The Washington herald., 1907-03-10
AMOS WORK
Passing of Foremost French
Woman Of Letters.
STUDENT OF AMERICAN LIFE
Her Visit 10 This Country and Her
Published Observations First Made
Her Wide Acquaintance with
American AuthOrs-Her Home Life.

The death Of Marie Therese de Solms
Blanc 9Th. BentzOn) will bring sorrow TO
many American homes. for no French
woman has ever been so widely known
and loved in our country, writes Anna
Seaton Schmidt IN the Boston Transcript.
To those OF us who were privileged 10 he
with her in the intimacy OF her Paris
home, 10 whom was revealed the true no
biIity and tender womanIiness of her
character, the loss Is indeed irreparable.
To the world she was a great writer. a
brilliantly intellectual society woman. but
TO us she was far more; the steadfast, low
ing friend. with a sensitive sympathy that
was always eager to serve, ready to sac
rihce her own interests that she might as
sist those whom she loved.
When she first came to our country, in
1898, she found that she had many friends
among the writer's whose books she had
reviewed during twenty-five years, in the
Revue des Deux Mondes. zone Of the
dearest friendships Of my life came to me
through my work, that with Sarah Orne
Jewett"
James r. Fields. I'm the West she stayed
with Octave Thanet, in the South with
Grace King-everywhcre she was wei
coined by our foremost people. Thus her
opportunities of judging Americans were
far better than those accorded most trav-
elers, and no foreigner ever appreciated
more fully the institutions and ideals Of
our great republic.
Her first book on America, published
serially in Revue, was a revelation to the
French. Nothing so illuminating, so true.
had been told them of the New World.
Until then many, even among the intelli-
gent. regarded ours as a sort Of splendid,
semi-barbaric civilization. True, they had
seen numbers Of our beautiful society
women in Paris, but Of the rank and file
they knew absolutely nothing. Les
Americaines chez Files" was q fasCinat-
ing study of woman's development under
entirely new conditions. It fired the i'm
agination Of the unmarried woman in
France. because il opened TO her I'M
drcamed-of possibilities
What We Taught Her.
The freedom of our young girls, their
ability TO retain the respect. the chivalrous
devotion of American men, was a con-
slant surprise to this French woman. 50
carefully guarded i'm her own youth. 1T
would be impossible in our country she
used 10 say TO me. 'FreuChmeu would
not understand IT. We are essentially a
society for married women. The old maid
has no place in our social structure. 80
Yet day by day her admiration deepcned-
She met so many independent young
women. charming, cultivated, womanly
in the best sense Of the word. that her
large vision-her unprejudiced view of life
compelled her To the belief that the
women Of our country were in advance
of those belonging 70 the Old Woodland
that our development was 20 be that Of
the future in all lands.
Her book has broken down more preju-
dice, introduced more American ideas into
conservative French circles. than the most
violent attacks of the feministes have
ever been able to accomplish.
When 1 was first in New York. I feared
that I was TO see only the four hundred.
I was invited To the same kind of society
functions, met much the same kind Of
people that we have In Paris. ! finally
went 20 my good friend. MI Mcclure. and
acteristiC side Of American life. He found
d home for me where the trausposition
was so complete. il was almost impossible
10 believe that I was in the same city,
From that time I was able TO penetrate
more and more into the true spirit Of
your wonderful country Reading her
five books on America no one can fail
u appreciate the breadth of mind. the
womanly sympathy which enabled Nine.
Blanc To comprehend so clearly the intri-
cate and complex problems Of our civiIi-
Zation. as revealed TO her i'm the North.
the South, tEe East, and West Certainly
no such comprehensive and unprecedented
statement has been given the world by
any other writer
Two Months at Her Home,
Dm.HE the summer Of 1895 7 was with
Nine. Blanc in Mendon. We spent two
short, happy months I'm wonderful old
French garden, overlooking the Seine and
Paris. We were both busy with our
writing, so did not meet until the noon
day meal. after which we sat for Ions
hours in the garden. discussing all kinds
of absorbing questions often our talks
were interrupted by friends who needed
her help in arranging" the marriage of
sons or daughters, Having such a wide
circle of distinguished friends, she was q
most valuable intermediary, and 7 can
still hear her gay laugh when relating
the amusing demands Of devoted mothers
for darling Jean or Marie Then
would follow a discussion Of the never-JO-
be settled questions on French ideas re-
gardiug marriage.
Personally. I agree with you Ameri-
cans, yet ! can also see the wisdom of
our system. Marriage IN France is viewed
more from the point of view of the
founding Of "a new family than that of
the individual Until our social customs
ara entirely changed, young people can
not make their own ChOiCe-they have no
opportunity OF knowing each others
tastes, nor even of becoming acquainted
there can De no falling i'm love- as you
say In America until after the wedding
THAT IS why our noveIists fee! that
they must found their stories on the trag-
edies that come after marriage-the
temptation 10 do this is very strong, as
such powerful human emotions yield un-
told Of possibilities TO the writer of fc-
ton. I have never thought it right to in
1roduce such themes in my novels. but
from the literary point Of view my work
has suffered
Praising Miss Jewett's Work.
Some Of her finest criticisms were writ
ten during her fatal illness of the past
year. Her latest published articles were
reviews of American books-"Hugh
Wynne,' ''The House of Mirth" and A
Tory Lover" OF the author Of the last
she said 1t is no longer necessary 10
praise Miss Jewett IN these pages Our
readers became acquainted with her more
than twenty years ago. She was then AT