The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-14
Ill.

Through Taine our author made the ao-
q~uaintance of Renan, whose personality
impressed him very much. Whatever may
have been the case at a later date. we are
assured that at this time ls70) Renan was
without a trace of the righteousness that
one occasionally meets in his books"
He was very inaccessible, and ob~stinately
refused to see people. II he were expect
ing you. however, he would spare you
several hours of his valuable time. We
read hat his house was furnished with
exceeding simplicity. On one wall OF his
study hung two Chinese water colors and
a photograph Of Gerome's Cleopatra Before
Cesar; on the opposite wall a very beauti-
full photograph Of what was doubtless an
Italian picture OF The Last Day That
was all the o~rnamentation. On his table
there always lay a Virgil and a Horace in
pocket editions and for a long time a
French translation Of Sir Walter Scott
What surprised Brandes most in Remains
bearing was that there was nothing solemn
about it and absolutely nothing senti-
mental. He impressed one as being ex-
ceptionally clever and as a man whom
the opposition he had met with had left
as it had found him. He inquired about
the state OF things in northern Europe.
when I spoke without reserve Of the
slight prospect that existed OF my coming
to the front with my opinions he main
tanned that victory was sure. (Vous lem
porereEl Vous FemporereSD Like all
foreigners he marvelled that the three
Scandinavian countries did not try to
unite or at any rate to form a federation.
In the time Of Gustavus Adolphus, he re-
called, they had been Of some political
Importance; since then they had retired
completely from the historical stage.
The reason for it," he thought, must
very probably be sought for in their In
sane ~internecine feuds.' We learn that
Renan used to live at that time Qs7O) from
the spring onward at his country house In
SAvres. It is pleasant to hear that so
utterly unaffected was the world renowned
man, then already more thln A. Years OF age.
that he would often walk from his house to
the station with his young Danish visitor
and wander up and down the platform till
the train came. Il seems that his wife,
who shared his thoughts and worshipped
him, had chosen her husband herself and
being Of German family had not been mar
Tied after the French manner; still she
did not ~criticise the French custom, but
thought it WIS perhaps adapted to the
French people. and she had seen, she said,
among her intimate acquaintances many
happy marriages entered into for reasons Of
convenience.
The outbreak Of the Franco-German
war had compelled Rensn to interrupt
the journey to S~pitzbergen. which he had
undertaken in Prince Napoleon's company:
the Prince and his party had only reached
Tromso when they we're called back.
Our author found Rensn on his return in
a state Of most violent excitement. He
said; mo punishment could Re too great
for that b~rainless scoundrel, Olivier, and
the Ministry IPalikao'sI that has followed
his is worse, Every thinking man could
see for himself that the declaration Of this
war was Madness. (A-toE jdmdis IN pdreiIe
folie. Mon dieu! Non dieu, C'est mar
Tdnte. Nous sommes IN peUple dtsdre onneJ'
In his eyes Palikao was nc better than a
robber. Already in August be considered
the fall of Strasburg imminent. He was
less surprised than his young Danish friend
at the unbOunded i~ncapacity shown by the
French chiefs under the difficult condi-
tons. All plans for q descent on northern
Germany had already been given up and the
French feet was unable to set about sven