The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-09

finds fault with Hugo's praise. which ID
described AZ SNOWY but not intelligent,
AS for M. de Balazc.' he concludes, she
bad nc right to approach the subject, even
remotely. He could have no opinion on
these matters. He was in every way in
competent. and never was any man further
from the spirit, the morals and the tempera-
ment required. 1t is absurd even to think
Of Sainte-Beuve continued: Il have met
him and seen him. The least Port Royal
OF men, a nature exuberant and full OF
sap. greedy Of present success and Of
pleasures, exhaling self intoxioation from
every PORE, breathing oovetousness and
desire, extravagant Of exaggerated praise
and craving it for himself. excessive,
point blank. cash down-but pause
and refuse to overstep the bounds I have
drawn for myself"
After Sainte- Beuve's return from
Switzerland In 1899 he found that he could
barely earn a living by Journalism. One
or all Of the three periodicals on which he
depended-the Revue des Deur Mondes,
the Revue de Paris and the Journal des
Dedats-might fail him n day. for he
had stubborn principles Of literary honor
and a quick temper. It was at this period
that his mother when oomplimented in
her sons writings exclaimed: @Ahl Don't
mention that! My son is as good as lost
to me. / would rather have given birth
to a mason!' The situation therefore
was much relieved by his nomination in
August, 1910, to a post at the Mazzarine
Library with comfortable lodgings at the
Palace Institute. 1t was, it seems, at this
period that Sainte-Beuve was gradually
absorbed by the s~ris.ooratso circles into
which he had but just set foot before
1888. BY 1S47 he was 80 intimate with
the family of Count Mote that he rented
a little pavilion in the Village du Marais
in order to do his work In the morning
and yet be able to dine at the great house.
Prof. Harper points out that Count
D~'Haussonville. who knew that society.
himself draws with half concealed disdain
a picture of Ssinte-Beuve serving the
ladies of that elevated world as u purveyor
OF literary curiosities, lending them let
ters In which George Sand In her storm
lest times had poured into his heart the
story Of her passions. -In a word says
D'Haussonville. who as u author re-
minds us had it on his conscience to
avenge his caste. "Ssinte-B euve during
those years that followed his return from
Lausanne and Rome lived with regularity
and propriety the life Of that upper class
to which he had hitherto been almost a
stranger" D,Haussonville adds that "our
generation never knew the Sainte-Beuve
OF the salon and the chateau, a very diff
ferent man from him who was to restrict
himself finally to the unfrequented her
mitage in the Rue Montparnasse. 1t was
| the last phase OF his humiliation before
his cruel revenge"
The author Of this book sees that Sainte-
Beuve was exposed to peculiar danger
when mingling with what is called the
world. He judged 1t by standards with
which he had become familiar through
memoirs Of a more corrupt age. He was
never at home In il. $50 long as he
! courted the favors OF society in tho
limited sense Of that word he risked his
dignity az a man OF letters and was
liable to make absurd mistakes. 1t In
true that his excursion into that perilous
region was fruitful in details about the
lives OF three whole generations OF writ
ers and enriched his literary portraits'
and contemporary portraits' with a
thousand anecdotes [fof instance. Sainte-
Beuve himself fell in love with q deeoend-
ant Of the Countess d'Houdetot, the friend
and patroness OF Rousseau. but he oom-
promised his future In more than one
way He wa not safe. he wa not free.
he was not himself till he had withdrawn
into his cav
The fact Is recalled that for the sake
Of this position in society Sainte-Beuve
betrayed Lamennais, and that while he
enjoyed these social delights he was
preparing what his hosts OF patrons OF
the Legitimist and Clerical parties were
naturally to regard later as a desecration
Of their idols. beginning with Benjamin
Constant and ending with Chateaubriand.
Prof. Harper would not deem it fair to say
| that Sainte-Beuve lived in that circle as
a spy, but che did not scruple afterward
TO use against It's lost causes the knowl-
edge OF anecdotes, family history, I'm
published letters and other manuscripts
which came to him through that init
macy The truth is that he felt keenly
the loss Of Independence, for he wrote
later: The more a man Of letters ar
rives at all the honors OF society the less
does he dare to employ all his intelligence.
all his thought, either in his writings OIL
in his conversation To Sainte- Beuve'
social experience we also owe the follow
ing reflection: @Far from stimulating
as it should those whom it rewards, the
fashionable world intimidates them and
robs them of their vein. They fear
thenceforth to compromise a piece OF
good fortune which depends, they feel,
on caprice and chance; and thus unless
they take good care they como to prudent
silence. The infatuations, the stupidi-
ties, the acts OF injustice which are loon
witnessed by a man Of talent who succeeds
and which are inevitable ia every crowd.
even in select crowds, inoculate him with
the virus Of irony and encouragement
III.
II was while Sainte-Beuve still paid
court to society" that occurred lin Sep
tenber, ls43) the tragical death by drown
ing Of Victor Hugo's daughter L~copoldine
and her husband. : 1t seems that friends
urged Sainte-B euve to attempt TO reenter
the poets heart through this wide wound.
but he declined. His friends did not
know that he was ven then giving the
last touches to tho infamous Book OF
Love- which was published In the follow
ing November aud wal a piece of detest-
IL. ool,,ooy loyallad at Nina Hu0o