The Irish standard., 1905-05-20
JULES VERNE
Charming Sketch of Noted
French Author.
He Lived and Died q Fervent
Catholic.

1 Dolphin, DR.. James j. Walsh, of New
York, the eminent litterateur, de-
scribes meeting he had with the cell
ebrated Jules Verne few months be-
fore the latter's death. had not been
long in France last summer when, to
use Gaelic phrase, Il descended" at
Amiens in order to see the famous
cathedral there, and with a vague no.
tion that l might have the precious
privilege of talk with Jules Verne
the distinguished literary man, who
lived in that city to the end of his
career.
DR.. Walsh remarks that he was
especially struck by the improved
temper of literary contributors to the
French press towards religion. There
was distinct change in this respect
from what he had noted in an earlier
| visit to France. 1T was as if their
spirit of chivalry had been aroused
by the unfortunate religious crisis
and sufferings of the church, and that
as a consequence they had come into
much more kindly disposition in her
regard"
The day after my arrival at Amiens,
l was to find, in my conversation with
Jules Verne, that he too cherished the
idea that the present crisis for the
French church is not only sure to be
the source of good by bringing back
many of those who have become in
different to her claims, but has al
ready accomplished not little by
forcing men of letters espe-
cially to take sides between rank
est infidelity and faithful adhesion to
the church, because of the political
situation. Later l was to find that
Francois Coppee had expressed this
idea very forcibly in one of the essays
in his little book, La Bonne Souffrance,
the motto of which is so happily
chosen both for his own personal pur-
pose and the present French religious
situation: This sickness is not unto
death, but for the glory of God.
Even before I had read Coppee's
essay, his own name, together with
that OF Huysmans and of Ferdinand
Brunetiere, had occurred as among
those of the distinguished French lit
erary men of later years who have
returned to the church in these times
Of persecution. The last named esre-
cially, the distinguished editor of the
well-known French magazine Revue
de leuX Mondes, has not hesitated to
throw himself into the breach and to
battle nobly for the church which he
had abandoned during former years,
but to which he now comes back in
the time OF her stress and trial.
Already. then, the persecution is be-
ginning to have the usual result. The
losses inflicted upon the church are
at most only material, while the COM
pensation that comes in the in
creased devotion of her children
and the gathering in of the wanderers
who have been long outside her fold,
is more than enough to make up for
the sufferings which her faithful chill
dren may have to bear, but are not
unwilling to bear.
This idea constituted one of the
most encouraging subjects of conver-
sation with the dear old Nestor Of
French letters, Jules Verne, who be-
walled so much the unfortunate crisis
of religious affairs in France. 1t has
often been said that French literary
men usually depart from the religious
principles of their early training, and
no not return until death is staring
them in the face. This, it must be
borne in mind, is true only for a linn
tied number of them, though their
conversions, of course, at the end of
life are apt to be the subject Of no
little sensation because of the con-
trast which the final act suggests with
the liberties of thought and print they
have allowed themselves in earlier
years. There are not a few distin-
guished French literary men, how
ever, who remain faithful during long
lives to their early religious training,
and one of the best examples of these
is the universally known novelist
with whom l had the pleaure of spend
ing pleasant hour last August in his
charming home at Amiens.
1t may be for many rather a sur
prise to find that Jules Verne is, and
alwas has been, a fervent and
faithful Catholic. Perhaps the most
distinguished characteristic in his
books is the fact that no.
where in them is there any mention
of religion. Only in the most general
terms does he refer, in the many ad-
ventures through which his charac-
ters go, to the goodness of God and
to the all-directing power of Divine
Providence. His books, of course,
| were not meant to teach religion, but
rather to interest in science and to
instruct by amusing. This purpose
has been accomplished very we'll,
probably all the better because of the
absence of any reference to form of
religion. Jules Verne himself, how
J ever, is by no means the indifferentist