The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10

for a parsing exercise. 1t Ia certainly not
so dfYicult a. Browning's 'Sordello. And
| Il Is foolish to attack a man for not pub
lishinR many books. Mallarmes sensitive.
meas on the subject was proverbial. He
held, and Justly that too much printed
matter infects the world with literary
leprosy. SO he left few precious volumes
| Of prose and verre exquisite. alembicated
and full OF novel cadences.
| But Noriau, whose sense Of humor Ia
certainly not Hebraic, did not zee this.
| He venomously attacked Mallarme for not
writing and Wagner for writing too much.
The latter Is q graphomaniac. the former
what the deuce il he? 1bsen for being an
individualist Is damned AZ an anarch who
would dynamite the cosmos; Tolstoy for
preaching the gospel OF pity and brother
hood is Il degenerate whose socialism will
disnteerate humanity. Wagner cant
write music-he only complies; Claude
Monet cant painthe has disease Of the
optics That Ia the reason Wagner died
rich in honors and worldly goods, and also
the reason Monet's canvases fetch all but
prohibiuve prices at public sales!
Worst of all. setuced by the @ xample of
Nordau, Count Tolstoy went in for a second
rate imitation Of the degeneration theory
and wrote an awful book called What Is
Art?' Indeed. what il art when a man
supposed to be in his sane senses calls Bach
fool. Beethoven an ass Shakespeare over
praised. Wagner charlatan and tho list
IL mile long! All this because these I'M
fortunate me failed to write and compose
down to the level Of the Russian ,nonjk.
Vorilv Noriav n,,,st haya hald hia aides
In ,.nsb.aa u =. we ,naa .hi. "a red~ ~
,,o ,aar
Eows,, .ho u.,,, aoo,or o,, ,o-ra,.
q eood s,or,, whon ha ,;r.s ~ .nsvohn,o.
.,.ro- ~, ,,,o-aI;,;nn o,,ar Iora hs t.I,s q
H.,i. c. .hI, ',.I.,,, =,
sss.v, i. a homt Nal,o rr,as ,.sit n . Relo,on
60 .,hors ~. ~as 80 .;,.e o,ntar.no.
a. ~. 80, ,i,.,ra r.-r.se ntati,o -, rrannh
li,erstnrs In snIamn .i,snos b;s ,,d,enca
hoorI hin, rood ,hs erst sow ma oss ~ bio
.Diva oations--his nroee bos AZ times
N. ssna cbserfu, ;rrsl.y.ncs a. Ar,hur
p,rhard,s-,hen reat,easne.. s,narv.ned
f,,,owad hx ;ndi.n.,ion ond .,uraf.o,;on
Who,, H., Wl,oo WIZ Whora, Fsno,lv
:. can.,al l., r,,l, ,,r;for,,, ros. hr,so,,.Iv
80 ~ ~. ro;.v o,an,,r. n,,,.io ~ sr,,r
80 -. ,o,. ~. ri, .n~,.,,, o.,,;n.
9TH t.,,ow Tho !. raadinn no this id;o.i,
,,,sans. L. .;,h.r dr,,rL ~. eoo,. Nord.,,
,,,...;n-l. a.,d. .ta, ha oa,not o,n,r.aIo.
~ -. ..,. -. 80, =. ~.
~ ~ - 49,
The other anecdote that he dug up is
always worth retelling. One day when
Nine. George Sand was very old woman
in ls70-she went to visit the Minister Of
Instruction. There, being detained in the
she fell into a pleasant con-
versation with a well-kept old gentleman
who wore the rosette OF the Legion of Honor.
After half hours chat the unknown arose,
consulted his watch and then bowed to
Nine. Sand.
III could always find such charming
would visit the Ministry
often" he aallantIy said and went away.
The novelist called an attendant.
who is that amiabe old gentleman?-
she asked An, that was NJ Jules Sandeau
~ Va. 1 ;..',;..a No. 49,. 49,. ~ W ne ss
GUY a 49, s l 10y ~
oe .l. .. IN 80 " ~. y. 49,
~,s' ~ W. ,on. 49, 40 ,o.ra. ,a
- sh"a ~. ...,,.,.i,,. 49,. o..S.
= 49,, - IL -an,;pd w., was ~. ro.nNona
-. -, whor, Iu,ors n,,da...a. ~"
~ y. a' ."Nnas 49, .ha. 80 sNs- , .e..
.ha,. U.s. ~. Ala, 49, 49, o..
we 10y 49,, - Inu. 80 t.. d".sh,,,,"
VIC '''' vi CALL VI W. anu '' "u'"''''''
Having about exhausted his visiting
list among contemporary poets and fiction
makers, DR.. Nordau invades the theatre
with the result that In 1918 he will publish
another book explaining that he was too
severe on Dumas tls, De Bornier. Brieu1,
Paul Hervieu, Donnay, de Curel, Jacques,
Normand, Octave Mirbeau. Sardou, jules
Lernaltre ana Ramona hostana, lot these
are the men trea'eo, ncoentaiiy' ne nurl'
a large lump OF mud az y AhnunAo' VINO 10
called every name IN 'ne rosues oa4endsr'
why! For SIMPLY danne 10 wnte as he
pleases ana not as Noroau wishes. But
-decadent no longer means anything
unless, inoeeo' ~ Is an honorable appeils-
ton. Usually II signlnes talent OF an un-
usual order
IN. thin. va oan,, holm notino oct.v.
A,rte.w no. c.lled crIt;n for nrs;.ins
Ma.tsr,;,ck IN 1900 Hs certainly nvsrdid
~. h,,.,ns.s ,,h.r ho t.,r,.d h;r, ~. .p.,-
.ssn shaLes,aare Nordan foanad =, ~.
n,o,,,h - r,.ta nh or,calIv sn.aLing -han
h. onne;darad this ain ~ Mrhaon,. r.
MIA In "vns dm Dsbors" Mirhasr :.