New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-19
4LPHONSE DdUDET.

Alphonse Daudet who died suddenly in Paris
last Thursday. has excited in his passing the
practically universal sympathy Of his country
men, Yet he had cndeared himself to them by
doing everything save the thing that. according
to all the laws OF their literature, they should
have expected him to do. The French love q
logical writer. Daudet was type OF inconsis-
tency, man full of the unexpected. Himself
Gascon and the foreordained Interpreter OF the
Midi. he never wrote line which as a matter
Of style as a matter Of personal revelation, even
limited at his origin Fate threw him early into
the companionship OF Flaubert and Tourgcncff;
he was one Of that small group which used 10
meet in the garnet Of lies Goncourt, ana nc
became one OF the most fastdous writer's OF
his day novelist whose widest flights or
whimscalIty could not diminish the elegance
nor violate the reticence Of his style. He was
as much n student Of technique, in his way. as
Flaubert himself.
How il may he asked did he escape Flall-
bert's aridity and hardness: Daudet had Il
penaty of soul which entered into his work.
He never could have been content with the
strictly literary triumphs which satisfied his
comrades. Life after all. was matter Of lively
importance TO him: here the racy emotions of
his novels and shorter pieces. OF his poems and
journalistic writings is catalogue of living
impressions His vitality was proved by his
exclusion from the Academy. If he gave Of
fence to the Forty through the candor Of Lin
mortel' II was it Is true, because he hated the
mere routine and dry-rot Of the institution: but
the student Of his career In noting this fact
goes further. and remembers that he loathed
the Academy because he loved life. HIS crit
!csm Of the Academy was not academic.
"L'Immortel" the manifesto OF writer
who was alive 10 his finger-tlps. who went out
in sympathy to all the interests OF his Tine
and hence despised an institution OF purely
formal character. 1t was Daudets humanity
that saved him from drifting into the cold. pro-
fesSional methods OF Flaubert and the Con
court warming his pages into glow. making
them flexible. carrying them everywhere. 1t
was his humanity that gave him. instead OF n
seat In the Academy. n happier place In the ar
fectlons OF all Frenchmcn and foreigners.
Yet Daudct. with all his human interests
could not write strong novel His experience
as secretary TO the Due de Morny doubtless
helped him much; when he came 10 portray
Gambetta in "Numa Roumestan' he had SUI
pcrior qualifications for his task; but not In any
OF his more serious works has he left n perna
ncnt mark They have wit. charm, variety. and
as We have Indicated they are all written IN
a fascinating style; but they lack the depth OF
feeling required 10 make Il novel OF deep pur
pose successful These apparently major books
will pass The minor volumes VIII survive; the
Tartarln trilogy Tin its first ana second mem
beers nj LEAST. Les Lettres de mon Moulin,
La Belle Nivernaise," Trent Ans de Paris
and souvenirs dun IIomme de- L"ttres. In
these Daudets touch IS at It's llghtest; II IL
more graceful than in any Of The NOR" elabo-
rate PRODUCTIONS above all, these minor writ
ings have that humOr which mad" Daudet
unique figure in modern French letters. llumor
Is uncommon in France humor, at any rate. OF
the sunny sort characteristic Of Daudet. The
reader OF Jack" or even OF the "Rois On Exil.
might be pardoned for remembering him merely
ne a clever, brilliantly clever, man. The
reader Of these seemingly less important books
TO which we have referred will remember him
A. exquisite in his charm. And he has left no
successor.