New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-21

| In tho face of difficulties calculated 10 p-cyrnt
really tust criticism OF her career Mr. Forl has wit
ten life of the Baroness d. krudener which equally
sympathetic and impartial. she figures In the his
tory OF European society first "mondalnc, of the
| most frivolous type and then a modern ST Eliza.
| bcth The contrast between her earlier and later
wears /. no greater than might be found In n thousand
| other OF worldly ambition succeeded by re-
pcntancc and spiritual eXaltaton But the author OF
| Valerie, and the religious adviser OF Alexander |
possessed OF character which Is not to be cor
rcctly dccphcrcd by the light Of familiar conversions
She was unique IN her way Madam, Guyon was
I'm hers. With the latter gifted apostle Of aulcistic
mysticism the Nine. dc Krudcncr Of the first quar-
ter Of this century had considerable In common: but
prior TO her regeneration IN 100 and, for that matter
after she had deliberately dedicated herself to
religious life, she justified her claim upon the interest
of postcily chiefly by the exercise Of a remarkable
personal charm In her w.t. her beauty her grace
and originality resided her power to make m Imprc,
sion upon her contemporaries. Without underwriting
her bcnciccnt lhhnchcc upon the Emperor OF Russia
| and many Others high and low: without DENYING the
good effect Of her charitable and cvangcll,tic cam
paigns. II may be- said that II IS ,t her charm which
inspli"s curiosity as 10 the events or her life The
| religious zcalot left permanent mark TIE. woman
| survives.
| Nine dc krndcncr was horn in I70i at Riga, in
the RUSSIAN province OF Lvonia. Her father. VI. de
wicnghon, WAS business man and politician Of
ho'' "u WV" sh' emerged from her school girl period
1t To enter, by natural right the hest society Of
her native town In her nineteenth wear she made
what must BE- considered "A brilliant marriage Her |
husband. Baron dc Krudcncr wa, wealthy n favorite !
OF the Emperor Paiil. and within Year Of his wed |
cing oay "a' appointed AMBASSADOR To the Venetian |
Republic. lie was also good ana kind hearted man.
having desire To make his wife happy. But there
no more romance In his composition than In that
OF one OF his own mou.ks. and 1t did not take Nine.
~. al and 4, he
ely bored She herself was OF an ardent romantic
ana sentimental temperament, and would gladly have
spared some 81 her husbands dIgne, for the sake OF
few passages OF locca hcroIcs w. de StaleH the
Ambassadors secretary. fell in love with her and
might have provided them but, fortunately. he was an
honorable man and dissu ed his feelings. Eat when In
The courN" al year So hIs chief transferred
10 the Embassy at Coponhaccn and Mine. dc
Krden"r began 10 excite the admiration % the Danish
court, hc concluded that Jealousy Of her follower,
might tempt him too lar and he resigned his post In
letter to the Ambassador. which al-o conf.~- hi
love. VI. de krudcncrs action wa, charlccri'ilcally
unima einatvc. Blandly and with confidence In her
unshakcn. be- showed TIA, letter to III, wife.
This provoked two result, 1t furnished Nine. DO
Krd with thc plot o. "yae.'c7 III clever novel Of
sentiment which Wa lronsh; out nearly twenty years
later and which toll, the story or the ,"crcturys
pa -sion. with tie difference that m the book Ae
pcr-hc, 81 4 broken heart. whcr,as In Ne h" met no
possibilities. Up to this time the continuous eay'iy
- hoI He had been harmlcs, enough " dc
Krudcncr. In thus nalvoly apph-ine her Of th"
strength ~ her weapons. drove TIE fist nah INTO
the CONN Of hs domestic happncs.' TIL" native
Instincts Of the young anilas-Hdrcs, wor" bohemian
II" hated Tie tedious iornalti', Of court lifc and
although hci lovdinc., and intelligence gave her a
dominating position wherever slc went she pre-
forrcd moro unconventional pleasures than thos"
yielded hy Official s'deiy. The climax OF her
yiyacitv wn, reached TO- an ABR which temperate,
separated from her husband. Nothing In her
career however. could dampcn TIA" enthusiasm Of The
Fashionable world for Ills vim and selfish beauty.
She was All Incarnation ~ dlaioTI"ss at time
when puuctunny Was Il Cardinal virtue. without
her husband she travelled about Europe and scandnlh"d
Observer now and thcr. " The independence OF her
actins. Bui IN" danced N"iithinely. she was ac'
com; shcd. she hne linsu't. she was
plqnan,c- and she WI. Irresistible. The testimony
Is alUay. tn. sn,nc. Everywhere her ndiscrctons
were forgiven and she enjoyed social triumph.
wearying Ut last Of halow dissipation Nine De
krud.ner developed pa,-ioIai" an enthusiasm Tor
literature. she charr'd Lcrnardin de- IT. Pierre
and Jcnn Paul Richter. In Paris she becamc the
friend Of Chatcaul'land and benjamin Constant. 4
During one Of her lists 10 Geneva she received
into the intimate ctcc Of Nine de Sacl nm author
whose celebrity u,.N have had Some weight I'm stimh
lating her own isllraiions. The purely temporal
Impulse ~ Mm" DE- krud"ncr's character through all
Of excitement, years tIoNhN 10y lh'
publication Of "Va,ric~ In 1903. Is shown most
clearly In ncr wlr~puliius for The success. Of th"
latter shr advertised the forthcoming novel with
Infinite pains and complceucy and even descended
to the ccnri,pncr Described In the following para
graph Which Mr. Ford quotes from 81. Eynard's
biography Of ia" author
During geycral DAY. he mad, The round Of
the fashionable shop. inooeito asking sometimes Tor
m boz, an . H. Vnioro Tho ,hork,cpcr, ,
,.t,t.. a, at 70 hN any
mcaas In their power. Moreover The HOY would
,oq pretend Ia gn1c III" aii,l" Size h3d ~h'd for
sun unusual dcmand,. looked puzzled and deti d
ri kn,weds" Of the article. NM. de- krud'n"r would .
Of the new novel thus turning Ia al Into eager
reader, Of Valerie, Thanks 10 tho" mlro"iiNt's .
honor of her her, Inc that for ut least week the
shops sold everything - In Valerie ,
For much longer than n week DE book was
widely read. "ChatcnnbIiand Is enchanted with my +
Valerie" wrote Nine. de- krudcncr before the work u
bal been printed. with III" appearance Of th" /
;olume his praises rcdoull,d and all Paris q
echoed thcns While they were sllu ringing In her
.ars Nine. dc krrd"ner INSPIRED Ia turn over "A
new leaf. and the rest Of her life WI, lived on
cigiou, plane. Returning 10 her home In LiN"nin y
he experienced Scriou, check to her worldly train
u thought. young bowing to her from on" !,
4 the streets Of Riga was at that instant Killed by
IN attack Of heart disease. The awful uncA pccr'd
less and swif'ncss of the low terrified Mime de
<rudencr. She began 10 feel the necessity for II !,
lgious Foundation To her character, and In short p
lime found II CIoueh the agency cf cobblcr TO I,
yhom she had gone for a pair Of shoes and whose -
ppareni pence OF mind had touched her imagnaiior 4
IT, told her that the Of his happiness WAS tho
enchIng Of n community OF Morayian brothers. ana q,
o them she went for Instruction. Whn short ri
imc she was converted ~ belief In Christianity, I,
clicf no less cmo tonnl and unres'rvcd than her n
ormcr belief In the stability OF human things. From
he date OF her conversion Nine. de- krudcners II
arcer presents Il curious spectacle II Is certain n
Int as has been said above. her work an h
Evangelist was not OF lasting value II appears
mite n certain critics, including Mr.. Ford.
hat she WAS sincere, but this is not 50 pacnt to
thors She appears to have become scllsncricing II
roman visiting the sick. improving the condition u
2 the moor ms far as she could and preaching [.
In, stinnlty wherever possible. In and out Of