New-York tribune., 1896-05-04
NINE. ROLAND.
A STUDY OF HER LIFE FROM NEW LIT
ERARY MATERIAL.

NINE. ROLAND. Biographical Study. BY Ida
NJ Tarbell PIP. xii. S2S. Charles scribners sohs'
A wealth OF new material makes this book
a thoroughly original study Of Nine Roiano s'iiie
and character AS usual In such cases the Result
has been 10 restore TO humanity and TO imperfec-
t,on n figure that was too hawless and too much
idealize6 for this world. In certain degree
Nine Roland was one woman In her meho"s'
written with conscious autoDiographc Pu'
pose. and another In her letters. which depicleu
the emotions. the fancies. the Illusions the con-
,,c,,ons NJ y given moment 1t mixes up ones
notions Of martyrdom to learn that 'his "oii''"'
who for a time ruled France as II she had been
&c crser and was sent to the guillotine on
nolitical accusation. really welcomed death ior
1he exclusively feminine reason that she loVea
orotbsr man better than she did her husband.
Nor ,s n less startling to learn that THIS en-
thus,estic republican once made the most stien-
,,ous efforts 10 secure title or nopHt! Aoi
her husband and herself. Ardent repubIlcahs,
however should not take this as se" -
moral obliquity. II was really hcIuen'a, -
another far greater contrast In the NE VI ~
Roland when she. born and bred IN Ia'i''
c,tv woman to her 1nger-tips, adap'eu heise"
s,,v and contcntedly to the narrow life OF al
economical estate In the country "i'''l'"e W
hearts of the poor by her Kindness ana giving
q rlow of comfort 10 a househoiu !"
%her. was mother-in-law or the
description Nine. Roland seems ho' ~
liked this aged and testy lady. She e"'e
a,s,,po a wider expression among her iriehu'
than was necessary. But as u'""',
hrorcbt ,ts rcyenges. To the daughter Oh MIN
Y,e,ona ,s dpe at least remotely the somewhat
damaging frankness Of the present No''
g.. poland had herself been outspoKeh' one
naa not found her growing daughter as o,'
,or, os she cxpec:ed from her Judgment VI "e
ou,r mowers and her faith In the me'hous
12ousseau 1t was an uHpardonapie o'e" 80,
she should have declared her chliu " 'e =.
,ro "in depth Of sentiment ana Kee""es
,nte,,ect." The girl Eudora 'Mme 49,.
...rn.ux, though she lived to be nearly eisn''
-. of age. never foreave the shsh'. o"o
r.ye her reverence to the memory u
father - .-,,,,o
n.,,na eser,s 70 have deserved this 'rou'e
Sron, his daughter. But he does not e'"e
.cathcd from the authors historical 7. ,. 80
x1s was opinionated, intolerant a ma" % 80
when he should have been a man Oh a'''o'
.yhose defects Of judgment were "ee ,,
rather than otherwise by MS "'ie a. 49,. l.,
1unctures. not only In their own ana"'' 49,
shosa q, the,,. country. Such is certainly .ie
'"o'e - Do,o,d that is TO be found in this
hook The light cast upon the relations OF ."ese
.o.o ,,arsonapes ia one Of the novelties OF 'ne
,,ne Nine Roland was a Mile. fhipon
IT, ,,other was woman OF aohii"
..,,. and training, living mocei 1o'
nor daughter; while her father an e"s
pa,nter and enameller, with the capaci''e' Va 80
artist subdued by the necessities Oh 'ne
man. was an object Of more or less
q woman who as she emerged from sii'"o
-. on,x tho better fixed in an idealism which
.r,ght change It's aims but never Its hsplia-
zion In a critical period OF grlhooo n".
phlinon was enthusiastically religious iuNu. ."
ing as deeply in the passion OF pie'! "'
rs',vor ~ whom It was said--by herself perhaps
,or nrover she neglected her household.
Afterward there came the time, unusuaiy pro-
..a IN her case of waiting for desirable
husband The suitors were 90 many,
nsu. I,hYnon's confessions are 10 De ac-
,.nted az TO draw from the author or this pooh
the satirtcal remark that the young lazy was
one of those who beheld a possible lover III every
man she met. Her objection 10 traoeshe" was
insuperabe She had preference LOT INA"
of letters This developed into w>sh' VIII"
some naive restrictions, for the hleio"s eo,
,,.r,onsb,n Of a man much older than hersel
Thus by the mere action OF time ana the si"u
nal removal Of other men, NJ. Roland a man VI
science and an encyclopaedia, became hei
favorte An unhappy life at nome al'er '"e
death of her mother aided to make her "iii'hs
% marry But vet with some perversty. she
talked of friendship rather than love- ana oroVe
Roland into hopelessness and bewilderment oy
nor noodiness especially as shown in their let
ters One might imagine that this discomfort
would be increased by the responsibilities or
marriage But Nine. Roland, while cherish
ing an almost exaggerated respect for her nus
band as a man Of learning soon found that her
own literary powers were just the complement OF
his He could gather the data for trea'lse,
but he could not express his thoughts with
simplicity and directnees. His wife adapted her
self 10 his needs. She was his secretary. his
adviser and time and again his works were
practically her way of saying what he thought.
For years things went on in this way. To ms
wife's initiative Roland owed IN great measure
his political advancement, which near the last
days Of Louis XVI. ard agein under the rule OF
the Girondists, placed him at the very head of
affairs Nine Roland, while she chung to the
tradition that women should take no public part
In politics. was necessarily active In the circle
over which she held sway. To her as much as
to any one the Revolution and the Republic owed
their existence. and. according to the volume In
hand, 1t was to her that the failure OF both In
the time OF the Terror was largely due skill
ful man welding the power that she welded
would have taken account Of every human force
that came to his hand and would have made
such use Of It he could. He would have al
lowed no prejudice to deter him from accepting
all the aid proffered 10 him. 1t was felt by the
leaders Of the masses, by men Ike Danton that
Nine Roland the real power behind the
Cirondsts. Nobody could have made greater
efforts 10 placate her than Danton. 1t Is glorious
10 imagine her riding the frghtful tempest that
was soon TO come and turning II TO something
less hateful that 1t was to be. But the thought
Is vain. She could not endure. She confessed
ltadx III