The morning call., 1893-05-21

such method so universal. The French
willfully attain clearness by defect of
vision, but this is the same thing as saying
that they attain plausibility at the expense
of truth. Tame died, and the thing We
lacked courage 10 say to his face we were
all saying when he was safe and rresponsi-
BILE, as well as irresponsive. in the earth.
An inevitable way. undoubtedly, to be
assured OF the insuficiency of Taine's
method is to read Taine's books, and the
first book of all, the Essay on La Fon-
taine." is. | may insert the observation, as
conclusive as the last in this respect. Bu,,
in order to obtain the conviction that what
the critic can get to know of the environ
ing conditions of any product, human or
other, does not explain that product, one
need not go TO Taine's books; one has
only to apply it to the things and people
one knows best. The result will be unsat-
isfactory. The critic will find a thousand
elements in that products individuality
thus left unexplained in word, the the
ory is one natural. no doubt. TO the Olym-
plans, who see all things, hut impractica ole
for men who. even at their best, see only
very little.
Apply it to yourself; apply it to your
friends. Apply it to the person of whom
VI. z.
Paris correspondent of an English news
paper. the Times. The act will result in a
failure, scientific failure. whatever the
artistic success. Yet M de BlnWitZ is a
very remarkable fact; and that phlo
sophie or critical method cannot be ap-
piled co him with triumph for both him
and the mehod-lS this not of itself a
consideration extraordinary enough to
vitate the whole method? A much more
important thing to know than what de-
termined this or that product, whether
it be the Book of Judges, or the Panama
trial. or NJ. Taine, or NJ. de Bowitz
is what they themselves determined.
istence: and though this be reasoning
in dizzy circle. l cling to the remark as
not unapt way to introduce my subject.
A chief reason why NJ. de Bowitz is worth
considering is that he is and always has
been producer. himself a fact pregnant
with thousand others rather than the
resultant of many vague facts that have
gone before. Most of us must be content
with being, comparatively speaking, only
results. 81. de BlowitZ, prodgious result
as he is, Is even more striking as nitiator,
as himself the creator of special environ
ment, as himself in his own way final
cause"
Cosmopolite in the world becoming
rapidly no larger than the tiniest OF the
asteroids. M. de Blowtz is one of those
who have most contributed to the plane
tary shrtDkage. His career is a continual
and entertaining illustration of the truth
that the fact can render even tolerance
successful. For he is the most ami
aUle. the most tolerant of men. and
yet he has blnZed wide path through the
woodland of warning interests in which
every man who seeks To succeed runs
risk. not only of losing his way, but of
setting all the other denizens of the forest
against him. Ordinarily, success implies
that man is man of only one idea.
What FrenchmaD said, Truth is Weige
that makes its way only by being struek''? !?
have forgotten; at all events, isn't the
remark nine times out of ten true? But
M. de Blpwi,Z could apply for the honor of
being the proverbial exception. His work
shop Is full OF wedges. and more impa-
tient man would have used up all of them
long ago, after having hammered the bat
tered tops into condition of splay dis
igurement. NJ. de BlowirZ does not do this.
He knew and knows better way. He
can afford to wait. He likes to wait. He
has the good and amiable heart OF man
who, like Odysseus, has seen many
men and countries and knows
that all things II include even people
who are "boreS-have a point of view
that may be rendered interesting. Him.
self. one of the most indlviduallzed of con-
temporary institutions, his own career is
standing argument against the sacredness
of the idea of institutions. Yet, though he
has inevitably learned how retative things
ia general are, he himself appear
to his friends as unusually self
contained and absolute. Diplomatist
among dipematists, he is more
powerful than any of them, because he
works In the interest OF the whole rather