The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-04

always. always. What sort OF existence
Will be iead? The same that / have led
TOR ten years But you are guilty and I
am innoceai.' No. we are only two mis-
cradle people. and rsisery knoxs none but
eQa2is.." In another Of his plays -. Her.
vieu depicts the painful position CT an in
nocent woman. Laure de RaguAis- And
sgch . position. She discovers that her
husband has an intrigue with married
woman. But for the sake Ct her daughter.
little Isabelle, she consents TO an amscabie
separation. Eus Isabelle grows Up 10 san
In love with tie son Of her fathers mig
treas.
II may be said that surely in the natural.
Ism OF Zoia and Maupxssan,, in the gor-
geous sensuou&ncas OF Pierre I<osi. in the
Greek depravfsy OF ParisiaEs comedy.
French literature has reached the bedrock
Of Byzantine decadence. Probably II II 50.
And ye. IL should not be forgotten that
this result; In due TO the Introduction OF the
NaposeoEic spirit Of savage and selfish
"thoroughness' anto literature. No doubt
the tendencies which have now done their
worst and utmokt--ax least il may 80 be
hoped-exhibited themselves before the
Napoie0nic spirit was manifested. FrencIs
men have always been too prone 10 laugh
and shake IN Radicals easy chair. The
most inspiring force in French literature
during The laAt aenfury-more inspiring
seau, from whom the great revolution 10
TO be traced. as Napoleon in turn Is TO be
traced from the revolution. He was the
first, says Sainte Beuve In one Of his most
exquisite criticisms. who put something
green into our literature" 1t Is from
him that the sentiment OF nature IL reck-
cned among US IN the eighteenth century.
II Ii from hirn also In dated In our liter.
Azure the sentiment OF our domestic life,
s,f hat -
which are accumulated so many treasures
Of virtue and affection" But Sainte Beuye
also admits the "debasement and corruo-
sion' in Rousseau. which touches the
neral sense" He does not seem TO sus-
pect that there are certain things the men.
tion OF which Is forbidden. that there are
certain ignobie. disgusting. cynical express
sions which a yfrtuouS man never uses,
and which he ignores"
In sense, indeed. naturalism Is but
carrying Rousseauism, on the side Of de-
basement and corruption. ITO its logical
conclusion" Declining to allow that there
are any things the mention of which ought
to be forbidden. II persists In seeking nuda
veriias In all departments OF life, and Wilt
have no human documents save those.
from which everything I'm the shape OF
superstition" sentimentali,y. traditional
religion and traditional morality has been
ruthiessiy stripped. Like Napoieon!sm.
which inspired Baizac, ii IL did not inspire
lola. II seeks 10 show human nature pre-
cisely a. 1t is. And behold II Is all The
reverse Of good.
There Ii one redeeming feature-and
perhaps but one-~in the conduct OF French
men OF letters during the present period.
the very agony Of decadence though ii may
be- They are possessed by the enthusiasm
--one might even so further and say fanat.
icism--of their art. Zola. indeed, says that
he - not an artist. but merely an ouvrier.
But he breaches the gospel OF work: In
all my struggles and fits OF despair, have
had but one IeInedy-work How often
have sat down TO my table In the morn
ing not knowing what to do, full Of bii-
terness and tortured by some great physi-
cal or moral pain. and yet each time, in
spite Of the revolt OF my suffering. my
task has been a comfort and relief to me:
have always been strengthened by my
daily task" And Zola has practiced what
he has preached. There in no more ques-
ton as to the labor he has expended over
his work than there Is as to the moral
which has caused him TO en-.
ieavor to DO justice to Dreyfus. whom re
believes TO have been shamefully used
even although the effort has meant for
him exile and the loss OF fortune And
however demoralixing or degrading may
be the results achieved by those Ct the
who aim at being artists in the
highest sense OF the word. their desire to
attain perfection has been nothing short
pf . passion.
Edward dc Goncourt said OF his brothe.
Jules HE was slain by style" Flaubert.
the author Of Madame Bovary" and ''Sa-
which would have evoked
from Rathbone Greg far severec denun-
Citations than even those he passed upon
the French fiction of his day-was in tor
,ure while he was engaged in composition.
He demanded similar perfection OF his
pupils. OF Guy de Maupassant the most
promising and most unfortunate OF them
all. Mime. Blaze de Bury, in her very in.
teresting French Literature OF Today"
SAYS. He waited to make his debut till
his master F1aubert. was satisfied with
his productions F1aubert lived near Rou-
en- Maupassant's family in the nesghbor.
hood OF crosset. From childhood the
great man had watched over the bows
mind. setting him certain themes 10 exert
himself upon. You will 20 TO such
street. where You will see a concierge and
parrot; you will then write down what you
saw and read II to me- and. Till Flaubert
Now / see the picture Mau.
PEASANT had to work and destroy" IL
may he a matter for regret that Maupas-
SAINT did not destroy a great deal more
than he did. that. In particular. he did not
destroy all his writings of the altogether
detesiatle "Bei-Ami'' type. Bu, o, mis- in-
domi;ahle Industry and OF hts ultimate
success az perhaps the greatest master OF
the conte OF short story IN the highest lit
erary sense OF the word. there can be no
matter of doubt.
According to Jouhert. perhaps the most
rar,s and delicate spirit that France has
produced since Pascal. whose thoughts
have at last been placed before the british
public in AN adequate translation by Mrs.
Iyttel;oi.: There never WIS an age Of
literature whose dominant taste wa tact
diseased The triumph Of the best artists
is To make healthy work agreeable 10 dis
eased taste Such a triumph undoubtedly
has been that OF Msapassant. of FTanhert,
of the brothers tsoncourt, OF all the ssi~
preme artists who have been writirg~an!
nghting~unlar tho banner OF nsturalisn
Ample proof is. indeed. TO hand that even
In the agony Of decadence French ll,era-
ture Is AS notable fer Tirility a. ever. that
II ss siiii the most vigorous literature in
the world Nho. even in this dark hour,
taoys mot feel the truth Of Tho words OF