The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-21
A PREFACE By PAUL BoUReEE.
Religious Opinions Entertained by
the Wei known Novelist.
r. -. r,-7f-sf,TI Nf,s-,,;roN

the WeEI Known Novelist.
(From the Pail Mall Nagazine)
N. Paul Bourget has just published in
the guise Of a preface confession of faith
and q sort of apologize pro vita sua that
viii be reaG with interest not only by the
admirers OF the novelist, but by all who
follow the movement Of ideas in France
a most noteworthy feature Of the move
ment has been the return to the Church
of several of the foremost writer's of the
day NJ Francois Coppee has set forth in
La Bonnie Soufrance" the strong reu-
gious convictiors ne has come TO hold: NJ
Huysmans. thC UncompTOmising material
list of the days of the 'SOirees de Medan,"
has entered religious order and now NJ
Paul Bourget declares his firm adhesion
10 the Roman Catholic doctrine. The
preface in which be explains his attitude
appears IN the third volume of the com
pIete addition Of his works at present in
course of publication. The volume (Oeu-
vres Completes de Paul Bourget:'' Ro-
mans, Vol L Paris, PIon Nourrit) con-
tains his first three novels. 'CrueIie En-
lyme" I'm Crime glamour and Andre
Corneiis-" Since the news OF his CONVEX
sion has been noised abroad NJ Bourget
has been the butt of much sarcasm. He
has been twitted, Is was inevitable. with
his alleged apostasy, and denounced for
having turned his back on those theories
of Taine on which, as he has always ad-
mitted, his entire work is based. 1t has
been urged against him. too, that writer
like himself, whose books are not in every
respect the most edifying of literature.
has waited until rather late in the day to
pose as a moralist. His detractors add
that if he we're sincere he would own TO
the pernicious tendencies of those of his
writings that date from his unregenerate
days. and rather withdraw them from cir
culatica than issue new editions
It is to these criticisms that VI. Paul
Bourget replies IN his preface. He de-
MES that he has been inconsistent with
himself, but adds that if he had been
the fact would cause him no conjunction
since in his estimation the spectacle of
a mind that, taught by the lesson of life
renouaces its original errors. Is one of
the noblest that can be concef~ad'' He
goes on to explain that in tiss earlier
period Of his life his attitude wss one of
expectancy. Re could not abandon a be-
lief he did not possess; he was awaiting
a creed and has merely found what he
lacked. There has been progress. b,lt nor
contradiction, in his moral DEVELOPMENT
AS to his novels, he still regards them as
a contribution to that enquiry into the
nature OF man" which -TaIRe declared was
pursued by writer's of ficti IA as well as nv
scientists. The result of the enquiry in
n. Bourgeois case has been to lead him
to accept Christianity. and this by pro
cess which IS practical complication
CT the scientific theories of which Tame
was the exponent. The novelist attributes
his conversion to the influence of what
he terms experimental apologetics. he
truth of a moral law can only be cxperi-
mentally demonstrated by series of Nh
servations showing that punishment fol-
lows its infringement and that its Oh
servanee is beneficial " Paul Bourges' 5
observation of life has convinced him thar
all that happens happens as it would do
if Christianity was true, and in oonse-
quenee he has been brought to accept its
doctrines. This necessarily brief sum
mary does not pretend to do justice to M.
Bourgeois arguments, which deserve to
be studied at first hand