The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-25


the ancient court fool into free citizen. .
man who looks up only TO himself Money. in
fact. has emancipated the writer. II has given
him freedom and courage II has created
modern literature. In the same essay Zola
inveiRhs against the talk occasionally heard
In Paris and elsewhere about the duty OF en-
oouraGinR young writer's The State. It IL
said. subsidies theatres and fosters art
why should IL not do as much for liters-
ture7 lola evidently does not believe in the
artificial stim ulation Of lntsllect In any field.
and he protests against the application ofsuch
q stimulus TO letters. Asked whether he does
not believe that there lie great deal Of un-
known talent he answers: Naturally. until
talent has shown ITSELF IL cannot be known.
but what 1 believe. and what lie true. is this
that any great talent ends by showing itself
and becoming known" The community owes
nothing to young writer's. any more than It
owes anything to young tailors or young cob
blers. The composition Of few papers sup
plies no excuse for posing as n martyr because
no one will print them. A shoemaker who has
made his first pair OF shoes does not look to
the Government or to any charitable societies
to find q market for them. II IL the
worker who should force his work upon
the public II he has not the power
OF doing this he is nobody; he remains un-
weaklings In literature. lola has no pity.
Why. he demands. being weak. have they the
ambition to seem to be strong2 Never in his
Judgment was the cry Woe to the van
Quishedv" more applicable. Nobody obliRes
young man to write; when once he has taken
up his pen he must accept the consequences
OF the battle; SO much the worse for him II he
is overthrown at the first shock. and II q
whole generation passes over his body. Lam
entations in such case are childish. and.
besides. remedy nothing The weak succumb
In spite OF protection. tho strong reach their
goal In spite OF obstacles. Zola, therefore.
would let things take their course. inasmuch
as no one can give another talent. and talent
carries with Itself the necessary power for its
own complete development Look" he
says, :" at these'facts. Take group OF young
writer's. twenty. thirty. fifty OF them. and fol-
lew them through their lives. At tho start all
set out together on the same footing. with an
equal pace and equal ambition. Then very
soon distances are established; some seem
to run ahead. while others appear to
be glued to their places But juiR-
ment must not DO pronounced yet Finally
the result 10 shown: the commonplace
ones. sustained. pushed ahead. praised.
still remain common place. notwithstand-
ing their 1rst success; the weak ones have
completely disappeared. As to the strong
they have struggled for ten years. or fifteen
perhaps. in the midst OF hatred and envy. but
they triumph In the end. and rise and shine In
the first rank." It is always tho same old story.
lola adds that It would be very unfortunate to
try and spare the strong those hard years OF
novitiats. those early battles in which they
have shed their FIRST blood. 30 much tho bet
ter II they suffer. II they sorrow. II they de-
spair. The imbecility Of the crowd and tho
rage Of their rivals will end By ripen-
ing their talents. II they have any II
is sven declared to DO the worst Of mis-
fortunes for . beginner to reach success too
quickly. Behind q truly solid reputation must
lie twenty years OF effort and OF work. We
quote In full q honorable passage with which
the essay ends: Work: It all lies in that
Count on no ono but yourself Say to yourself
that II you have talent your talent will open
the most tightly closed doors. and that It will
put you rs high as you deserve to 20. Above
all things. refuse benefits from the Govern
ment; never ask protection from the State;
you will leave your manhood behind you II
you do. The great law OF life 10 to struggle
Nobody owes you anything. You will triumph
necessarily II you are power. and. II you sue
cumb. complain not for your defeat Is lust.
Then respect money; do not fall into the child
ish passion Of CRYING out with the poets against
II. 1t is money which has made ua writers,
who need to be free In order to say what we
think. the intellectual leaders OF the time. tho
only possible aristocracy OF the twentieth ceu-
tury. Accept your epoch as ono OF the greatest
In the history Of humanity: firmly believe In
the future. without stopping to look at the in
evitsble consequences. the invasion OF journal
ism. and the msrcenary tendency OF tho baser
literature. Lastly. mourn not for the old literary
spirit; 1t was the expression OF . society now
dead. Another spirit is sprinGinR out OF tho
new society. a spirit which broadsns daily In
its search for and its assertion OF the truth"
In another analysis OF the differences be-
tween the actual epoch and preceding sras as
regards the conditions OF the evolution OF lit
sraturs lola has something to say about the
OF salons. and then makes a ref
erence to the French Academy. which has o.
quired q peculiar interest since the author has
endeavorsd to become q memb Der OF that body.
The extinction Of the salon is recognized as q
very importsnt matter. indicating the diffu-
sion OF taste and an immense enhancement OF
the public. From the moment that public
opinion 10 not the product OF q few select
groups. each pushing to the front Its pArticu-
III l..