was slender. There
was one talent. however. shown by him very
carly which his teachers did not fail to en-
courage 1t seems to have been very soon
after his entrance into the boarding school
TINT his gift ut vcrsiying became known to
his superiors and that the following incident
occurred. There came to the college an Old
soldier. who asked one of the masters to in
ditto "a few complime ntary verses to be pre-
scented to the dauphin in whose regiment no
had served and whose purse he hoped to open.
Tho master sent him to the little Arouet. who
dashed of the verses he wanted. and they pro-
duced the desired effect. This feat led
the Abb6 de ChhtsRuneuf to present
his clever little godson to the aged
Ninon de fEnclos. She was so taken with
the boy that ehe left him O legacy OF two
thousand francs to buy books with. AS 1t
happened. yoltaire's arst appearance in print
and that during his school years-was as the
writer OF IL devout piece OF verse suggested BY
an equally devout piece OF work By his teacher.
1t is clear. nevertheless. from his private let
tiers written ut the time. that to whatever ex-
font the young Arouet may have learned in
odes and otherwise to adopt the devotional
tone OF his Jesuit teachers. he was n decided
skeptic when ut II he left the College Louis
le-Grand.
When tho son returned home from board
ing school his father wished him to study for
the bar. and he accordingly attended some
lectures ON jurisprudence. but only to be dis
eustcd with the study OF the law He passed
his time much moro congenially as tho guest
OF the So called Society Of the Temple. a clus-
ter OF epicurean wits. poets. and mon OF rank.
OF whom tho free-thinking Abb6 de Chauliou
was tho laureate. The young man took de-
light In making himself agreeable to friendly
associates far above him in social position.
and he was encouraged by them to scoff at old
fashioned ethics and to join In the worship OF
the goddess Pleasure as tho one religion for
tho Frenchman. old or young. His father was
at his wits end to know what to do with this
soapegrsce Of son. and seized tho opportu-
nifty OF sending him to the Hague In the suite
Of the French Ambassador. the Marquis de
father. Very soon after his arrival at the
Hague. however. Voltsire fell In love with a
Mile. Du-noyer. whose mother. as there was no
talk OF marriage. forbade him the house. Then
followed stolen interviews. the young lady once
at least visiting the young man In his room. to
which his chief confined him. Fearing that
his subaltsrn's imprudence might compromise
him with the Dutch authorities theAm bassador
sent him back to his father. who In the first
- AzII. a. ~. A.
prison under lettre de cacheL At last he con-
ssnted to allow the culprit to remain in Paris,
but only on condition that he should enter the
once Of an attorney. Here he made use OF his
opportunity to acquire . knowledge OF ordinary
law procedure. which no turned to account in
tho course Of his varied career, His stay. how
ever. under the roof Of the attorney did not
last beyond few months. his father eventual
t,jy Yielding to his pleadinGs and permitting
him to abandon the homogeneous calling.
Perhaps no was Influenced by the fact that
ct this very time his son was making
/, noise in the Paris world OF letters He had
written a singing satire on the successful
competitor for prize offered BY the French
Academy. and with the appearance Of this
SDoem had ut once lsaped into notoriety HO
hsd already begun also his tragedy OF Gdipe.
founded on the masterpiece OF Sophocles. This
project arose out OF Voltaires introduction to
the so-called Court Of scssux. presided over
by the clever Duchesse du Maine. grand
daughter OF the great Condo and the wife OF
the eldest surviving. though illegitimate. son
OF Louis XIV. Young Arouet may have COM
plstsd his tragedy when. In September. IT'S.
Louis XIV. died. and his will having been
broken by the Parliament OF Paris. the Duo
du Maine wont into opposition to the new
regime. A chiof mode Of political OPPOSE
ton at that time was tho distribution
OF lampoons. and apparently Volralrs
brought this weapon into play In the sup
posed interest OF his patronsss. At all events.
toArouet was ascribsd the authorship OF some
atrocious verses on the Regent and the Re-
gents daughter, tho Duchesss do Berri. Con-
sequently. In May. 17l1. was launched a TO-
script exiting the alleged author to Tulls.
some three hundred miles from Paris. for
which place OF exile Suily on tho Loire was
afterward substituted. Here the young man
found himself enjoying the best OF company a.
the guest ef tho Duo do Sully In the chateau Of
The same name Growing restless. however