The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-19
AN AMERICAN ACADEMY.


Jules Simon, Jules CIaretie and Zo1a Don'a
Think It Would Work.
The proposition to establish an Ameri-
can academy and the comments which
it excited in the newspapers have pro-
duced somewhat discordznt echoes in
Paris. A reporter of The Matin inter-
viewed some prominent men on the sub
ject. He began with jules Simon, who
suggested innumerable difficulties.
The French academy" he said, 'shas
for its aim the preservation Of the ortho-
dOxy Of our language, which we consider
complete, and N which we admit new
word only when it is very expressive or
rendered necessary by the discoveries of
science. Those authors who employ
words or phrases which the academy has
not authorized leave themselves open to
the reproach Of not knowing their own
tongue. French is closed language. It's
form and vocabulary are definitely fixed.
English and German have not that char
acter. They bend admirably to composed
words, and the authors can permit them
selves to indulge IN the most audacious
neologisms without being taxed with
heterodoxy. Therefore the academy ap-
pears to me to be peculiar to ourselves,
and it has no place in any other country.
1T seems to me to be more impossible
in the United States than anywhere else
on account of D1le decentralization and
the rivalries Of the great cities which al
ready possess important literary and his
tOrical academies. / could appreciate a
desire on the part of those Americans
who want a national academy to fashion
it after the model of our institute,
divided into several sections, in which
art and science would be equally rep
resented.
''As to the literary movement, that
does not appear to be developed in the
United States prOportionately with the
industrial movement. They have no
school of philosophy in America. Their
historians, who wriCa upon events that
have taken place in Europe. are less ia
vored than their colleagues in the old con-
tinent. who live the life of Europeans
and can more easily procure the docu-
ments which they require. And, on
the other hand, the republic of the
United States is too young to furnish
material for any great historical works"
Jules Cla-stie was the next expert put
upon the stand by The Matin man.
1.-THE United States" said he, ''pre-
sent to the world a marvellous country
Their poets and their romance writer's
are admirable. Their literature has
nothing TO envy of science and industry
Their illustrated reviews are incompara-
BILE from an artistic point of view, but
in theatrical matters they still remain
our tributaries. Their playwrights are
little known, but European authors are
thoroughly appreciated by Americans.
They are fond Of Isben, The Italian thea
ter and principally our French authors,
who are still the best protagonists of
our literary renown. As for the French
academy, it represents traditions which
the United States do not possess. They
cannot BRING the analogy any further"
Finally NJ. Zola was called upon for
his opinion. II don't know anything
about the thing" said he, ''and
couldn't give you any views on the sub
ject that would be worth reproducing.
If the Americans are about to found an
academy, all right. l hope it will be
more literary than ours"