New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-02-26

VICTOR HUGO.
ern French politics soon discovers. We have
recently had occasion discuss the literary as
poets of his genius We may glance to-day at
the significance Of Hugo publicist
His father was one of Napoleons officers, ar
IDENTIFY attached to the Emperor and TO the
pire. His mother was a Vendeean. immovable
in her devotion the Bourbons. Victor was the
child Of his mother and from the Bourbon res
toration to the Orleanist accession remained a
keen Royalist and a devOut Roman Catholic.
No English cavalier was ever more devoted to
Church and King" At the same time. pater-
nal influence strong enough to make him
something of Napoleon worshipper. in an in
tangible and idealistic way He exulted in the
glories of the empire. but was glad of the Res
toration. The names of Jena and Wagram
thrilled his nerves, but Waterloo satisfied his
judgment Had the Restoration endured, the
youth might well have grown into favored
courtier and have been minister OF the King.
Soon after he uttered the Romanticists' declar-
alton of independence, in the preface to his
Cromwell however. there came the Revou-
ton of 1880. With that he could feel little SYM
pathy The change from the joyous grand sell
gneur to the practical and thrifty citizen King
was little less than repellant to his tempera-
nent His standing adequate to the
leading of opposition to the revolution,
had there been the slightest prospect Of success
IN such an endeavor. Neither it possible
for him fully to accept the revolution and put
himself in line with its leaders The result was
that all through the reign of Louis Philippe he
cultivated discomfort. More and more his mind
dwelt upon the glories of the empire. Napoleon
became in his mind apotheosized, not, however.
as an autocrat and ruthless conqueror, but as a
democrat and friend of the people Bonapart-
ism and Humanitaranism a strange MKT
ure but they fused together in Hugo's
mind AT the same time. and largely because
of this discomfort with the Orleanist regime, his
erdor for the Church of Rome seemed to cool.
AS that reign drew near the catastrophe which
ended it, his discomfort. his Napoleonism. his
snti-Clericalism and his idealistic democracy
grew rapidly stronger. So. too. did his impa-
thence Of the leadership of others. and his vague
ambition TO be himself the benevolent dictator
Of the destinies of France. In 1915 he was made
peer of France, and thereafter. until the Coup
d'Etat. gave 10 political affairs the major part
OF his attention He was glad to get rid of Louis
Philippe and he hailed the Prince President.
Louis Napoleon. as the harbinger of a restora-
ton Of Napoleonic glories Nevertheless. he soon
conceived a feeling Of jealousy toward him. such
as he had already felt toward Montalembert.
Perhaps it was because Louis Napoleon differed
widely from Napoleon Bonaparte; because
reality differed so widely from Ideally; because
he saw IN the accession Of this master plotter
the end of his dreams of uncrowned king
ship. Whatever the cause. he soon conceived
not merely discomfort with Louis Napoleon
but intense and violent antipathy against
him, in which it is difficult not to recognize a
large admixture Of the personal element. There
are those who have not scrupled to say that he
was simply jealous of Louis Napoleons political
success. and piqued because that ambitious adj
Venturer would not make him his chief adviser
Whatever the facts Of that case the outcome
was inevitable. Hugo compelled to fee for
his life at the Coup 'Etat first to Brussels and
then TO the Channel Islands His Punishment
was marked with a fierce outburst of denuncis-
ton of the usurping Emperor. Napoleon le
Petit" and Les Chatiments" flashed swiftly
from his brain and pen together with his His
toire dun Crime" although the last named was
not given 10 the world for many years. In these
works the personal aninus Of the writer against
the Emperor is unfortunately apparent. They
are instinct with fine Indignation. of patriotic
and humanitarian type but this Is too frequent
" marred with touches of personal spite and in
oiyidual hatred. Thereafter Hugo relapsed into
political inactivity. perforce: a fact to which
the world is debtor, since the years of his exile
fruitful Of some of his best literary work
But IL he took part in politics, his political
evolution. revolution. did not cease nor
slacken its pace. Year by year he became more
democracy toppled to the other side into
downright socialism. His aati-ClericaIsm also
grew more pronounced. until it was nothing
short of violent passion
Such was his preparation for the next over
turning of government in France At the Same
time, his intimate communion with nature in
the grand and tremendous aspects OF the sea
vastly increased his ideality, while his egotism
was fed by the worldwide praise ungrudginglv
given TO the books which he wrote in his island
nome. After Sedan he FASTENED eagerly back
10 Paris. seeing in the fall of his enemy his own
supreme opportunity. His first utterance was
characteristic. He spoke as Jupiter might have
spoken from Olympus. but alas without the
least resemblance to the Father of Gods and
Men IN the effect OF his words He bada the
Germans TO retire at once from France and N
founc a German republic. 1t is quite concaiv
apie mat ne expected they would obey hin, In
stead. they remained in France and fo,pdad
the German Empire. The socialism which ba
nao cultivated during the latter wears of his |
e1he now placed him in sympathy with the
commune, rather than with the renpbUc .,
Thiers Yet again his worship of innoriaI
glories asserted itself. that he was ready -
risk bis life in protecting the vendome Colun,r |
against the destructive fury OF the Commune.