Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-02
PROF. BUSH TELLS Of
VICTOR HUGO, POET
State University Man Pays
Glowing Tribute to Noted
Frenchman
TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB,
And Guests Listen to Entertaining
Lecture Given Under Direction of
Literature Department. of the Club
Audience Delighted With Profess
sor Bush's Talk.

chair of romance literature of the
State University Of Iowa, appeared
before the Twentieth Century club and
a few guests Friday evening in a lee
ture on Victor Hugo, the Poet The
lecture was given at the home Of Mr..
and Mrs. M. L. Meickley, and was the
first of series to be given under the
direction Of the literature department
Of the club, which Is at present study
ing Hugo's LES Miserables."
Professor Bush delighted his audi
ence with his protrayal of Hugo the
man, the writer, and the poet. While
he did not consider him the peer IN
some ways of Dante, Shakespeare, or
Of a Homer, he had something to say
to every man. Professor Bush said
in part:
"The span of Victor Hugo's working
life was almost unprecedented among
men Of letters. He first came into
notice at is years Of age, by winning
ninth place IN the prize poetry compe-
tition Of the French academy Win
poem on the pleasures of study, IN
all conditions Of life. From that time
until his death, at SO, he never ceased
to write except for brief unsuccessful
service as politician. His power or
work corresponded to his length OF
days, and few men in literature can
point to such achievements as his.
He moved France, he moved the world.
Nearly million persons followed MS
body to its resting place in the pam
theon, and his death was mourned as
national calamity.
'.As time goes on and his disciples
and enemies alike become silent. 1t Is
becoming more and more plain where
his greatness lay. AS the leader Of the
Romantic movement, he laid claim to
being a philosopher and critic. AS a
dramatist, for ten years and more, he
was the foremost Of the day. As a
novelist he wrote "Notre Dame de
Paris" '93, "The Toilers Of the Sea-"
Les Miserables," that splendid book
where the inner spirit of humanity
seems to move.
But 1t was rather the poetry In these
works that makes them great, and
none of them can be called perfect
work Of art. The world could i'll spare
Les Miserable" but it is not per-
feet work Of art. In his poetry, with
out any Of the preoccupations Of drat
matist or novelist, he could unchain an
imagination almost without parallel
among men. All the great emotions
that move common men-the young
mans love, the love Of husband and
wife, Of children, Of his fellow man,
pity for the unfortunate righteous in
dignation at injustice-all these Hugo
felt more deeply than over men. He alone
could adequately express the terrible
epic of the Napoleon wars. He could
see nature and indeed 1t seemed as II
he had the power to incarnate all ma
ture in words. Thus Hugo had SUI
preme creative power Of imagination
which, harnessed to the service of the
emotions of everyday life, TRANSPORTED
them afresh as is the privilege only of
a great poet, SO that altho he has not
the depth Of Dante, the wisdom Of
Shakespeare, or the shining beauty Of
him we call Homer, he has still sonle-
thing to say to every man.
His mastery, over the witchery Of
verse has never been surpassed In
French, and it is impossible to do jus
tice to the marvellous fabric of music
and emotion which his genius raised
by breaking it down into translation,
so that for us his prose will always
have the wider appeal, but even here
we can feel the poetry glowing thru
the changed words, and feel that Vic
tor Hugo was a great poet
1 Mr.. Bush is a pleasing speaker, and
held the closest attention Of his audi
ence turnout his entire discourse. Mr.,
Bush is a Massachusetts, man, by birth,
and is one Of the younger professors
in the Iowa university.
Guests of the club were Mr.. and
Mrs. William Barrie, Miss Jessie Bin
ford, Mrs. Minnie Rhoades, Rev. and
Mrs. F. n. Hines, Mr.. John p. Wood
bury, Jr., Miss Emma Woodbury., and
Mrs F. s. Kaufman. the latter of Los
Angeles, Cal.