The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-17
FRENCHMEN ON DEATH.
Divergent Opinions in Regard to This
Important Subject.

Death, that one subject of supreme in
terest to human beings, has been occupy
ing the thoughts OF several eminen.
Frenchmen recently. LIE Journal of Paris
thought that it would be good idea to in
terview the intellectual leaders of France
on the subject, and as result some strik-
ing expressions of opinion have been pub
lished in that paper. In an English dress,
and somewhat condensed, they read as
follows:
az main tain that we should think often of
death If we desire 10 have at all times fairly
correct conception of the things of life.
"a. DUMAS, Fills"
"If death is an evil it is an indispensable
evil, ana as a matter of simple justice ought
lot which it metes out to the inferior orders
of creation? We must one day disappear
and pass into Paradise, hell, Nirvana or moth
ingness. But as for that let each one believe
as he will. You don't expect me to speak
about the beyond, do you?
WILLIAM BoUGUEREAU.
Member of the Institute"
death is the quarter of an hour after life's
banquet which Rabelais speaks OF. ] sincerely
hope that you will ask me on the day Of the
next carnival what think of life.
JULES CLARETrE"
81 believe that the creative spirit of the
worlds and OF the infinite can neither be con-
ceiyed nor judged by human thought The
creative spirit does not desire tina. before we
die the secret OF life should be revealed to US.
''RosA BoNHEUR."
According to the ancient myth, death and
love are brothers; the one gives life and the
other takes itaway. In word, death is the
being. Without it the world would be in
sensible, immobile and, according to our con-
ceptions OF thugs, mere void.
"BERTHELoT.
death is the door of more subtle lie. In
the flower it sets free the perfume, in the
chrysalis the butterfly and in man the soul.
"JULIETTE ADAM"
"If there were no old age death would be an
abom1nable thing, but as there is old age
''H. MEILHAC."
"Death is only the end of life. 1t is good, be-
cause 1t frees us from the tmbeciles and the
eanaille with whom we are forced to come in to
contract j. L. G. JEROME"
"Kindly excuse me. l think so badly of
death that could not in grave matter of
this kind express a properly i'm partial opinion.
rAUL STRAUSS"
"There are no theories which will enable one
to bear with resignation the death of others, of
those whom one loves, or, al any rate, such
theories cannot be set forth in a newspaper in
terview. ''MARCEL PROVOST"
Here is my reply to your question: "What
do you think of death?" Chut!
"ALPHorsE DAuDET."
"Death is not gate which closes; it is a gate
which opens. The present life is made clear
by the future life. Death is less somber than
exile, because the tomb is only an open gate to
another world where each one finds again his
fatherland. We salute the dead man who
passes by us, considering him as traveller who
goes ahead OF us. ARsENE HoUssAYE"
death does not exist What we call death
is nothing but the passage of a completed past
into future which is beginning.
A. MERc1E"
81 consider death as something very disa-
greeable and inevitable and that we should
endeayor to obtain as much as possible out of
1T for our benefit. We should then always en-
deavor to live as though we were destined to
die on the morrow HENRI GREyILIEn
az death is quick and violent there is no
time IN which to become afraid OF it if it
takes, care to steal away our phi, steal and
moral strength little by little. and we cross
the threshold as easily as one glides out of
dream IN slumber The important thing for
us Is to live as honestly and as usefully as pos
s1ble, and then, when our hour has come, to
go forth without any fuss.