New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-19
JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU.
An ADMIRABLE MONOIRATlI

LES GRANDS ECRIvAINS FRANCAlS;. J.
Rousseau Par Arthur Chuqu"t. Pans, IiachrU"
ct Gle. New-lork, +. w. Chistern.
II is not an easy matter for a frcnchman to
write with entire sobricty about Jean Jacques
Rousseau. for whether he admrcs or dIstkc> lli
the sentiment Is apt 20 find too vigorous expires
sion and to tend toward extravaganza. his Is IN
no way remarkable when the significance o.
Rousseau 10 France is fully considered, ana III"
ecope Of that significance Will always vary III
proportion TO the range Of the critics historian
view and the character and bias OF his preludIc"S
The writer chosen 10 prepare TINS monograph loi
the series in which IT appears, however, mas dohe
lis work with a prudence ana @ood TASTE winch
leave little 10 be desired. Within the limits as
stoned he. of course, could not attempt cN-
haustvc work, for not only biography bnt
criticism had TO be supplied. C0mpactncHs, there
fore, was essential, and brcvity WAS OF the Is
sencc of the undertaking. l'ut III these cohdl-
tons NJ Chuquct has produced volume which
really sums up Rousseau admirably, which does
him complete justice III nearly all respects, ana
which, perhaps, assigns him the place he Is hloSl
likely to hold with postcrity.
Rousseau tic man is dealt with first, and then
comes the turn Of Rousseau the writer. Most
modcrns probably know little OF Jean jacques
and these, or some Of them may he surprised to
hear that NJ Chuquet holds the " Confessions 10
he everything hut authentic records Of fact
They are IN effect mere inventions for the most
mart composed for the express purpO'c Of VIM
dicating the hero and suppre,sing, 80 far ~ that
was possible, the uglicr, bascr and more dscTcdit
able phases of his life and social Intercourse
The master key TO them, his present bioSrapl"r
holds is his colossal vanity which. however, con
tjnually brought him INTO rdiculc Yet NJ
Chuquct freely admits that tie adulailon oil which
Rousseau was the object after the publication OF
La Neuvellc Ileloisc, EmIe" and IL Contrat
Social" might well have turned ii stronger head
than his
But Rousseau was pre.emncntly the child OF his
age The effects lac produced upon tic French
mind were wrought, IN The main. by putting IN
form thoughts which had long been gcrminat-
,ns He was simply the man whom the lonr
brought Had he been Il better man che work
lie set on foot might have been accomplished at
much less cost TO France and the world For
the time was ripe. and II not lIe, then another
must have set the avalanche in motion. One
peculiar fitness lay in HIM, however lie pcs
scsscd "A style which even to-day must bc pro.
nounccd admirable IT. WAS a living style, as
distinct as possible from those which had pre-
coded it. And ne dealt largely IN very SIim r..
atics All his readers knew that and too many
Of them consequently pinned their faith on him
when he undertook to reconstruct society from
the point of view Of phenomenal ignorance Of
philosophy, history and human nature The
man was saturated with slam sentiment lie
cried over the sorrows Of strangers, and clapped
his own babies in the founding asylum Tlnt