The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-10

Les Miserablcs " was to hava been published
somewhere aoout ls4s. The original title was
Les Mi-eren," and the first part was called
The Bishops Manuscript" Years passed. Tho
book received considerable development THE
entire work" wrote the author. in August. 1851.
"revolves around one central character. 1t 10 q
kind OF planetary system clrcling around =
giant soul. which Is an incarnation Of all tho
social misery OF the times" The last pages were
finished In Hautevllle House. Guernsey. at tho
beginning of 1862. Tho Arst part. Famine"
appeared on the same day at Brussels. Paris.
London, Lcipsic. Madrid. Rotterdam. Lisbon.
Budapest. Warsaw. and Rio de Janeiro. The
Paris edition OF 10000 copies was sold in
twenty-four hours. The novel was quickly trans
lated into the language OF every people that
reads. A French traveller came across n Rus
sian version in the depths OF Tartar Muscovy
Several editions were published IN japanese.
During the civil war in the United States. Vic
tor Hugo's romance formed one OF the staple
sources OF intellectual nourishment to the COM
ba;ants. A special edition was printed for
them, The Volunteers Edition" In tho
Netherlands, a Dutch TRANSLATION OF Les MIS-
CRADLES" was read BY the pastors in the pulpit
in presence OF the assembled faithful.
With regard to the germs Of the authors in
SEPARATION. II Is suggested That the prototype Of
Bishop Myriel may have been found in a little
book published at DiGne In 1874. entitled "A
Discourse on the Life and Virtues OF Mgr
Charles FRANCOIS Melchior Bienvenu dc Miollis,
Bishop OF Digne.'' Certain recollections Of the
poets own youth undoubtedly contributed TO
the formation OF the type OF Marius. Javert is
an idealiyed policeman. hard and pure, rigid
and limited. n fNnatical worshipper OF authority,
ignorant OF humanity. inaccessible to sympathy
or pity and to every notion OF extenuating cir
cumstanccs. He compreherds the functions of
the police as Draco comprehended the functions
OF the law. Jean Vatican Is the TRANSPORTATION
OF the bandit who appears In lie Dcrn!er Jour
dun Condamnc." and says: 1T is all the
came. | wished to be an honest man. But
devil take that passport! II was yellow. and
these words were written on #: 'Conrict liber-
died.' ! had to show Il; wherever l went. A
nice recommendation. wasn't tt7 A convict.
frightened people; little children fed, and the
doors would be shut. No one would give me
work" 1t was Emile Montcgut's opinion,
expressed when the book first appeared. that
the authors poems contain few passages 30
beautiful from the point OF view OF art
ms those prose pages that depict the
conversion Of the convict. and they con-
tain none so human. 1t may be noted. on
the other hand. that the bouk was criticised
with great severity by Lama-tine: The title
Of the book he wrote, lis false. because It
does not deal with the miserable. but with tho
guilty and the Idle: hardly any one 10 innocent.
and hardly any one works in this society made
up OF thieves. prostitutes. deSauchees and vpg-
abonds. II Is the epic OF vice; that are. perhaps.
sometimes too severely punished and o: chas-
tiscments that are always deserved. TIL. in
dictment Of society might more justly be called
'L'Epopee do Ia Canaille.'"