New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-17
COUNTESS DE GASPAR1N.
A PHASE OF FRENCH THOUGHT.
o1.EIor-Fs pEysEEs. BY Madame Ia Confess

Perhaps one result OF the Chicago ENp"'luoh' Pio-
vided the large Partisan publishing houses make any
odeouate representation Of their editing VIII he To I'M
press on even our educated public its tremendous IL
norance Of the present well pa, intellectual oc-
yeopmcnt of France. of It's actual literary expires
sion French fiction olscures onr Nl'oh' Elmer
fascinated or shocked. we fail TO get hcYoh" "nN
brilliant II comparatively narrow, edge OF France
literary world Her philosophy, with It's moocrh Sc
ouence from Cartosianism to Comte ana MS sue
c.seors her contributions TO historical ana archae-
illogical research; her leadership in sclentihc ana
psychological investigation; her work III hnS"S"''
and bellies lettrcs-beautiful term OF her own lh''h
ton-are sealed book TO the minority, unconscious o'
the yerv existence of such booh, which Il ci'N'I"
naedic in It's proportions. But the student OF nauo''
or compara,i,e ntcratires acknowledges the mui"rH
rronch Influence and II he be Anglo SaNon-;'nd mus
supposedv fair the strain OF Norman
characteristics and French contact when cohuoh 80
much OF our own English life and speech IL spite
OF our false criterion knowledge of fiction 'hV
tgated on It's evil side In spe-granting "lder polV
OF view-of our glib differentiation of present schoo''
NJ poetrv or o. romance into ParnasSans. svmhoS'N'
N.tprolis,s Psychologists DocadcntS and other debris
~ nomenclature caused by the chaos of the literary
evolution OF the past decade If We know htte OF al
this or care less should yet turn Tor caIunii
principles and Illustrations OF them TO 'he freh'h
literature of the past centuries. The influence %
woman on literature, and h"Tce on social me- PER
notuotcd from the original lotteries to the THURSDAY
and Saturday clubs OF our American cities; the eX-
nression OF poetic irstinc In n polished prose very
different from the prose poetry OF our poor a""h''
the aphoristic character of literature expressing III
page or few lines its own analytic S"ou"N MI"
c,carness with profound philosophy Of life peSsi
mism whose basis IL religious love OF nature ana
richness Of word painting long an'"da'ing even ko"N
seou,s starting of since unbroken fashion; all 'FS'
,re find first In literature. which still eadS IN u''
fines OF its own invention or m"derH i'pF"u"'"
MANY OF those traits in small compass reapP''r III Wv
volume Of the present distinguished a"'"or' "
guished not br position merely. nor rs INV
the brilliant man and famous publiciNl ana le'"'s
xxo,.s,,r+ rr,cr i'm France, who during Inc oarN
6axs NJ our war turned the tide Of an adverse N'-
ment because miscd by blood sNmpi''"'N 'o"''
the Creolcs into favorng views ~" p"""'
de- GasDarin's own wOrks-travclS' iehei'u' WINS
poems and short stories constantly r'eu''" u, ,,s
c.ses ever TO twelfth edition. have become houS'holn
-.,ss both In France ard switzerland. and occupy
ett,nr n1oce beside the able and imprisoned pleas H
ber lannon's and liberty loving husband on queS'i""
a, Church. State political ethics ana American anu
French liberties -,
Tbsse Fow Thoughts, collected by another manu.
INT with her authorization. from her "rl'ihsS III"
private correspondence give GOOD 'dea oI ''e '',
a, her svmpathies and their expression IN Na'
o,or,s,te shading of French beauty Of thought ana
he,icocv OF wording that Transcription into the
harsher elements OF other tongues does not aoNouN
DESTROY These detached passages. however Scarc''H
illustrate the sphere in which the ah'hor HAS vs.
touched her countrymcn. Swiss and French Inc
delicious touch Of a quaint provlnciahsm in speech
and Thought which sirS the heart TO Snch an extent
that II has become the open sesame of success In onr
own developing American literature The views OF 'h"
ouiet life in field and forest The silence OF me VS-
slopes OF the Jura broken perhaps Only Dy inc nun"
OF bee and the call OF the high poised bird the VIVA
pictures Of natural beauty and them IN spite OF 'h"t
large free life which produces freedom OF thoush' anu
conscience the petty life Of the French peasant ara
Swiss patrarch of ago. before the lhTouS
NJ cyilization- the pahos Of village prejudceS ana
q, lives imprernated with sadness. with silent suffer
incs with inexpressble sentiments the heart break
ing and simple stories which. as In the oeauuim
.Les Horizons Prochains., made the authors fame'
all these are scarcely discernible In the slight volume
before But perhaps deeper 'housh's "'e
Phrases like:
Earth reveals its mystery OF poetry TO those aionc
who clasp IL with their amorous hands
One thing is lacking 10 these philosophers (of our
tme) the lamp to illuminate their lanterns
Those who do not succeed In buiidl'g aNehge "e'n'
selves by demollshinG
To wish star is the beautiful folly OF the young
He who has suffered from this evil will never secure
II were IL even a gow-worn
He who takes upwnrd fight risks falls. VINO
d-acs IN the ground wounds himself the pebbles
gets entangled in thorns and soils himself in the miro
have sometimes thought that monsters were weak
souls who had been afraid,
recall a literary succession from Pascal's Pensecs7
and La Rochefoucanlds "Maxms." which. in their
breadth Of thought and cspness Of expression, well
represent the formula OF Joubcr' "To put a hook
into a page, a page into phrase, phrase Into a
word"
Here is paragraph which we'll hits of two phrases
OF our own, as well continental literature:
Formerly the Indifferent business men, needed
some motive OF importance to cut their quill and scrbhe
paper. Now each interest. each care. each WORK
screeche takes beak Of steel and plants it in your
nerves.
Another is a protest against realism OF a certain
type
prefer man. his limbs bound, his heart papitatng
and thoroughly alive that abstract refined. dry and
selfish something other, which with great trouble the
psychologists OF to-day forge for us.
Here is rather pessinistc Characterization Of
our time: "Our generation rides hunts, draws the
sword handles the revover-pretty freely, by tho
way-but II does not walk II does not fatigue ,1sel
cars hoist II up the mountains, BICYCLES dras w.
upon the roads 1t is generation with tclc - 7.S,
EYEGLASSES and loTgnettes. Oh, yes; ] understand
the other side. is suspended from ropes perched
on ladders. balanced on trapezcS, thrown into the
water: by A plus It is taught the great art Of
Gymnastics. But 1t is pcdantic arch pedantic, but
blood does not flow In its veins. That did not pro-
duce the men Of the. sixteenth century, Colignys,
Agrippa d Aubiue, Duplessis -Mornnys. skilful In
arms, iDisteTS III S''"Ce, SVo"
warriors, stern TO themselves, lovers OF valor. ma
lures complex. full Of grace Of chivalry and Of fah'
In all Nine. de Gasmrin's work on what we
may call It's secular side for her religious contribu
lions constitute a large part of her writings will be
found this note of pessnism de bon govt perneatcd
by profound piety of Protestant cast. and wide
view OF life. II is a temptation TO multiply extracts
from these suggestive and delightfully."- expressed pages
which contain In their short compass much of
thoughtful philosophy playing under an irdescent
word texture. For instance:
To read everything. face everything to be startled
ut picture. 10 stop before no word Where is The
woman whom such a privilege would not terrify Where
Is the one who the presence OF the world would dare