New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-03
A POET ON SOCIALISM.
FRANCOIS COPPEE AT THE FRENCH
ACADEMY-sIR ROBERT MORIER.
Paris. November Is.

actions. The award of the Mohtsoh Pi%e' VI va
tue is an annual ceremonial and takes place
in the presence Of the five academies forming the
Institute of France and of the pick OF literary ar
tistic and fashionable society on the director OF
president Of the Academy for the quarter Oh 'he
year in which this solemnity comes OH the uu'y
devolves of eulogizng NJ de Montyon ana 'le re-
cipicnts of his testamentary benefcence. VINO was
VI. de Montyon? He was judge, VINO was an
emgre during the Revolution was the owner Oh
a large estate a mser extremely vain ana hlnty
and died in 1894. He wanted TO save ana yet 10
have impershable fame. TO this latter end he lett
"A large part Of his fortune to the Academy 10
reward authors for works that make for public
morality and the enlightenment Of the human MIND
and conscience. Yesterday 10000 francs were given
out the Montyon fund in literary prizes OF lV"
francs each The rewards for virtuous actions or
courses Of actions amounted to n,cD francs. In
general the director of the Academy, who eulosiHes
". de Montyon. under clause in that philanthro7
plss WILL has his tongue IN his check as he lauds
him and ,he recipients of his bounty. In most
cases II would be hard to help being ironica. II
the poor creatures to whom the prizes or virtue
awarded only half good as the director
of the Academy describes them. neither he nor any
body listening to him would be worthy to clean their
shoes Praise Is expected, because to give 1t is one
Of the conditions which. under Montyon's WILL
the Academy has right to dispose of the funds
he left ii.
NJ. Dumas 1ls few years ago. exquisitely
poor and believes in the sanctifyng action Of poverty
when it is accepted In a patient spirit and
God-sent discipline to exercise and strengthen the
moral sense in the masses OF human creatures
He was In dealing with the recipients Of the
prizes the contrary Of satiriSal The poet who Is
pious Roman Catholic. and in peculiar and
independent way Conservative. avaied himself
Of the universal terror to which Anarchism
pounded by dynamite Is now giving rise to bring
forward the question Of Socialism and the claims
OF the poverty-strcken. In doing so he merely
rung changes the teachings OF the Gospel. But
he avoided thrcadbare pulpit formula ana pre-
scented the main subjects with which he dealt in
striking light. giving personal ring to what he
said The fruits OF modern science were bitter. In
deed. when scientists moderated the promptnss
Of the heart and overrated mere head knowledge
VI. Coppee was hard the political economists
and others who would never give an aims unless
through organization Of clerks and inspectors
who eat VI charitable gifts before 1t get to the
poor. lie feared that NJ. De Montyon to rise
from the dead he would experience some disagree
able SURPRISES ON one side persons with grave
faces who had studied the question Of paupersm
would tell him that far from doing good private
charity did mischief by intensifying the bad state
which It tried to remedy. on the other side he
would see the poor up their at the doles
he left them. II they ala not refuse. they would
receive them with bad grace II VI. de Montyon
went to a workingclass meeting he would hear
somebody on the platform in the tribune decaim
with reihot anger against charity means to
| relieve the hunger OF the starving.
We're ne to hear what at meeting OF
| commission. OF learned economists who wanted
to deaf with the question Of pauperism. they would
say that the best course to let It solve Itself
| and 10 nothing. Elsewhere he would be told that
| 81 Martin acted fooishly in giving In milwinter
MS mantle a naked cripple The sooner the cripple
| died Of cold the better II OF more importance
% world that being in all respects noble like
| the knirhty Saint should not risk attack OF
pleurisy than that the besger might be secured
| temporary warmth by the mantle. Nevertheless
| those who try to get rid Of pauperism by savings
| banks friendly societies. charity organizations
and the Ike dld good albeit an imperfect work.
Nor should we make war treat fools
madmen those whose souls rise In revolt against the
| glaring inequalities in the conditions OF human
| beings and claim FOR those who have nothing a
share OF the good things that nature and human
| labor produce. Both started from different points.
| but faced the goal Both had the same
| ideal. What they wanted was state OF cviliZa-
| ton In which excessive poverty would be- i'm
| possible. and In which a united social enort would
| supply the place Of .nfallible Providence. II
| perfection was OF this world and progress led to
' IT, both prepared for the return Of the golden
age There could be no more noble realm than this.
hut the world was Old and was the human
power TO dream sublime day dreams. He whose
sublime ethiB had given men the best means to
realize such dreams: he who. speaking on thu
! mountain. let fall the saddest saying human ears
I eyer heard: "The poor ye shall have always with
! you"-nothng that had taken place within the
! last go years proved that sad saying to be false.
| our Penal code corroborated II, ana possibly was
Obliged TO do so. when it punished with imprson-
| mcnt the poor starving houscless wretch who held
out his hand for aims fell asleep on the
! wayside Why then should the charity which aided
the individual that other charity that acted
| IN uyh IZaff b, M
| other specific that had ever yet succeeded but
charitable effort. Lean COWS must eat up the fat
cows and years Of scarcity succeed years of plenty
| No statute would the selfshness OF some and
the weakness the want Of adaptahlty Of others
The poor would. therefore, be always among MS.
| NJ Coppee thanked God when saying this. that the
! spirit OF charity would be- always active In the
| hearts both OF poor and rich There would be al
ways rich people who could not enjoy their wealth
| because the misery OF their poor brethren was
| constantly coming home to their minds Such peo-
| Pile would give their money their time. their best
efforts their tenderness and their devotion to the
] poverty -strickcn.
In aluding To Socialism NJ Coppee reminded
| his hearers that Lazarus full Of venomous sores.
| was at the gate. But the ranking ulcers hai
| exasperaed him. Every one now felt that there
| vas a social danger. and the that there
was one betrayed itself in every civilized country.
The souls Of the poor formerly soothcd by prayer.
| or intoxicated by military glory. by liberty that
| was to be won. were nOw-and who could blame
| them more matter-of-fact. The spirit OF the
| century that Is drawing to its close sways them.
| This however not a reason to conclude that
| they were no longer capable to blaze up with
fame Of enthusiasm for a great cause. But just now
| the demands OF the working classes everywhere
| aimed at practical results. After all, what they
| asked was only what humanity owed them. That
is 10 say less grinding toll in the years in which
| they could work and a little comfort to be secured
| .lac In cfnn Of
| wealth had better not turn deaf TO those
| demands which became and more impe
| rlous II was no crying out that such or such
| reforms were impossible because they Jared with
| the habits and prejudlces of such classes What
might not and could not happen? Had prophet gone
TO courtIer Versailles In l7S and told HIM that
| sixty years later the vote of his grandson would
In Inc M innal lns he