The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-28
About Emil Zola.

The most talked about man in France
today is Emile ZoIa, the famous novelist
and apostle of realism. And no wonder,
for has he not boldly come forward as
the champion of the convict Dreyfus and
charged the authorities who condemned
Dreyfus to a traitors doom with all man
ner OF wrong-doing.
Zola's outspoken utterances have rous-
ed the authorities 10 wrath, and they will
compel him 10 defend himself in open
court. Then, if he can prove his charge.
well and good for the creator of Mana"
and IL Assomnoir but If he cannot
one shudders to think what the result
may be.
What an amazing spectacle-a story
writer 1t bay before the highest military
authorities of his country! Evidently this
story writer is more than mere mag
mary quill-driver Let us See. On April
2, 1910, Emile lola came into the world,
his father being an Italian. From the age
Of twelve TO eighteen he studied at the
College of AK. and then he and his
mother went to Paris He remained Tor
two years at the Lycee-Louis-le-Grapd
devoting himself to the study of French
literature At the examination for the de-
gree of bachelor he was plucked because
he could not give the date of the death
of Charlemagne.
When he left school he became clerk
| ct a salary of 60f a month. The work
was such utter drugery and the pros
| pect of Improvement so entirely negative
| that after two months of slavery he threw
| up the place and for fifteen months LED
! life of the most miserable bohemianlsm-
! During that time when he could add to
his pennyworth of bread pennyworth of
| cheese or a cup OF black coffee he con-
! sidered himself in luxury. In 1852, through
a letter of introduction, he got a subord-
Mate position in the publishing house of
| Hachette. and thenceforth fortune favor
ed him. Still, prosperity did not come
| with a rush. He himself says: AS late
! as 1867, when I was q years old, by work
ing very hard and turning my pen to
| every use, I managed to earn about SO5f
$500 a month"
Fame first came to him when he be-
| gan to publish the well known RouJon-
| Macquart series-those stirring, vigorous
| books which are ranked by many among
the ablest work of fiction of our time.
lola. however, was evidently not con
tent to be a mere popular author. H'
wanted also to play some part in the grea
public arena, where men of affairs play
their roles before the public. He wanted
also to gain rank among the French I'm
mortals, and hence he repeatedly. though
vainly, tried to become a member OF tn
exclusive French academy. A strong
energetic man, he watched the course o
politics in France with keen interest, ant
when he saw anything of which he disap
proved he did not hesitate to express hi
disapproval Thus, for example, he eX
pressed himself very plainly in regard t
the Panama scandals, as well as in re
| !, oiyoGf nnarphiGTG
this latter subject he said:
Anarchists are not vulgar criminals
commonplace murderers, whatever ma,
be said to the contrary. They offer thei
lives as holocaust to their cruel conVic
tions Do you thing Guiana will sto
them? The new laws can do nothing
They imperfectly conceal the real situa
ton and distract attention from tn
principal object. They create DANCE
to dissimulate the real danger. They can
not even palliate; they are deceit.
! Trained from expressing this conviction
the strongest possible terms. That his a;
titude in the matter has produced an eH
traordinary sensation in Paris. reader
know. Apparently this is but the frs
step in a very interesting drama, the mex
step being the trial of NJ. lola. How
will all end who can say?
I.ombroso and Nordau would have u
! believe that Zola is a degenerate, but S
far as physical appearance goes, he seem
more sturdy and healthy than many
Younger man. Picture to yourself
strongly built determined looking mai
t with a most intelligent face, large, wr1r
kled forehead, grayish beard and eye
half concealed by glasses, and you nave
fair idea of this keen and clever French
2 man whose name is now on the lips {
' | almost every man in Paris.