New-York tribune., 1908-05-10
GDe Netu'a1crk Gribn,tRs
SUNDAY. MAY 10, 1908

! That scholarship and imagination may work
together in perfect harmony was well demon
strlt+.,I by VI. Emile Gcbhart, who died in Paris
last month This member of the French Acad-
emv WIS never content to be merely academic.
He had abundant learning. but there was also
something of the poet i'll his nature, and he
wrote. in such wise not simply to edfy but
to cnchant his reader. An erudite historian i'll
ti,, fields of literature and art he could create
upon the basis of accurate knowledge the most
delightful fabricS of imaginative prose. He had
The. French gift for the brief composition, essen
TALLY artistic in feeling and in form. Like
Mtrimce he could be at once classical and TO-
mantle: classical in the fibre of his work and
at the same time rich in color and in emotion
''D'j Iyssc Panurge,' his volume of contes
hfr0i-cOmigueS is book Of Greek, Roman,
MEDIEVAL and Renaissance motives, in the ex-
ploitaton of which the atmosphere Of the past
is brought back and made most humanity 1p-
pealing This book, and another of somewhat
similar character, "Au Son deS ClOches, even
more than his volumes Of purely literary re-
search. simply clamOr to be translated into Eng
ISh In them the student Of literature, the
critic is in the best sense 4 creative artist He
adds 10 ancient figures or legends charm that
is wholly his own. You get new inspiration
from his dealings with Homer, Petronius and
Rabeliis. Cicero. Charlemagne and Savonaroa.
Why do books get themselves written when
the subject treated in them has already been
exhiustiyely trayerscd? The question leads
writer in The London Times to make an anus
ing classification of those authors who tread
the beaten track In the first place, there are
the writer's who have a thesis of their own TO
maintain "and who usually find that in main
tainin- it they can demolish the thesis of some
predecessor Then there are the authors with
passion for impartiality, for the scientific set
ting to rights of what they consider the preju-
diced statements of those who have gone before
them There many industrious workers in
thcS.. two divisions. but hear more to-day
of those who go TO make the two remaining
classes They are the writers who turn out
esSays on the optimism Of Stevenson. the meth
physics of Coeridge, and kindred subjects,
mainly for the pleasure it gives them Of sketch
Ing their own particular form Of optimism or
rnntti,hyscs" and the mere book makers, the
journcymen who turn out material for a market
IN which supply and demand are regulated along
business like lines These two last classes really
overlap. They seem to thrive, though no III
dividua in either one Of them ever makes
fortune. \ rich reward, indeed, is probably
not sought by any of these busy writer's. That
is their great virtue. Their ministrations may
Seem 10 be supcrfluOuS when considered from
lofty point of view. but at least they are disIn-
teresed. The with which 4 writer OF tolcr-
ably good English may find his way into print
has contributed TO the development of II new
literary type. He is not sordid hack. for al
thai he does so much hack work. lie likes his
task if he IS not actually in love with it, and
he has 4 conscience