The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-11

ing spirit, he neglected his lessons. i
was only In French composition that h'
occasionally distinguished himself. ltwai
at this time that he wrote the tale La Fe'
Amoureuse, which was afterward to appear
In his "Contes Ninon.'
Thus, In spite Of his declared preference
for scientific career, his literary benz
was asserting itself Strangely enough
when In 1859 he offered himself as candi-
date for the degree Of bachelor In sciences
either that or a corresponding degree In
letters was an indispensable passport Ia
the recognized professions or the Govern
ment service-he was rejected because
although he did well In science. standing
second on the list In the written examina-
ton, he had totally collapsed In literature
and the modern languages. He had post
dated Charlemagne's death by 500 years
scandalized the examiner by a romantic
Interpretation Of one of La Fontaine's
fables, and virtually confessed his utter
ignorance of German. Thus his mark
was zero, and although his examiners
in the sciences seem to have interceded
in his favor, the examiner in beiles-l ettres
remained obdurste. Accordingly Zola was
WV ceSn, ~ INV DOihs oiioWuoio 'hde q
bachelor in sciences should be absolute
nW en- literature. AS it happened, Alex
andre Dumas fis had been -ploughed
some years before for the very same rea-
son Two distinguished men OF Zola's
own generation, Alphonse Daudet and
Fra lcois Coppee. also failed to secure
bachelors degrees, yet, like lola himself,
they beer ma eminent writer's The next
bal. r.. d. ,n
examiners again. lola tried those Of Mar
settles, but was even less successful, fail
. ing with his preliminary papers, and not
even being summoned for the rird poce
examination. The defeat was decisive. 1t
was useless for the young man to return
to the Lycee The friends who had helped
his mother to educate her son had lost all
faith in his ability. In another four months
he would be 20 years of age. He must no
longer remain a burden on others. But what
was he to do?
After choosing scientific career and
then aspiring to poetic fame. lola sank
momentarily to junior clerkship worth
90 francs month at the docks" in the
Rue de la Douane. As there was no pros
poet whatever OF any rise, and az young
man in Paris could hardly live there on
40 cents day, lola threw up the employ
ment and for the next few years tried to
live on nothing. From his garnet, however,
on the slope of the Montague Ste. Gene
We've. he could feed upon a wonderful
view which embraced nearly the whole OF
Paris, and here he wrote a poem d la Museet
which he entitled "Paolo," and a tale, ale
Garnet de Danse." which subsequently,
was included in the "Contes Ninon." In
another attic in the Rue Neuve st. Etienne
du Mont. to which he removed later, he
wrote another poem, called -L'Aerienne Z"
According to one Of his biographers he
composed this poem during the terribly
severe winter of 1901, -fireless, shivering
in bed, with every garment he possessed
piled over his legs, and with his fingers
red with the cold, while he wrote his verses
with the stump of pencil How did he
manage to keep life in his body? it may be
asked. MIR. Vzetelly tries to answer: Every
thing Of the slightest value that he pos
sesses goes to the Mont de Piet6; he tim
idly borrows trif1ing sums Of a few friends
and acquaintance; he dimes of penny 'orth
Of bread and penny 'orth OF cheese, or a
penny'o Of bread and penny'orth OF
apples; at times he has to content himself
with the bread alone. His one beverage
Is Adams ale; it is only at intervals
that he can afford a pipeful Of tobacco;
his great desire when he awakes OF a morn
ing ID to secure that day, by hook or crook,
the princely sum OF three sous, in order
that he may buy a candle for his next even
ings work At times he Is forced to COM
init his lines to memory during the long
winter night for lack Of the candle which
would have enabled him to confide them
to paper"
In his distressful poverty, without guide
or support-his mother had for some time
been living apart from her son at pension
lola turned to such consolation az might
be offered him. Thus he went the way
Of many another young man dwelling
in the Quarter Latin finding at last
companion for his penury-not the ideal
Ninon, Of whom he had dreamt in Provence
not the Musette nor the Mimi whom Murger
had portrayed with . the help rather
Of the imagination than OF memory,
but such one as the Bohemia OF the time
still could AFFORD. A glimpse of Zo!a's
life at this period is given in a few early
newspaper articles and in one of his first
books. ala Comics sion de Clau ie," which
depicts the immortality prevailing in certain
ness that came upon even well meaning
young man when cast into such sphere
The authors aspirations are at the same
time revealed in that book, which is in
stinct with the disappointment OF one
who has found the reality Of love very
different from his dream OF it.
Whatever the origin and ending of the
haison. there was certainly nothing MGR
cenary about it. AS the winter Of 1851
approached. Zola's poverty became terrible.
1t was then, as he afterward told Guy de
Maupassant, that he lived for days to-
gether on little bread, which, in Provencal
fashion, he dipped in oil; that he set himself
to catch sparrows from his window, roast
ing them on a curtain rod and that he
played the Arab" remaining indoors for
q week at q time. draped in a coverlet, be-
cause he had no garments to wear. Not
only did he himself starve, but the girl who
shared his poverty starved with him. and
Maupassant relates how at one moment
Of desperation. on bitter winter evening
after an unbroken fast Of thirty six hours,
lola took of his coat on the Place du Pan
theon, and, bidding his fearful companion