The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-06

chin small. She spoke with great simplicity.
and her manners were very quiet" There
Is no doubt. however, that she attracted with
impcrious power all The men she met.
In 1928, Sands hoy, Maurice, being III. she
proposed a visit to Maiorsa. Chopin vent
with the party in November, and full accounts ~
the trip, lis discomforts and Chopin's illness
may be found In Sands Historic dc Ma We.
Chopin is a dctc,table invalid" she said. and
40 they returned to Nohant in June, 1890. They
saw Genoa for a few days in May on their way
to France. hut that Is "a far as Chopin ever
penetrated into Italy, Sand there enjoyed
the truly feminine pleasure Of again entering
the city which. SIX years before. she had visited
in company with another man, Chop'n's
health In 1870 was n source Of alarm TO himself
and his friends. he had been. In truth, dan
%gerously i'll az Majorca and Marseilles. Fever
and severe coughing proved the forcrunners
of the disease that killed him ten years later.
He was forced to be very careful in his habits.
resting more, giving fewer lessons. PLAYING
but little in private or public. and becoming
frugal Of his emotions. Now Sand began to cool,
though her lively Imagination never ceased
making graceful and touching pictures of her.
self In the roles OF sister of mercy, mother and
discree, friend, all merged into on" sentimental
''lIlI'~ll'' T'l MI " Ihih' h'Nh p'i' iAr0
hers, il must have been. no doubt, irk-ome 10
submit To the caprices OF a moody, ailing man.
The breach which had been perceptihly
widening became impossible in 1877. when
Sand and Chopin parted forever. Mr.. Huns
ker points out that a literature has grown IN
on the subject. Chopin never had much 20
say. but Sand did, so did Chopin's pupils. who
were quite virulent in their assertions that
she killed their master, The break had 10
come. II was the inevitable end Of such A
friendship. The dynamics of free love have
vet to be formulated. This much We know.
two such natures could never entirely cohera.
When the novelty wore of, the stronger Of tho
two, or the one the least in love. took the init, al
step. n was George Sand who took il with
Chopin. He would never have had the courage
| nor the will" The present bioRrapher does
not find the causes of the final rupture very
| interesting. Niecks has sifted all the evidence
| adduoed before the court and jury of scandals
mongers. The main quarrel was about the
| marriage Of Solange Sand with Cesinger. tls
sculptor. Her mother did not oppose tho
match, but later resented Cl6singer's conduct.
He was coarse and violent, she said, and, when
after a terrible scene at Nohant. Chopin saw
At TO receive the young woman and her hus-
band. she broke with him, The excuse was
| sum GENTLY ~specious. He had ennuytd her
| for several years. and. a. he had completed
his artistic work on this planet and there was
! nothing more in him TO be studied. the psy-
Geological portrait Of the composer being
presumably completed, Nine. George got rid
of him. The author of this book rejects as
silly the recent gossip TO the effect that Sand
was jealous OF Chopin's friendships for other
women.
Chopin gave his last concert in Paris in Feb
| rnary, iSis. He was i'll. but played beautifully.
1t Is said that he tainted in the artists room.
| Sand and Chopin met but once again. She
took his hand which was trembling and cold.
but he escaped without saying a word, In a
letter dated November. is4s, he permitted
| himself to speak of Sand as follows. Il have
| never cursed any one, but now l am so weary
of life that | am near cursing Lucrezia, tIt
is well known that Sand had depicted the Cho-
pin episode In 'LucreAa Floriana'l But she
| suffers. too. and suffers more. because she
grows older in wickedness. What n pity about
Soil tSolange Sandl' Alas! Everything goes
wrong with the world"
In April. Is4s. Chopin went 70 London for
! the second and last time. War was declared
upon Chopin by a part of the English musical
world. but. according to the present biogra-
pher. the criticism was compounded Of malice
and stupidity. The composer was too i'll to
care much about il. AT Edinburgh he was 30
III that he had to be carried up and downstairs.
10 the wife Of his doctor who asked him II
George Sand was his particular friend. hs
answered, Not even George Sand" He con-
fessed that his excessive thinness had caused
Sand To address him as my dear corpse .
There seems 10 he no doubt, however. that at this
very time his pupil, Miss Sterling. was in love
with him. and Princess Czartoryska followed him
10 Scotland to see If his health was better. lie
was not. therefore. altogether deserted by
the women; indeed. he could not live without
their little batteries and agreeable attentions.
Our biographer deems it safe TO say that a
woman was always within Chopin's call,
When he left England in January is4s, he was
| heartily glad TO 60. do you sea the cattle
in that meadow" ne asked on his way to Paris:
-Ca a plus dintelhoence que lee Anolois." He
certainly disliked the English. and yet, when
in his last days, his purse was empty, Miss
Sterling sent himtwenty- five thousand francs.
According to Jules Janin. he had lived. ten
miraculous years, with a breath ready TO ~
away" IL IA certain that his servant Daniel
had long been obliged 10 carry him to bed He
hdd been reported DEAD so OFTEN that, when death
came, the real news was doubted. In lA7.
his legs had begun TO bother him by swelling.
and he was described as "a painful spectacle. the
picture Of exhaustion. the back bent, the head
bowed. but always amiable and full Of dis
t%inction. Thanks 10 Miss Sterling. and TO a Rus
sian lady. the Countess ObreskofI he was moved
TO comfortable lodgings in the Place Vend6me.
and there, on Oct. t,ls49. he died. Turgenev has
written Of the hall hundred countasses in Europe
who claimed 10 have held the dying Chopin N
their arms, As a matter Of fact, he died in the
arms Of his pupil. Gntmann. Solange Sand
was there. but not her mother. 1arnors xxi
relates that Chopin was perfectly conscious
when he gave his last orders. He begged hs
sister To burn all his inferior compositions,
II owe II to the public, he snid. and Ia my
self, TO publish only good things. kept -
this resolution al. my life, ] wish TO keep 70 .
now" Inhappily, the wish was not respected
He was buried from the Madeleine on oct 70,
with the ceremony befltting n man OF genius,
Tho n Flat Minor Funeral March. orchcS'rnicd
by Henri Reber. was given, and. during 'hs
ceremony. Iefebre-Wely played on the organ
the +. and u Minor Preludes. The ~pallhca--
ers we're Meyerbeer, Deiacroi1, Pieyel and
FranchOmme, He was inferred in evening
clothes. in concert dress, but not a his own
request, According 10 Ilsz', his face looked