The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-06

to master this influence of atavism they
will be-what they are not now-the mas
| tiers of the destiny of the human race. With
TINS as his starting point, he went to work
steadily and Intellectually, one of the ar
ticles of his creed being that regular
work is the first essential in the production
81 am no impressionist" he tells us, "and
do not believe in work rapidly dashed off.
The creation of book requires much trou-
BILE and exacts great pains. When | start
book | have never any idea as to its plot.
At most | have only a general idea of the
subject. Day after day for years have
regularly devoted three to four hours of
my mornings to my task on the Roujoncc
Macquart series. From four to six pages of
manuscript of the size of a sheet of fool
soap cut in half is my average daily pro-
duction. I should say that fifteen hundred
words is my daily output. 1t is not much,
but consider what that amounts to at the
end of the year. When / have done what /
consider fair stint | throw down my pen,
even if I am in the middle of a sentence"
Volume after volume was turned out in
this way, and it was not long before Emile
lola had an international reputation. His
stories were so original, so vigorous so
true to life that they challenged attention.
Admirers and disciples lauded them to the
skies, while, on the other hand, many
| launched storms of abuse at them on ac-
count of their coarseness. The Par1sians
book, and the booksellers rejoiced exceed
ingly when they heard that a new book by
the popular author would be issued on a
certain day. Apparently this popularity is
as great now as ever 1T was; at any rate
it would be hard to find any French author
whose works are more widely read than
Zola's.
lola, however was evidently not content
to be a mere popular author. He wanted
also to play some part in the great public
arena, where men of affairs play their roles
before the public. He wanted also to gain
rank among the French Immortals. and
hence he repeatedly, though vainly tried to
become a member of the exclusive French
Academy. a strong, energetic man, he
watched the course of politics in France
with keen interest, and when he saw any
thing of which he disapprOved he did not
hesitate to express his disapproval. Thus.
for example, he expressed himself pretty
plainly in regard to the Panama scandal
as Wen as N regard 70 the laws against
Anarchists. On this latter subject he said:
anarchists are not vulgar criminals,
commonplace murders, whatever may be
said to the contrary. They offer their lives
Do you think Guiana Will stop them? The
new laws can do nothing. They imperfect
| ly conceal the real situation and distract
attention from the principal object They
| ger They cannot even palliate; they are
deceit"
lola seems to be firmly, convinced that
| Dreyfus is innocent, and he has not re-
| Trained from expressing this conviction in
the strongest possible terms. That his at
| titude in the matter has produced an ex-
| traordinary sensation in Paris readers of
| the Herald know. Apparently this is but
| the first step in very interesting drama,
| the next step being the trial of NJ lola
J How it will all end who can say?
/ Lombrosso and Nordau would have us be-
| leve that lola is a degenerate but, so far
| as physical appearance goes. he seems more
! sturdy and healthy than many a younger
man. Picture to yourselves a strongly built,
| determined locking man, with a most intel
! lgent face, large, wrinkled forehead gray
! ish beard and eyes. half concealed by
| glasses and you have fair idea Of this
| keen and clever Frenchman whose name is
now. on the lips OF almost every man in