New-York tribune., 1896-10-25

fury Of rhetoric half-wordy and half-emotionai.
to which the coolest critic In the world would
have to yield homage. 1t is because he has these
gifts that Hugo stands, as has been SAID. mu-
way between the two extremes OF criticism. lie
Is too rhetorical really to deserve SwlnburneS
panegyrics. His rhetoric has too much real en-
thusiasm and too much originality for MN 10
sink far as his detractors would nave MI"
sink The obvious Judgment would seem 10 be
that he combined, has been said. the great
with the little. the greatness OF superb Work
er in words with the litteness Of limited spir-
itual force. His letters confirm the hypothesis
to a dot
We sneak il should be added with reference
to the volume before us alone. 1t Is the nrs' Oh
two. and the second. which Will he brought out
in a short time. in similarly handsome lor'h
might do something to modify the lhpieSsio"
made by the letters now offered 10 the puo''c
Yet this seems unlikely especially since NJ. Paul
Meurice has shown himself so tactless an editor
already that only overwhelming mass or
frst-rate material could save him from discios-
ing his hero in as sorry plight as he now Is
made to experience. 1t is doubtful. too II even
a. raising OF the quality of Hugos letters In the
next volume would do much good. The car mas
been let out of the bag through the reckless
manner in which NJ. Meurice has printed every
scrap of writing upon which he could lay HIS
hands Hugo cannot stand this as we nave
showr Possibly IL he had been edited with ais-
elimination, and the cream OF two volumes mao
been compressed into enc. our OPINION Oh hli
might have been changed. On the other hand'
we would have been deceived. The truth is what
&c wanted and TO have all OF Hugo's trivial let
ters as well as his manifest communications ~
to be able TO w,lk around him. as it were and
to study him at full length So studied. II must
be confessed that he leaves the reader sau|
dissatisfied. much so. in fact. that IN lookihs
back over the correspondence one feels no grau-
tude az one feels in recalling the letters or
Thackeray or Fitzgerald or Lowell. These men
stand for things tendery humane and sympa-
thetic they add to our knowledge OF human
nature Hugo adds nothing To our general 'uhu
of feeling and understanding; he increases soleiy
cur knowledge Of himself Since he Is an I'M
por;ant author. one is glad OF that increase
simply matter of inforinatioh' nut Since
it means also n disiIusionmcnt, the letters arc
less welcome We would rather have cherished
a little more confidence in him and are sorry
TO see IL taken away. The novels leave us III
possession Of the belief that Hugo was great
romant!cst The letters suggest that ne was
a cold -blooded actor in whom cheap sentiment
took the place Of strong and permanent feeling.
If the reader doubts this let him examine the
letters touching upon the birth and death or
his first child and the few months OF life granted
to the infant. Never did the expression OF
paternal affection sound so thin These letters
show unmistakably in embryo the author OF
"L'Art dEtre Grandpere." that Is 10 say. the
author of a contradiction in terms. Imagine an
artfnl grandfather. II Is like a manufactured
poet Such a man is Hugo in all the social re-
lations OF life. He veneered them over with the
spirit Of arthce