Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-06-11
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S->5CCS 80 - -
AN AMERICAN ACADEMY.
.Iules Simon, Jules Claretie and Zola Don't
Think 1t Would Work.

Iu,es Simon, Jules Claretie and Zola Don't
Think 1t Would Work.
The proposition to establish an Ameri-
can academy and the comments which
Il texcited in the newspapers have pro-
duced somewhat discordant echoes in
Paris. A reporter Of The Matin inter-
viewed some prominent men on the sub
iect. He began with Jules Simon, who
suggested innumerable difficulties.
"The French academy" he said, "has
for its aim the preservation of the ortho-
doxy of our language, which we consider
complete, and in 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. Its
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.
ut seems to me to be more impossible
in the United States than anywhere else
on account of the decentralization and
the rivalries of the great cities which al
ready possess important literary and his
torical academies. l could appreciate
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 write upon events that
have taken place in Europe, are less fa-
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 Claretie was the next expert put
upon the stand by The Matin man.
"The United States" said he, "pre-
sent to the world marvellous country. |
Their poets and their romance writers |
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
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 M. Zola was called upon for
his opinion. Il don't know anything
about the thing" said he, "and I
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. hope it will be |
more literary than ours.