New-York tribune., 1901-04-18
NJ. DESCHAMPS AGAIN.
MORE OF THE PARISIAN CRITICS ~,
PREssIoNs OF AMERICA.
FRENCH STUDIES IN OUR coLLEGEsrHn
PREDOMINANCE OF GERMAN AUTHoer-
TrEs-soME HARD WORDS FOR
THE DECADENrs

=
account of his experiences an advocate of
French literature in the various American uni
versities that he visited. Called to America To IA.
liver the Hyde course OF lectures at Harvard M
Deschamps has lectured also at number of COL
leges. He recalls the important place assigned
to French literature In the curriculum of Har.
ward University. and, speaking of the qualities
of his audiences there. says:
Thanks to the zeal and persistency with whic,
the professors OF this immense university colony
uphold the tradition of our language and the
pre-eminence of our authors could gather and
keep throughout my course audience of
about twelve hundred persons who had the right
to be as exacting audience at the Sor-
honne or the College of France / felt as much
at home there as before a Partisan audience I
had the profound satisfaction of being closely
followed, perfectly understood. 1t was plain
too. that any error of Judgment, any fault Of
taste, slip Of the tongue. the forgetting of an
important fact, might be as dangerous there as
anywhere else, even more dangerous. The SUBJ
ject Of the course The Contemporary Drama
in France had been thoroughly studied before
hand by my listeners. especially the women
When characterized the moral and So
cial aspect Of the work of Alexandra Dumas
fills. of Emile Augier, or of NJ. Brieux; when
analyzed the spirit of Meilhac and Halevy;
when I praised Nj. Paul Hervieu NJ. FRANCOIS
de Curel. I aided and encouraged by the
plain evidences of preparation on the part of a
public familiar with the Theatre Antoine as
with the Comedie Francaise-
NJ. Deschamps found less marked interest
in French literature at the other NewEngland
universities than at Harvard. AT New-Haven
Hartford Williamstown. Providence and North
ampton the echoes of French dramatic lit
erature are enfeebled by distance. Brown Uni
versity wished to hear about Augier and Alex
andre Dumas, but also asked for a lecture on
Victor Hugo. The author of the "Feuilles d'Au-
tumne'' and the 'Iegen6e des Siecles'' also
favored by Yale. Trinity and Mount HoIyoke
NJ. Deschamps notes that at Yale the profess
of Romance Languages. Mr.. Lang, gives
much attention to italian and Spanish, and OBJ
serves that this ilustrious university might
find a larger place for French among these lam
guages. He much time spent Germanic
languages and literature there. and considers it
an excess of the Teutonic: There is grave
lack of symmetry in this undue preponderance."
He sees in one French course Marot. Ronsard,
Rabeas Montaigne. Corneille, Moliere. Bossuet.
Racine, La Bruyere Regnard, Marvaux, VOL
taire. Diderot and Victor Hugo. Joined together
in rather Unbalanced collocation. and adds:
The mention of these writer's whose works are
certainly worth much the puzzles OF 'Old
High German and Middle High German"
shows that the treasures of our literature are
put as in bed of ProcrusteS in the curriculum.
He goes on 10 lament the amount of time ex-
pended upon German metaphysics at Yale. and
the German influences that paramount there
in other studies-in the history of Christianity.
in the study of the Renaissance in Italy and in
France in Semitic Language ageS-''although Semitic
studies have been carried far by French
savans the work of our scholars is absolutely
sacrificed by the Semitic students OF Yale:
moreover. "the glory of Assyriolosists van
ishes'' before Delitzsch: Greek geography is rep
resented not by Waddngton VI. Foucart but
exclusively by Cauer. Even English philology
is studied in German manual. But. says NJ
Deschamps:
Let us not complain, after ALL This overflow
of Germanism might be considered a sort OF
homage paid indirectly to the incorrigible gen
erosty of the French. For score OF years our
admirable philologistS. pedagogues, sociologists
and mystegogues have been noisily vaunting the
German products They have made themselves
in all countries the benevolent agents of those
products Their violent and rather naive puff
cry has finally had the result. and the Leipsic
publishers, delighted TO have such an excellent
staff OF travelling agents. rub their hands in JOY
they audit their accounts and figure their
profits.
1 found in the Yale Library curious collec-
ton of French works. notably Arthur Rim
bauds "Ilumnations.' the "Pelerin Gu Silence.
many ''Mallarrnist' verses. and finally the songs
of Aristide Bruant- Why this surprising seiec-
ton? The very illustrious University of Yale
owes it to herself TO push her curiosity little
further into the domain of French literature.
NJ. Deschamps has noticed with regret and
not without surprise the truly exaggerated
position that literary ''decadence" occupies in
the mind of the American public. Everywhers
and always he was asked. What do you think
of the decadents?'
Well. my dear Americans. I don't think OF
them at all, except that you attribute far toe
much Importance to fad that for time
amused few literary wine shops of the Latin
Quarter and that after lasting too long, has
now dropped into oblivion among our old al
manac files
The "6ecadentsr' When I tell the literary
critics of the United States that the French
public never took any interest in this galaxy;
that the stars which compose IL are generally
invisible even to the most powerful telescope.
1 surprise. 1 disconcert. / almost scandalze my
interlocutors. / find that have TO explain the
element of irony that is concealed in the mani
festoes of the "decadents The phenomenon
must be considered With a little smiling good
nature. cum grano sails 1 learn that rev
erend orator. baSinS his remarks on the de
cadent' declarations. has recently cried from
his pulpit. Can any one say that the French
are not a decadent people, They acknowledge
1T themselves, Their most famous poets declare
themselves decadents before the worldr
o. reverend sir, If l were not awed by your
sacerdotal dignity, if were not srenced oy
your laundering rhetoric 1 should say that you
had neglected the first rule of French logic, ana
of the universal fitness of things: Everything
in it's place: every in his rank" IL. rev.
erend sir you were admitted to our universities
houses. If you could Join in our social NE
and family gatherings. you would see thaI
the "decadents, who are apparently your "a
vorite authors. have place of honor in our
libraries. You would know that in France some
times we like to have laugh at 6omoaseIS
pretenders. o. reverend sir. have you
read the pretty flo BILE Of our La Fontane's. en-
titled Les Batons Flottants''? Read this master.
piece in order to complete your education ana
to learn that French poetry stretches tar oeyondd
the limits that you have arbitrarily assigned
it.. Pause especially on this slSnincant hhe'
which is worth pondering:
From afar it Is something; and close ny II
nothing"
HRS GRAFTON'S BEQUESTS-