The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26

Renan have now the opportunity
OF viewing HIM in an entirely new
In aspect of his character. In work
(''Memoirs and Letters OF Ernest
and Henriette Renan") recently published
by Macmillan & Co. he is shown, not as
the eminent historian and philologist, the
learned occupant of the chair of Hebrew
at the College de France; not as the
weighty disputant of the divinity of
Christ; not as the eminent iexplorer of
Ph@nicia and the Far East. He is simply
exhibited to US in his domestic relations,
in the love he bore to his "dear sister Hen
riette, "the person who has had most in
fuence on my life"
The deceased scholar was always averse
to publishing matter bearing on the life of
himself and his sister. In September,
1852, however, he composed pamphlet
with the title: "Henriette Renan; A
Memorial for Those Who Knew Her" In
its opening lines the following words will
attract attention: ''These pages are not
intended for the general public and will
never be offered to it." The reason given
for this note is remarkable, and illustrates
TO what extent the life of the sister in
fuenced that of the brother: "My sister
was SO modest, and her aversion to the
hustle of the world was so extreme that
II had offered these pages to the general
public | should have fancied her casting
reproaches on me out of her grave.
l have no right to expose a memory
hold so sacred to the scornful Judgment
which is part of the right acquired over q
work by purchase"
The present volume of memoirs and cor.
respondence is authorized bv Ernest Renan
Sy1h hic will Tho hafo ~,
fact, prepared By Nine. Renan, who is also
responsible for the selection of the letters.
The death of their father during their
youth was the means of cementing the
love of Ernest and Henriette Renan. The
care devoted by the sister to the brother is
graphically pictured by the latter in his
correspondence. After the death of their
father, who was a sailor by profession,
Henriette took it upon herself to repair
the fortunes of the family. She accepted
the position of schoolmistress in Paris,
poorly remunerative as it was. An earnest
student, she passed all the appointed ex-
amlnations. Excessive la Dor did not have
the same effect upon her mind as it might
have upon more mediocre intelligence.
Instead of exhausting it strengthened it
and produced a prodigious mental devel-
opment. Later she taught the younger
mem bers of an aristocratic Polish family,
where she was well treated.
LII 1CtO IldI Ills SlSUcT dO-
vanced to him the sum of 1900 francs
THAT sum, says he, 'was the corner
stone of my whole life. At this
crucial moment in my life Henriette's s
beautiful letters were my support and con-
ISOLATION"
Upon leaving Poland Henriette Joined
her brother in Paris. And then" writes
Renan. "began those happy years, the
recollection of which still draws tears
from my eyes"
Her assistance given to him in his work
was considerable. Here is his own testi-
mony on this point: "She had the ex-
tremest respect for my work | have known
her to sit of an evening for hours at my
side, holding her breath lest she should
disturb me. There was not delicate
shade in the theories 1 was then evolving
that she did not appreciate. She sur
passed me in knowledge on many points
of modern history, which she had studied
at the fountain-head. The general plan
of my career, the scheme of infiexibIe sim
cerlty had mapped out, was SO essen
TALLY the com bined product of our two
consciences that had l been tempted to
fail IN any particular of it she, like Sec
ond self, would have been beside me to
call me back to duty. She was my incom-
parable amanuensis. She read everything
l wrote in the proofs, and her invaluable
criticism would discover delicate shades of
have escaped me-"
OF her personal character the affection
ate brother has much to say. 'She was
not witty, if that word is taken in the
French acceptation to mean something
light and bantering. She never made game
of any living being. She hated all malice
and thought it cruelty. a person who at
tracted ridicule at once acquired her nitv
With pity shs gave love and set herself be-
tween the mocker and his prey"
The almost jealous eye with which his
sister regarded his going and coming
nearly prevented Remains marriage with
Mile. Scheffer. Driven TO a choice between
the two affections, he made up his mind
to accept the older and that which verged
most closely upon duty. But the sister
was not willing to permit the sacrifice,
and after some delay the marriage took
place.
In 1860 Renan was chosen by the En-
peror to make voyage of research In the
districts of Jerusalem, Tyre, Beyrout and
the upper Jordan. His sister was one of
those who pressed upon him the need of
his acceptance of the commission and even
accompanied him to the Holy Land.
Ernest was at that time engaged upon his
famous work "The Life of Jesus, in which
he received valuable assistance from Hen
riette. In the midst OF his work his sister
was seized with a fever and several days
dltcl LihesI HIInSelI look Lne disease. his
anguish at the suffering of his ''dear Hen
riette, as described in the memoir, is some
thing pitiful. He freely expresses his
sorrow that she was ever permitted to join
the expedition. In three DAYS she died,
unattended by European physician, and
without the necessary remedies or conven-
fences of sickroom.
In his memoir Ernest thus expresses his
feelings: ''Oh, my God, have I done all
that in me lay TO insure her happiness?
With wha. bitterness do l now reproach
myself for my habit of reserve toward her,
for not having told her oftener how dear /
held her, for having yielded too easily to
my love of silent meditation. for not hav-
ing made the most Of every hour IN which