The herald., 1897-01-03
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
GEORGE SANDS LOVE Letter ;

O@A~ Va bhC lhCSb iOtC ROClu0 III My
language has just come to light, says
the New York Herald. Though prose In
form. 1t is a poem in spirit; though ap-
parently q mere impassioned love letter.
It 10. In its way, work Of art. and as
such, may well be placed in the same cat
egory with the wonderful letters of He
loise and Abelard.
George Sand Is this nineteenth GEN.
tury Heloise, and the Abelard to whom
her fiery words are addressed is Pietro
Pagello, an italian doctor. The great
authoress was passionately In love with
this ponderous italian, and some curious
stories have been published in regard to
her intimacy with him. How he attract
ed her is a mystery. Some writer's claim
that the magic lay in his broad should
ers and general physical robustness. But
can any one account for a woman's
tastes? Can any one explain why Mary
of Scotland fell in love with the brutal
Boutwell,?
DR.. Pagello is still living-90 years old
he is-and from him DIR. Cabanes OBJ
tanned copy of the fine letter
A hearty old man Pagello Is, and great
ly flattered he seems to be on account Of
the attention which is being paid to him
at present. Among his treasures are a
few porcelain cups out of which George
Sand used to drink, and these he al
ways shows to visitors. Talking of the
woman who has made his name famous.
he says that she was fond of Turkish
tobacco and used to make her own cigar
cites; that she was always sweet-tem-
pered and content with her lot; that fish
was her favorite food; that she excelled
in making sauces, and that she drank a
good deal of tea, as a stlmulant to- work.
Young Pagello, his son. adds further
details. This was a mere episode in
my fathers life" he says; nothing more.
George Sand. wearied with Alfred de
Mussets caprices, fell in love with my
father. who wa fine, handsome.
broad-shouldered young fellow. My
father loved the handsome Frenchwo-
man for her genius, her kindness-in-
deed, to tell the truth, he was captivated
with her. But this little incident was
soon forgotten by him."
How cold, nay, heartless, these words
seem as we read George Sands outburst
of passionate adorationl Would she
have written thus If she had foreseen
that this idyl in her life would in time
be regarded as a ''little incident" in her
lovers life?
HER DAUGHTER PROTESTS
She would, perhaps. be as much OPP
posed to the publication of this love let
ter as some members of her family are
now to the publication of her private
documents. Her daughter, Nine. Cles-
niger. was very angry when she heard
that this letter had been published. and
she at once asked the courts to inter-
fere In her behalf. Lawyers, however,
are of the opinion that she has no case.
A letter, they say, belongs partly to the
author and partly to the person to whom
it Is addressed, and under ordinary
circumstances, no third person has any
claim to it Moreover George Sand be-
queathed all the letters relating to her.
self and De Musset to NJ. Emile An
cante, with full instructions to publish
them whenever he might see fit. NJ. An
cante says that he will carry out her de-
sire, and that her letters to De Musset
Will be published shortly. Nine. Cles-
niger, and the other members Of George
Sands family, he claims, have not a
shadow of title to the letters. He will
publish them. and the originals will
then be deposited in the National or some
other great French library.
Even admitting, however, that the
members OF the family have some rights
as regards the letters of De Musset, it
Is difficult to see what claim they can
have on the letters written to Pagello,
and which are apparently in his pos
session.
Now for the famous letter itself:
A PASSIONATE LOVE SONG
"Since we are born under different
skies, we have neither the same thoughts
nor the same language. but have We
not, at least, the same hearts?
1.-THE warm and foggy climate Of my
native land has left me sweet and mel
ancholy Impressions; what passions do
you owe to the generous sun which has
bronzed your brow? know how to love
and to suffer-and you, how do you love?
IT do not know if you really love me-
I shall never know. You are only able
to speak few words In my tongue, and
I do not know your mother tongue suf-
ficiently to enable me to frame questions
so subtle. Perhaps even if knew your
language thoroughly it would be impos-
sible for me to make myself understood.
The places in which we have lived.
the persons who have instructed US, are
doubtless the cause why We cannot 5X-
plain, each to the other, our ideas, our
sentiments, our needs. My weak nature
and your fiery temperament must nee
essarily give birth to thoughts that are
widely different. OF a surety you either
ignore or despise the thousand panes
that assail me; of a surety you laugh at
that which brings tears to my eyes.
perhaps you do not know what tears
are?"
will you be for me helpmate or a
master? Will you console me for all
the ills which I suffered before ] met
you? Will you understand why I am
sad?
DO you know what compassion, pa
tience, friendship mean? Perhaps yon
have been nurtured in the conviction
that women have no soul? Do you know
that they have one? Are you neither
Christian nor Mussulman? Neither civ
ilized nor barbarian? Are you man?
What is there within this manly breast,
this leonine eye, this superb brow? Is
there in you a thought noble and pure,
a sentiment fraternal and pious? When
you sleep do you dream that you are
winging your way toward heaven?
When men do you wrong do you put
your trust in God?
DO you know what I am, and are
you trembling yourself because you dc
not know it? Am in your eyes some
thing unknown, which fills you with
longing and possesses your thoughts?
DO YOU know what the souls desire is
that desire which time cannot satiate
and which no human caresses can weary
or lull to sleep?
"Oh, when l find your countenance
calm, shall 1 learn whether you are
thinking or simply reposing? When your
eyes grow languishing will 1t be through
tenderness or weariness?
MOST TENDER CONFIDENCE.
perhaps you think that you do not
know that l do not know
you. I know neither your past life nor
your character. nor how you are esteem
ed by those men who do know you. Per-
haps you are the first, perhaps the last,
among them. | love you without know
ing if | will be able to esteem you. love
YOU because you please me; perhaps l
will soon be forced to hate you.