The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-15
ADVENTURES OF Mr.. AND MRS.
JIMMIE, SISTER BEE AND NE.
How We Visited Max Nordau-He Is
Not n Woman Halter.

How We Visited Max Nordau-He Is
Not n Woman Halter.
1 brought a letter to DR.. Nerdau
to Paris he was so fierce a woman
hater, that determined not to present
it. l read the letter over every once
in a while, but failed to screw my
courage to the sticking point, until one
day, 1 mentioned that 1 had this letter
and Jimmie. to my surprise, threw up
both hands exclaiming:
"a letter to Max Nordau! Why 1t Is
like owning a gold mine! Present it
by all means and then tell us what he
is like"
Afraid to present it in person 1 sent
it by mail, saying that 1 had heard
that he hated women and that l was
scared to death of him. but if he had q
felt less fierce than usual. l would
come to see him, and 1 asked permits
sion to bring a friend. By friend" I
meant Jimmie.
The most charming note came in an
swer that polished man of the world
could write--ont in the least like the
bear 1 had imagined him to be, but
courteous and even merry. In it he
said that he would feel honored if I
would visit his abode, and he seemed
to have read my books and knew all
about me, so with very mixed feelings
Jimmie and 1 called at the hour he
named.
He lives in one of the regulation
apartment houses of Paris, of the
meaner sort-by no means as fine as
those in the American quarter. The
most horrible odor of German cook
ery-caulif1ower and boiled cabbage
and vinegar and all that-foated out
when the door opened. The room-a
sort of living room-into which we
We're ushered was a mixture of all
dingy and old-with here and there a
good picture or one fine chair, which
L imagined had been presented to him.
Jimmie was much excited at the
idea of meeting him. Max Nordau is
one of his idols-Nordau's terrible
power of invective fully meeting Jim
mics ideas of the way crimes of the
bestial sort should be treated. Jimmie
is often a surprise to me in his beliefs
and ideals, but when DR.. Nordau en-
tered the room, I straight-way forgot
Jimmie and everything else in the
world except this one man.
L can see him now as he stood before
me-thick set. with a magnificent
torso, but with legs which ought to
have been longer. With that body he
should have been six feet tall. When
he is seated he appears to be a very
large man. You would know that he
was a physician from the way he
shakes hands-even from his touch,
which seems to be in itself soothing
of pain.
In violent contrast to Tolstoi, he was
exqusitely clean. Indeed, he seemed,
after one look into his face, ito be one
Of the cleanest men 1 ever had seen.
And to look into the face of a man in
Paris and be able to say that, means
something.
His eyes were gray blue-very clear
in color. Their whites We're really
white-not bloodshot nor yellow. His
skin was of the fresh, beautiful color
which you sometimes see in a young
and handsome Jew. There was the
same clear red and white. This dis
tinguishing quality of clearness was
noticeable too, in his lips, for his short,
white mustach showed them to be
full, very red and with the line where
the red joins the white extremely clear
cut. His teeth We're large, full, even
and white like those of a primitive
man. who tore his rare meat with
those same white teeth, and who never
heard of dentist. His hair was short.
white and bristling. He seemed to
have some Jewish blood in him. but he
appeared more than all to be perfectly
well, perfectly normal, filled to the
brlm with Astounding life. 1t was like
a draught from the Elixir of Life to be
In his presence. What a man!
All at once the whole of "Degenera-
ton was made clear to me. How
could any man as sane. as normal. as
superbly health loving and health be-
showing as Max Nordau keep from
writing such a box! l never met any
one who so impressed me with his
knowledge, not pedentary. but the
deep, underlying fundamental truth
that humanity ought to know. His
sympathies are so broad, his intuition
so Keen, his understanding so subtle.
He asked us at once into his study
small room, lined with books bound in
calf, with both the chair and his couch
burst out beneath showing broken
springs and general dilapidation. Like
Tolstoi, he speaks many languages. and
ms English is very pure and beautiful
lie began at once to speak on per-
sonal subjects, and before I go one
step further let me ask whether I am to
be excused for recording a conversation
In which he applied handsome compli-
ments to me. If l could wholly expunge
his personal references 1 would But
If | did there would be no point in his
remarks. Therefore, I brave adverse
comment and report faithfully.
He said at once:
Il don't understand you in the least
expected to see you a middle-aged
woman. Tell me how you have lived so
deep down in so few years"
l laughed and said that many people
did not seem to find that quality in my
books.
That is because people only get out
Of your books what they bring to them.
You could not expect a man with no
sense OF humor, no imagination, no