Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-30
JUDGMENT OF lola.

| we nave no tOlerauOn Tor the ZOl
school of fiction. The terms perniciou
and disgusting but family describe tn
work which. for the most part, Zola ha
prostituted his genius to turning out
The world would be better If bonfir
were made of all of the productions o
himself and his disciples. in which, &C
cording to the champions Of his school
1t is sought to regenerate through real
ism. There never was a sadder illustra
ton of the debasement of literary art anC
power than is presented in Zola's caree
as a novelist. Were he to spend the
rest Of his life upon such books as hi.
Rome" which 1t was said was written a.
a bid for a seat among the Forty I'm
mortals." he would not atone for his
manifold sins against purity in the field
of light literature. Hence. it is not sur
| prising that the judgment of Nordau
Lombroso, and others Of equal reputation
that he was "a degenerate" has received
widespread affirmation. The moral make
up and mental trend of zola, as reflected
in his productions that had the greatest
vogue, seemed to fully justify his being
looked upon as a shining example of de-
generacy-his own protagonist as en-
bodying and represented in the immoral
spirit of his work.
But in view of recent developments, Of
the last notable production of Zola's pen,
and Of the last mission of reform he has
undertaken, together with the probable
consequences to him, which he foresaw,
the public will be inclined to revise the
judgment of Nordau and his confreres.
Certainly, in his defence of Dreyfus, his
demand for vindication OF justice. his de-
fiance of the French Government and
the French army. and his arraignment
of those who connived at the Star Cham
Der proceedings that ended in Dreyfus's
being condemned to a fate worse than
death. lola has used his literary art and
genius and his splendid command of
language for noble ends.
Since Dreyfus was convicted, little by
little light has been let in upon his case
which tends to show that he was made
a scape-goat for the purpose OF shielding
others high, in authority. 1t would now
seem that his prosecutors, anticipating
the possibility of a hereafter. selected
him on account of his race, seeing that
if the worst came 10 the worst, they
could obscure the real issue and fortify
themselves by stirring up race feeling.
In other words, it would seem that the
anti-Semitic rioting-the crusade against
a people who, no less in Frapce than else
where, stand prominently for law and
order and good government-was ordained
to take place in case of emergency.
In making his assault upon the powers
that compose the inner circle of the
French War Office, Zola was not unmind-
full of the fact that he was liable to per-
secution and prosecution. OF the former
he has had a foretaste. The latter is to |
come. Indeed, he challenged the govern |
ment to prosecute him, the challenge be- |
ing in these words: my burning protest |
is but the cry of my soul. Let them |
dare therefore to bring me to court, and |
let the trial be held in open day" The |
government has accepted the challenge, |
a trial is concerned, and the date for the |
commencement Of the trial has been fixed |
for early in February. But whether the
trial will be sin open day." thus en-
abling lola to accomplish his main OBJ
ject. which is the laying bare of all the
facts in the Dreyfus case, is doubtful
There is already said TO be evidence Of
an intention to restrict" the procedure
to Zolas offence. Should this be done,
the blot on French justice will be rem
dered only the more damning, and the
outcome OF the trial may have a more
effect in shaking the stability
Of the French republic than it was feared
the late riots would have. While lola
has made many bitter enemies by his
Iemerity he has also made many friends
for the cause he has espoused However,
be this as ii may, Zola's course in throw
ing himself into the breach in an effort to
reform French judicial methods, expose
what he terms devilish conspiracy, and
right what he believes was one of the
greatest wrongs that have ever disgraccd
he republic, and that, too, at possible
serious cost to himself, cannot but excite
high admiration. While it does not en-
tile him TO a rehearing as a novelist. it
must secure a rehearing for the man.
md an amendment of the judgment de
'enerate," so far as IL was applied to the
after. 1t must induce another and more
ayorable psychological study Of lola.