The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-26
A FUNNY ACADEMY.
Interesting Facts About Frances
"FOrty ImmOrtals."
Philadelphia Times.


Alphonse Daudet's death, the greatest
loss that has lately fallen on the world of
letters, will draw renewed attention to that
curious experiment, the Academic de Con
Seourt, which had hardly got itself organ
lied, and seems likely to be disorganized
completely by the death of its only head.
Daudet gives an account of what was ac-
tually its origin in his Thirty Years of
Paris" Writing of 1877 he says: 1T was
at this date that the idea of a monthly
meeting, at which friends should assemble
at q good dinner occurred to us. 1t was
to be the Flaubert dinner, or dinner of
unsuccessful authors Flaubert was to be
admitted, on the strength of a slight check
with his Candidate lola on account of
,BOuton de Rose; Goncourt for 'Henriette
Marechal;' myself for my Arleslenne' Cir
ardin wished to insinuate himself into our
band, but he was not d literary man, and
we refused him admittance. As for
Tourgueneff, he gave us his word of honor
ne had been damned in Russia, and as 1t
was SO far off no one went thither to
ascertain the fact. Nothing could be more
delightful than these friendly dinners
where we talked in perfect freedom elbows
on table, our minds thoroughly reused to
action"
This was the idea that after twenty years
of discussion was definitely embodied in
Edmond de GOncOurtS will He left his
estate to maintain just such an informal
academy" of comrades in letters as had
gathered around Flaubert, men to whom
the pursuit of literature for its own sake
should be the one aim of life. The number
was limited to ten and he undertook to
been dissolved by DEATH or otherwise, and
he could think of only eight and they an in
congruouS group. No other duties are i'm
posed on them but to dine together once
month and they are each to receive 81 ,250
a year, not to pay for the 20-franc dinners,
but to encourage devotion to pure letters.
Poets are not included and a public APP
MISUNDERSTANDING election to the Acad-
emie Francaise-disqualife for membership
in the Academic de Goncourt.
We have only to read DaudetS delightful
souvenirs to perceive that the whole
scheme grew out of the informal gathering
he describes. We have only to read human
nature to understand that such coterie
could be perpetuated in any such way.
Flaubert, Tourgueneff, GoncOurt died and,
lola having drawn out of the coterie long
before, Daudet was left as the sole eXecu-
tor of this remarkable will and the neces-
Sary head of the new academy. He had
been rather solitary man since his closest
friends had died, and now he. too, has gone,
1t remains to be seen what the seven Others
will do with their inheritance.
The only one who can be said to have an
International fame is NJ De Huysmans, a
finely diSinterested artist, of whose purely
fancied and delicately perfected work it is
only necessary to recall EN- Route Paul
Marguerite is less distinguished but not
Rosny is another rightly esteemed by those
familiar with modern French literature but
there IS no apparent sympathy among these
three. with whom are Joined Messrs. Geffroy
and Mirbeau, journalists of the higher type.
The latter is a critic who is listened to-
American readers may recall his early dis
covery of Maeterlinck-but we should sup
pose neither of them to be in need of the
Goncourt dole The other two names are
not at this moment recalled.
1t is plain that these are simply men whom
Goncourt knew Familiarity at his own house
or at Daudet's and found companionabl BILE
They are not especially representative OF
that fine art for which Flaubert stands and
which Daudet has represented and they are
not even unsuccessful. Now personal fell
lowship has little to do with art, and in any
other country a group of men could form a
dining club without anybody else discussing
their qualifica tions. But in Paris they do
these things seriously. and Edmond de Con-
court took considerable pains to make his
discussion The most lamentable part is
that Daudet, who must have enjoyed the
a chance to tell US how funny it must have
been. Nuys.aans can perceive the sfony of
ii. bu. to do the Academic de Gcncvlrt JUS
tice would require the historian of the Ger
Gle de TaraScon.