New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-06
Z Study of the Life and Influence
, OF BlaiSe Pascal.

sLArsE PASCAL. Par victor Giraud.
: Pp. -. so. Paris: Hachet:e 81 &C.
*. Gi-spd IS professor OF French
stcraturs IN The University q Fribourg
already from the same university have
.ozle two valuable contributions TO our
sncwle6ee OF Pascal one o. these is a
nonosraph. published several years ago
y ~. Giraud himself. the either is a
nnoEs critical edition % The 'pensees.
lrcTarod by Professor Afichaut. with
he exception ~ BrtmschvlcE' excellent
work this is go best edition o. Pascars
PHILOSOPHY which has yet appeared. Tho
scr2asiVe and perennial interest IN Pas
a, is shown tv The fact that in the
-ssrs ls96 and 1897 30 fcwe- than six
dstions o. the 'Pcns6cs" were published
b Europe. without counting The repUb-
icafion ~ editions previously stcre5-
wed. When 81 is considered ihat many
. the greatest French writers. begin
ing with Noltaire and Condorcet, and
Including Cousin. Reran. Beuve.
3outrouN and Bruneti6re. have made his
hought the object of special study and
b. said. Yet in view 81 his brief career
nd his bodily infrmities his versatil-
~ as mathematician. controversialist.
philosopher and theologian. il may be
doubted whether France has produced a
-reater mind. Consequently, his thought
Gems capable OF indefinite interpreta-
ion sno discussion.
N Giraud. who for twenty Years has
tudied Pascal con omorc gives I'm this
Folume 8 series Of independent essays
even in all OF these. two deal with
PascaTs personal history. one Of the
after Is critical study CO his supposed
second conversion" after the accident
u the Pcnt dc NCuuy. After describ-
nr PsscaIs narrow escape from death.
When che horses behind which he was
lfiving plunged into the Seine, ".
5iraud concludes that the story Of the
tfter effects of this inci6ent-the vision
= the yaUninE clasm-is apocryphal
Z is an Anonymous tale. unconfrmed
BIZ Pascal or by his family. Another
HAPPIER which is rather trivial is con-
2 'erned with the question whether Pascal
was ever On love. The subject is not
cry important. nor is it easy 10 reach a
conclusion. The Discourse" cu love
attributed no Pascal lis probably un-
authentic. and there is no external e,i-
fence concerning this matter which. in
iced. viii interest only those who like To-
get a near view Of great men. ar the
fsk ~ being disene hanted. A further
personal chapter n. Giraud devotes 20
an interesting and well written sketch
81 Jscqueline. IN which the author
brings our forCihly the influence exer-
Used upon her brother by this nun Of
Port Royal
r must he confessed that n. Giraud IS
more successful in appreciatnc Pascal
as a man Of letters than as "a rhilos-
1pher He analyzcs his literary style
Rfth skill and eloquence. saving:
The style ~ Pass rs admirable in that
2 is adapted 20 al ouI needs and that X
satsnes t1en sl- Logic, irony. eloque0ge.
= takes all their tones Am the forms Of
thought 81 The shades of feeling ID sA-
presses NltG ar ease, eAaCtress and force
(which are truly rrodirieu- Mediocre witt
fIs thai we are. our expression always falls
snort o- ouT thought oT below ~. q 81
asle reflection ~ 4 a far-orT feeble crra
snd we rer-ail the FAT that we cannot pat
INTO words what We think are our deepest
. 9ucfc expression. IL ie thought itself which.
ihe ine an.leHi -'aGe.-. springs fully
. arn1eo from tie writers BRAIN Ger
tsiu words Cf Pascal enter into Us with such
~ -ifuntlAf iol-e f1at during long wears. 20
sounding sfiA ir The depths Cf The soul
The author directs attention. more
over. 10 Pascars concrete method ~
6ealine with questions ~ philosophy aud
religion. Besides this he was not con-
tent 20 formulate ideas OF everlasting
truth under the aspect Of eternity. he
was endowed with such a power of
Wrought. ne had such a capacity for in
vention, that be not only anticipated hut
oppressed with singular exactness some
entirely contemporary conceptions" Re
shows the reetcesress II thought SO
Characteristic Of CTR own time. and he
deaf with Il not as a scholastic theo-
iog.an, bat rs "nlain man" He pro-
peedec rot from assumptions about God
after the manner Of tie dogmatists but
from the nature o. man.
II Interpreting pasos|s philosophy
Brd particularly his religious philosophy.
81 GiraUd seems altogether 20 misap-
prehend the relation Of the 'Pensses"
70 the thought before aad after tho time
.ln which they were written For one
thing, be ove-estima-os the influence OF
the Stoics and % Nontaiene as sources
OF PascaTs Philosophical tendency In
uuestionably the skepticism o. Mon
taigne was congenial 10 one side Of Pas
Gals intellectual character. ". Giraud
believes that the latrcrs Pyrrhonism
was adopted Tor the purposes Of his
apologize rather than experienced. but
one may go further, and say that Pascal
was saved from a tlorouphg0ing skepti-
cism only py an appeal 10 positive re-
iigion. Nor is Il just 10 ignore tHe fact
that IN spite &C. his explicit opposition L.
the philosophy 81 Doscartes. there is a
striking coincidence - Pascals py-r.ou-
lar and the radical skep,lcism &C Dcs-
ralTes's FIRST Meditation such inn
poi.tant passages as these :n the Pen
aces" are thoroughly CaEtasiaa.
D. tbs STATE Iof doubt. nuaf sIaE man
Eg2 Shall he Co.H- erlIEt .-Ia-- ShaH lo
eoEbf whether .c BIS .vaAs. vEetiror % IS
r.ucEeG. whether DE B.. EarHeHr SHAH .o
dou1t whe.ler 10 ooul.-- SaaE Ac assat
Ubefncf fe c>tsL--
feel thai d. possible Cor nee -ot t1
have 1ell. fa~ tie rr.t consists ir I.-
fnO-urt- t.-.rr.I-r WHO f.... IIGlff ..t