New-York tribune., 1909-06-13

1t Is a curious fact that his own work is not.
after all very broadly Illuminated by any Of the
movements. salient or petty. Of his character
Temperament will crop out. Of course. and you
nav trace in his writings. occasion. the
rather obvious signs of some Of his private ad-
ventures in society amongst the authors OF
his time But the essential Sainte-BeUve is
Just a Iambent intelligence. playing disinter-
estedIy over a thousand OF the things OF the
mind That is why presently grow a little
tired Of Professor Harpers otherwise unim-
peachabIe analysis of his critics political OF re-
| Iigious moods. 1t is all perfectly true, but in
some sort irrelevant. We would give all Of the
grave and entirely sound reflections in the book
on Sainte- -Beuves intellectual and spiritual at
titude toward POrt-Royal, for example. IN *
change for a chapter transmitting with gust0
the brilliant literary qualities Of the masters
work on that institution. and this simply FOR the
reason that it is by virtue OF those qualities that
the master lives
Professor Harper is uneasy over the assertion
OF authorities like NJ N1chaUt and NJ Brune-
| there that Sainte-Beuve was. above all things.
a critic" a man Of critical method" and we
can synpathize with his feeling. for it is surely
impossible to sum up this writer in a definition
He left formula and it IS a mistake 70 try %
impose one upon the body Of his work The
most we can fall back upon is that notion
which Pater found so convenient when he de
fined PIatonisn habit OF mind But that
by itself is something and in spite Of Professor
Harper we must believe that Brunetiere WIS
right when he said In whatever way Sainte-
Beuve lived, what constitutes the interest. the
Importance, the historical and literary value Of
his work. is that we can detach it from his life
The error of those who talk too much about his
Critical method" lies in their tacit assumption
that II is something pOnderable and even 10 be
passed like any other solid fact You can
not pass on the secret OF genius. and Sainte-
Beuve's habit Of mind" might be described in
other words as genius in action At bottom
commentators such as Nfichaut and BrUnetiere
are on the right track They know that through
all the stages which mark Sainte-Beuve's prog
ress in morals. as in taste. there flowed as a
kind Of solvent what can only call a high
critical inspiration
Professor Harper speaks OF the tremendous
absorption in work which marked the critics
later years so that he lived almost as recIuse.
and thus describes the manner in which the
"Causeries'' We're prepared:
Willing friends in the public Libraries collected
books for him. which piled up on his table until
he possessed the material for his article His sec
retary copied the extracts he required-aHd h was
I i%SS rI 1 % ~ l ta{ II ls fi-s- anu I-f s rf,r =
lions re wroCr VI T ] Slr.'S - = llr- 1 s ~ ~
the second draft, the first proof, numerous add
touches a slow adjustment Of perspective grad
uaI elevation and publication OF style OF the joy
of free and rapid improvisation there
little The pleasure consisted rather in discovering
the truth and bringing il into line with some gen
eraI idea Whether il be called curiosity OF con-
sCientiOuSneSs. he dominated by a desire u
know the truth His correspondence with librarians
shows his anxiety to obtain exact knowledge. and
.hreb Of his secretaries have testified to the inen
sity - his zeal in the pursuit Of details
The biographer might have added that in
Sainte- Beuve's practice as Il literary craftsman
there is to be discerned parallel to that of 4
very different type. the elder Dumas Every
body knows what the rOmancer was won't 10 do
with the material brought together for him by
Maquet and the rest AS his son expressed it.
he threw It all into cauIdrOn with precious
alloy of his own, producing q masterpiece IN
enduring bronze. Sainte-Beuve used his help
ers in the same way. BY the time he had fin
ished his labors an essay the services Of
secretariaI hands had ceased to make them
selves felt: the finished whole bore only the
stamp of his consUmrnate art Over it he had
passed magic spell
To say that. Professor Harper might aver, IS
to leave the secret of Sainte-Beuve'S genius
hanging in midair. at all events enveloped