The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-06-16


year he mado up his mind to attempt
the great task. He was Gfty-two when
it was finished.
1t was palzac's vast series--the Hu-
man Comcdy-whioh aroused Zoln's
ambition to himself produce great
series From his ehrlicst youth he had
loved certain branches OF science. mud
of these physiology WINS dearest to him.
TWAS through his studies Of physio,
that he decided tlK>t the greatest prob
lem which confronts tho human ruce-
the one thing which prevents it from
absolutely controlling It's own dostiny-
Is hcrctiity. He theoriacd that if mar
riagcs were contracted on IL rational in
stead of purely sentimental basis-if
men and women stopped to consider
whether or not they were mentally and
physically fitted to live together and
produce children before they mated,
aud made the selection of their life
partners accordingly the race
would gradually become u race of
giants in BRAN and body. To the teach
ing of this lesson lie devoted his whole
great series. He had no other end in
view. That alone was tho sermon
which he wished TO preach, and he
preached it with II terrible fidelity to
the facts of life-the hard, inmovablc
facts-wiich, while ii won him the nd
inirntion aud esteem of many, while it
made him rich and made him powerful
i'll some quarters, still called down on
him tho curses OF thousands more,
damned him in the minds Of some of
the greatest of the time as sensualist
f.
shut him out of the French nccdcny-
that haven of ell havene I'm which
the French literary man wishes to
be permitted to cost his anchor before
he dies. No one can accuse Zola of
having done what he has done through
low drSite to pander TO tho tastes Of
certain pu1-lc. He has never made
vicp ATTRACTIVE. 1ndee-!, on the con
tray, he has often e,&4e:Kicca much In
order that le might cling to his oou-
viaicN.s One ray think what one
Hikes OF Ma cSu1 kctlozS, but osc caIi1ot
accuse LIN uf being n tirnc.asrvcr.
Up . Che tlrlo whom be began tho
Rougon- Macqunrt series his life had
bec- horrible one. His father was an
Italian, hiS mother n Frenchwoman.
lola pore ra!s iptcrcsted in canal It
is 20 this day called the Hola canal in
provence, where the family lived at
that time II WAS during one of their
flying trips to Paris on business con
nccted with it that the novelist was
born. The father died, leaving his
family with only bid lawsuit for
legacy. They removed to Paris pcrIna-
uently in order to DO better able to
fight this lawsuit out They lost. At
tWon'y the young man, who is now the
great writer was, thrown absolutely on
his own resources, and his resources
were meagrc indeed. Eo had been n
spoiled child Whstcvor is poverty
oppressed mother could humor him in.
she had humored him in. No youth
was ever less fitted to battle with the
world.
lie made . hard fight of it.
Often" no said TO me, II went hun
cry for so long that 1t seemed as if /
must die. i put forth superhumnn
efforts to secure meals of bread and
cheese. / scarcely tasted meat from
one months end to arothcrs. l lived
two days on three apples once"
Recently | was told by n man who
lSnow-a him wei that he several times
o"Stai4Si ulc only oy SnarinE Spnrrows
on the window sill of his garrct room
and eating them.
"Oh, 1t was horribc!" Hola con-
tinued. Fire was undreamed of, oven
on the coldest nights. If could secure
candle By whose light l conld study
after nightfall l considered myself the
happicst man in Pnris But rarely
had cause Ter such joy. 1t seemed to
nc that it would never end. rcmern-
Der distinctly some Of tho tasks which
necessity forced me to perform in
order that might oseapc starvation.
One New Years day u publisher to
whom l had applied with a letter OF
introduction for literary work said he
could give me DO writing to do, but
that might earn four francs by deliv-
cring his New Years cards at the
houses of his friends. ] jumped at the
chance, and that night feasted by
and by the publishcr gave mo work as
clerk. Encouraged by this, / submit
ted n volume OF poems to him.
lie rcjsctcd them, but said there was
some good in them, and asked me to
write "a children's story for him. did
50, and he declared that it was revolt
tionary and impossible, throwing it
out absolutely.
"Ent after that obtained newspaper
work, and MANAGED to get q serial nc