The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-02

So Emile Zola went out into the world
without any university degree or official
stamp on his literary acquirements-a
fate which had happened TO Alphons.
Daudet two years before. 1t was a more
serious matter TO young Zola, who was
thrown entirely on his own resources.
and found himself unable to use his edu-
cation for his support
EARLY STRUGGLES.
It was in November. 1858. that he miss
ed his examination for the second time.
Winter was coming on and he sought il
vain for occupation. In January he was
obliged to accept position in the ware.
houses or docks" where goods collect
ed from forced sales are stored; he re-
ceived only 60 francs a month for long
and painful labor. In spite of his great
need, he held out his position nearly two
months; and then. for nearly two years
| longer, wandered from pillar TO post, at
times knowing the extremes of misery.
All his efforts to place his literature
were fruitless. He denied, however, in
after years that certain OF his charac-
tiers Of his stories were copied from neigh
! bors in the wretched sttics where he had
been forced TO take refuge. But his in
| tense sympathy with disheartened labor
ers and his belief in labor as the COM
ing gospel to reform the world, with a
certain anarchy of sentiment toward con-
| stituted society, may very well date from
! these difficult years.
In DECEMBER, 1861, doctor who knew
the family, wishing TO aid the young
man without wounding his pride, offered
/ him 20 francs to distribute some 200 NeN~
Years cards for him. Zola long after
wards recalled his feelings Of depression
as he went from house to house in
/ his frayed overcoat, with his hands and
/ feet suffering from the cold. But the
worst struggles were now at an end; the
same good friend succeeded in finding
him a place in the great publishing house
Of Hachette, where he began by tying
up packages at 100 francs a month. He
was able to subsist on this, and in the
! long evenings. after work, he wrote in
his garnet poems and tales which he tried
/ to place, usually in vain. In lieu ef fire,
/ he wrapped himself in his bed-quilt which
! he called grimly. Doing the Arab"
! To a little Latin Quarter Review, called
Travail C'Labor'D Zola had offered 4 long
manuscript of verses on Doubt" in
which he appealed to the Eternal Father
to send another Christ on earth-"or 1
shall believe that you exist no longer!"
a chief editor of the Review was Georges
/ CIemenceau, who was then studying med
icine: he refused the poem, which drew
out a letter from the unknown writer;
and the verses were printed in the same
number with a prose article by Jules Me-
line Nearly forty years later these three
names came to gether again-Meline as
the prime minister trying to suppress
the scandal of the Dreyfus case. and over
/ against him Clemenceau as the chief abet-
tor Of the campaign begun by Zolas fam
Gus 'J'accuse."
lola was less successful in persuading
his employer. the publisher Hachette, to
consider his writings, but he was pro-
NOTED TO secretary for the publicity of
the house. He became acquainted with
publishers and authors. and finally. to-
wards the end of 1864, found a publisher
willing 10 undertake an edition of a book
of his short stories Only a few hundred
copies were sold; but it was enough for
Zola. at the end of 1865, to throw up his
position and trust his livelihood to liter
cture- Dark years were still before him
and his mother who now depended or
him for her own support. He ended by
marrying the daughter of the little hotel
where he had been taking his meals and
her humble family more than once came
TO his assistance in these years of strug-
gle.
MES HAINES.
With all his in-success from a money
point Of view. Emile lola was becoming
known to the rising literary men as one
who thought for himself. At the little
cafe up the hill of Montmartre he met
with Manet, who was preparing the way
for impressionism in art by the instan-
taneous reality of his paintings. All the
Academic critics were hostile to the new
methods but the strong influence Of Flau-
bert was already introducing them into
literature. lola wrote for a Lyons paper
/ a series of critical articles. in which
he poured out. with an emphasis savage
enough to command attention the ideas
seething within hin-his underlying oppo-
sition 10 the wholly Romantic School.
with Victor Hugo at its head. and his
devotedness to naturalism. which was to
/ have a school with himself as master.
This series was published in a book in
$3.50 under the suggestive title of My
/ Hatreds." lola took a department OF
book reviews and art criticisms in the new
+ Figaro; hut his praises Of Manet and his
/ expression Of the new spirit which was
abroad so frightened his Boulevardier edi-
/ tors that he was soon dropped from the
raper But his prose continued TO be
/ found in newspapers all the way from
/ Paris TO Provence, for "pOtboflers'' fur
/ nished his only means Of living At last a
publisher brought out the first OF his
i.ovels which has remained IN the mem
/ DRY Of the pubiic-'Therese Raquin. It
/ fell so TAT that Louis Ulbach. out Of friend
ship. made q scandaIous attack on it in
! his notorious column of the Figaro: with
in week a second edition was demanded.
The next year 1858. Emile Zola presented
J 10 his publisher the general scheme Of
( q series Of novels OF twelve separate
works. dealing with characters taken
/ from the same family. according 10 an
+ idea suggested by writings on Heredity
/ byDr Lucas This was the beginning
/ Of the on-Macauarts-the history OF
a family of the Second Empire.
The 'hloody year OF the Franco Prus-
sian war passed and left Zola TO his lit
( erature. His eneraies have cast II up
/ against him that ne did not fight like so
many OF his class. but somehow he was
named in the civil administration suhpre-
+ feet OF a department. When he returned
4 70 Paris. he took mp the old Hfe-a lah0r-
1 ioas struggle OF literary ambition, which
/ seemed destined never 10 be satisfied.
/ Zola. was one OF the Dinner OF the Five,