The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-03
Paul Deroulede's Hard Luck.

The final scene in painful Partisan
tragedy has been enacted. France has de-
clined to be saved" she has refused to ac-
cept NJ. PAUL DERoULEDE for her nine
teenth century JOAN OF Arc, and in the face
OF his self denuncations dull jury of
grocers, directed by unimagiDativc bour-
geois magistrates has acquitted him of
the charge Of conspiring against the State,
finding his strenuous personal efforts to
overturn the Government too ridiculous to
constitute n danger. Youth and chivalry
and patriotism are thus crushed again, and
NJ. PAUL DERoULEDE will have to seek
some new character in which to save his
country and keep himself before the eyes
Of the boulcVards.
1t is good many years since Nj. DEROu-
LEDE discovered that France must be saved
and that he was the man to do it. He has
made greater sacrifice than he himself
has any idea Of, probably, in trying to make
France accept his belief. For PAUL DERoU-
LEDE is a poet. n real poet, whose verse
shows that, IL he had stuck to his art he
might perhaps have taken the placeof LAM
ARTINE or VICTOR HUGO among his country
mon and have saved them from the ncpti-
tudcs OF the literary schools that now pass
for verso in Paris. He might thus have adj
vanccd his views by his pen, or have at
tanned political power by success in litera-
turc which is ono Of the marked pecu-
liaritcs of French public life. He chose
instead to become a man Of action and
dropped poetry for practical politics. While
NJ. FILTERS and his humdrum bourgeois
colleagues were pulling France together
4 , g
with Prussia, PAUL DERoULEDE made
trouble by shouting for fla rcvanche." He
was treated like spoiled child. France, to
b. sure wns whipped and powerless but it
relieved her to say that she would get even
some day. and the Germans kept their
temper. So no harm was done.
Then came into being the legend OF the
man on horseback. France must be saved
Some one man must save her. and he would
come on horseback. NJ. DERoULEDE and
his friends hunted far and wide for their
man; Prince PLoN PLoN was out OF tho
question, tho Comte DE PARIS was hardly
inspiring, and while he lived the Due
D'AUMALE could not be used finally they
picked out Gen BoULANGER to bring about
change, trusting to luck for what the
final outcome might be. Tho Boulangcr
campaign was n clever piece of work an Or
leanist sporting duchess put up the money, a
lot OF bright young men worked up the
boom on tho boulevards, a hired claque
was on hand to cheer and to make demon
strations a jingling tune that went around
the world was contributed by the cafes
chantants, and 1t Is likely that the bray
General" might have ridden into power on
his black charger II the elderly, bourgeois
lawyer, NJ FLoouET had not punctured
him In duel and with him his boom. 1t
ia noteworthy that, despite the ridiculous
collapse OF their hero, neither NJ. DERoU.
LEDE nor his young associates lost caste in
Paris, and many OF tho latter have made
their way rapidly since. The ceverness
with which the movement had been organ
lied was generally recognized and they got
the credit for 1t.
France, however, still had to be saved
and gradually the Joan Of Arc craze de-
veloped. First in art beginning with
BAsTIEN LEPAGE's painting, she appeared
in successive Salons, ending in BoUTET DI
MoNvELs illustrations. The sculptors took
her up. too. Tho little equestrian statue il
the Place des Pyramides was renovated ant
gilded, extraordinary feats in horseman
ship were represented in clay at the exhibi
tions. while the same Oreanist duchess who
backed the Boulangist venture tried heI
hand at sculpture and, when her statue wal
rejected by tho artists, set it up for thu
public to see in front of the Palais d.
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