The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-22

heavy, but the lips are thin and the line
OF the mouth delicately marked by d
blonde moustache. His Slightly aquillne
nose is not without distinction, and be-
low the broad forehead of the eager
thinker pair of eyes that are full of
Klndnes rest on you without the. weari-
some persistence of those people who
are bent on looking you through. There
is, in fact, an impression of sincere kind
ness emanating from this man who is SO
subtle in his analysis of actions, so pen
etrating in his knowledge of hearts
In regard TO the repugnance to the in
terVlew professed by NJ. Bourget, a fact
comes to my mind which proves that this
feeling is by no means feigned. On the
publication of Jules HuretS book on the
Literary Evolution / expressed my sur
prise in an article that L failed to see
Paul Bourgeois name among those of the
authors consulted. Ely some chance the
article came to his notice, and one day
| received from him a friendly letter, say
ing that it was not NJ. Huret's fault that
his testimony was absent from the vol
ume, but his own, since he had been I'M
willing to accede to the request for a
consultation. He added at the close: Il
Intended TO write you simple note of
thanks, but it has grown into a. sort of
manifesto. which: therefore, beg you to
1 reminded him of this circumstance.
L remember my embarrassment, he
said, when NJ. Huret made the request.
predict the triumph of the psychological
novel, just as the symbolists have predict
cd the triumph of symbolism and the de
cadents' the triumph of decadentism.
But such predictions do not take into
account the most important factor in lit
erary history. which is individual genius.
suppose man to have written desserta-
ton on the future of the novel in 1899.
Could he know that an infant had just
been born at Tours who was to bear the
name of l1onore de Balzac? Suppose that
you not believe that neither Flaubert, nor
Goucourt, nor Doudet, nor lola, nor any
one of the masters of romance. would
have been absolutely the same? 1t is alb
Solutely vain to write about the mystery
of personal creation which is represented
by the diversity of minds Read again
the book on the Literary Evolution, and
see how many of its predictions have as
yet been realized. But am speaking of
the appearance of new geniuses and of
the disappearance of those who are now
alive. Who, pray, could have foreseen
the sad and untimely fate of this poor
MaupaSsant? '
As he spoke NJ. Paul Bourget turned
to the mantel, where were two portraits
the other taken in the latter part of his
life. Beside and in front of them is a
photograph of NJ. Taine. In the back
ground rises large portrait of the su-
perb Barley. A photograph of Coppae
with warm inscription in one corner is
leaning against the feet of a tall Buddha
Further on in a large frame the vigorous
profile, of Alexander Dumas stands out
from the white of the margin. This is a
collection of photographs, as it were. the
private museum of the literary friend
ships of M. Paul Bourget
The. room is full of beautiful things
brought nome from his frequent journeys
To begin with, there are three wonderful
statuettes from Tanagra, which the mas
ter aftfectionately analyses for us. Then
there is the diptych of the school of An
gelfoo, which is at the right of the Budd-
ha and his two admirable Madonnas. the
bleeding Christ which he brought from
Rome
This study, with its walls covered with
books, is most fascinating. A window
whose panes give untrammelled entrance
to the daylight, overlooks a horizon of
gardens and quiet hotels, with the sill
houete of the Pantheon in the distance
call to the novelist's mind a sentence
In the Disciple, in which he notes the
tendency OF the meditative to choose
wide horizons, doubtless to avoid the
disturbance of their thoughts by the
proximity of details.
81 have, indeed he answered with a
smile. done a great deal of my work in
Disciple as well as Mensonges' and a
great part of the Physiology
what are your plans for the immed-
late future?"
IT brought back from my American
voyage a volume of three novelettes
which are almost finished; they will be
called Profits d. Estrangeres.' Soon af-
forwards [ shall publish my impressions
of the new world, and lastly I nm willing
to tell you that / am at work on a new
novel called En- Marche.' 1t will be the
history of a family of officers. At inter
walls I shall take up the sequel to Cos