New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-04
A GRAND OLD AUTHOR.
HARD AT WORK AT LIGHTWEIGHT YEARS.

That is an interesting announcement. that NJ
Barthelcmy Saint lIilaire is writing thrce-voumc
biography of Victor Codsin. and hopes to finish
i, mis- wear Ii is interesting because of the
authors intimate relations with Cousin, fact
which gives promise Of valuable book. But il
il from one point of view stih more interesting
because of the authors venerable years. and the
almost youthful vgor which he still retains. For
NJ Saint IIilaire is rapidly nearing the completion
of his eighty-eighth year, having been born III
P?ris on August 10, ls0j-anothcr notable fact
for not many eminent Frenchmen have been born
in Paris lie has, therefore. a vivid recolcct
of the closing years of the First Empire, ana re-
members Waterloo as we'll as he does Sedan. And
he has inst finished the first of his three great
volumes on Cousin. and only last year completed
the hercuean task Of translating all the works OF
Aristotle into French.
This grand old author began his public services
in political office and has been more or less COLI
ccrned in politics all his life. During the reign OF
! Charles he was Nominated for n clerkship IN
the Ministry of Finance. and he received the APP
pointmcnt in the year of the revolution. 1880
Having a literary bent of mind. h" added 70 his
modest salary by writing for lie hlope, tneh
the leading Opposition journal. II was as
writer in " Lc Globe that he became acquainted
with VI. Theirs, and he was one of the courageous
band who signed the protest against the ordl-
nances of the Poignac Ministry. which an so
much to bring about the revolution OF lo"V.
| When Charles had gone to lloyrood, ana hia
been succeeded by his intriguing cousin NJ SAINT
IIilaire surprised to find that the new ''N-
eminent not much more 70 his way OF th'hK-
inc than the old one. and he continued TO carr;
on the campaign Of what he believed 10 d" fs'
reforms neceesaircs" in that brilliant trio Of Up
Cons tint rnl
ricr Francois and tho National Finding
that the cause he had at hcart-for hr had boon
q Republican frem his youth up-mad' no progress,
and that the advocacy of il brought him into con
Gict with W. Theirs w. Saint IIiairc gav' mp
notifies and determined devote himself to lit"ra-
tnrc This was in 1873 and for two years he WI,
ENGAGED in transatng Aristotle, hoping to make
hi, work a pendant to Victor Cousins common
taries on Plato That work. as already stated,
was finished only last year.
In 1910 Cousin WIS appointed Minister of
Public instruction. and ho compelle NJ "1int
IIilaire to return to the political world by insist
ing that ho shonld ho his - Chef de Cabinet.
Cousin did not remain in Office very long, an
Saint Ifilairc soon went back ~ Aistotl" and
the study Of Slnsrrit He had. while in Office
bccn elected n member of the institute. and when
released from Office elected 10 the char OF
Latin and Greek M the Eoolc Poyt'rhnI M"
For eight years h, confined himself 70 literature
declining to take any part in the ran1u"ts organ
ized for fine burmese of demonstrating in favor
of electoral reform. The prohibition of these
hangnots FASTENED. if il did NOT bring about
III, fall of the Orleani,t dynasty. After Tho
revolution Of Februarv. 1913. " Saint IIilrire
was induced TO act for short time rs honorary
secretary 10 the Provisional Government He
-oon resigned. but continued 10 iii a. a repre-
sentative. of tie Scnc-"t-DiSc department. Though
holding very moderate views and strongly OPP
roecI 10 the Socialist tcn'ts held by VI. Louis
Flame and his school. VI R1rth"emy de- Saint
Iiilairr had the c0rrag" 10 speak III inltl-ati'h
Of the chast>omcnt inflicted upon III" men who
took part i'm the instruction of June, and he
delivered a philippe against General dc 'aVag-
nae. who for some reason or other was much
mis,ru,tcd by him When Prince Louis Ma
rocon was elected President il seemed as If VI
Saint Iilairr WAS like 10 becom" what IN" French
call an hOmmc DE- government. for he voted
in favor Of the measures for restricting IN"
liberty of the prss and for supprs-ng the CLUBS
and Of the expedition to Rome The Education
bill brought forward in 1850. however, was too
much for him. and he spoke strongly-o on behalf
cf the rights of the University and State against
what he declared 20 be the Vaccinations of the
.T.,uit, The coup detail found him in strong
oppo>itlon and he protested AGAINST this viola
,ion Of National liberty, and decred 10 take the
oath Of fidelity So much were his merits as n
teacher appreciated. even by his adversari"s that
he WIS offered tho privilege of retaining MS
chair at the College de France without taking the
oath He would not accept the privilege how
ever and was heard Of no more IN the political
world until. upon the eve OF the war with
Germany. his old department of the Sclne-et-
DIS. again elected him as one of It's representa-
tivcs In the meanwhile VI. Saint lliiaire, WHO
had always been fond Of travel. went Ia Egypt
with NJ de Lcsscps who was then making the
preliminary studies III view OF the cutting Oh 'he
Sucz Canal: and the letters which he sent 10 the
Journal des Dcbats" showed that he would hav,
dom, we'll rs a "descriptivc" writer for the news
paprs If he had TAKEN to journalism as career
ON returning from Egypt he resumed his work
Of translating Aristotle. wrote treatises on
puddbism. the Vcdas Mahomct and the Koran.
and found time 10 nurse his old friend Cousin
~ Cannes where they were III the habit OF
spending the winter.
H. was not until after the death Of Cousin
that NJ Saint lIilaire became SO intimate with
NJ Tlicrs ~ to be Indispensable TO HIM. For
tho last thirteen years of VI. Thlerss life ne
insisted on seeing W. Saint llilair at least once
in the twenty-four hours. No sooner had the
National Assembly elected VI. Timers as their
chief than he determined to have NJ. Barthelemy
de Saint IIiairc a. his secretary But 1t was no
easy task 10 overcome VI. Saint llilalreS re-
luctancc TO accept post which must entail
vast amount of hara,sing labor aud prevent HIM
from completing his great work-thc translation
of Aristotle-beiore he reached the allotted age
OF man NJ Saint llllare. however, Is, aDoN"
all things unsetsh, and he could not resist the
cntrcatics of NJ Theirs, Nine. Theirs and her
sister If he could have forcscen the Commune
it is probable he would have shrunk from the
task for during those two months ut Ner'aillcs
he never got more than four hours of sleep
day. lie had then not only TO conduct VI.
Thicrss enormous correspondence. but to receive
the countless visits of allrghted Deputies, who
were always coming with some fresh plan for
breaking down the resistance of the capital.
AI.l.u...L Saint lIilairn's ulXnrslrIns LaXc