The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-03
Tho victor Huso L.nrud.

mont Of VICTOR HUGo's known weak
nesses this critic displays SOmething like
personal hatred ar execraiIon. This leads
him. when discussing the methods nv
which that colossal rgotism gradually
built M for public contemplation "A
ma iest,c ideal of VICTOR HUuo. to at
tribute tn the poet a conscious art ar
artfulness and deliberate. cold bloo,ied
mendacity. Mr.. GRIBsLE seems To- ig-
more the element of self-deception. 80
common IN cases where imaginative
genius OF high order coeXisis with an
extreme degree of personal vanity
For example. with respect 10 VICTOR
/ HU6o pTetensiohs to noble lineage
"rVIcToH H-oo Vas Har ., lsss, he lied sub.
unei His ora, lies relate TO hts family hIs,or,
Noels ancestors. be 'eF. we're essential to III,
subhmity ana a. he had none he invented ,oyns
giving out that he . seton OF the house Of
the Hroos Of Lorraine. snd q grea, grandson
a. IHAHiEs HTAcINrHE HCoo chs,slsef. con
! SELLER msi,re IN Ia ehafnbre de. Complies de I.Ou
EAINE II IL no, true M the des, endArts o,
LHAaLss HyA'INrHg Huao. cbeNaHer. Ac haN.
bern Traced and VIcroR Hroo Is no, incIuded in
their number. NICroE Huoo's asoendants have
beeu traced ana there chez alter TO be found
among them Hs ta,heY az. an osacer VINO nsd
! risen from the rsnks. MS grandfather Nas car.
penter. HE great grandfather and hts great.
gres, ErsndtAther ~err peasants OF the women
whom they married the most Distinguished Wa
nur~ery goVerness NmonE tho collsteysls we
md corn factor. hakeT. . BARRIER and three
dTsssnak-rs-ussful and even honorable men,
hers OF the community, b. either arsto-rat,c
or ronantic tina, our nrst true gnmp.s Of
NtcroH HUoo IL Of = plebeiAn. dissatisfied win
his nymole origin. perchinE himself On the
BRANCHES Of Aao,hsr mans family ,re. and sue
oess'uIy peTsusdinE HE admirers that ne had
every rtght TO ~ there
\ more tolerant analyst If human
character than Mr. Francis GRIRRLE
would have recognized the obvious ros-
-Ibihty. even probability. that this mas
isrly dreamer Of dreams began bv per-
shading himself that he had every right
to perch on that family tree. No prod
iEy Of self-delusion IL required in the
case Of a megalomania 90 stupendoup
and vet - naive A. that which ~ illus
tTated in the we'll known incident al
legged in the Souvenirs sur Turgue-
neff The admirers ~ the poet were
discussing. in his drawing room and in
his presence. the propriety Of renam-
ing IN his honor the stree, in which he
then lived
Sor7e me suggested mat me street was tn
snall 10 ~ worthy OF great poet and TIA,
a. -.
signed 10 sone more important thorousntsr.
Then ,hsy proceeded to enumsrsp tho mor.
popular quarters ~ Paris. IN al ascending scale
until "ns man exclaimed Win enthusiasm thsi
Il would ~ an hoaor for the ctt, % Paris ns,l'
n ~ rsuamsa after TIE man ~ genius
HrOo eaniaE against the uantelp,.c-. III,
tened oomplaoenuy 10 his Caterers autblddins
zach othsr. Thea. with the air 81 on. ENGAGED
In deep thouEht he turned ~ me ,ounE man
and said To him In hs Er-nd style
Fvsn tha, viii come ms friend Ev-n ma,
vii come
This EnglI>n critic - perhsn@ right
m estimating ~ VICTOR HUGos STU
prem" achievement the imposition or
his own valuation Of himself upon hrs
public. the creation of a general feeling
that VICTOR HUGO was 80 great and good
that whatever he did must necessarily
he right be- A'Ise he dld y In resne,.t
nj turpitude. however. there - an I'M
n"rian' distinction bet ween tho forging
nj false or exaggerated repmal ,on bv
IN" conscious and poluIc exercise ~
IN" arts ~ self advcrti~ement and the
Achievement "f similar result hv
uncomfortable vanity working uncnn-
-ciously through romantic magma
ton Mr. GRIBBIE will hnd IN the
Chooses Nue-' fabricated incidcn,
beautifully typical of rho latter process
VICTOR HJGo. bact IN Frame m 1871.
- returning from VISIT 10 THEIRS Al
Ncr-aIlle~:
Ntior'o'- ,tAu~d or Pan.
IN 'he trs'1 acre Two . ing onrer. frs-b ,r,rr
~airt e, r. ard Dung sonsr am a ,ounE man
prohabl her husband ~n- 49, reading psos,
rrobab, me tsi7s, IN which 80, . ,sr,ca,urs
Of HEsEI h, TIA ~, Ioosing ., s~,rs.
snd the woods Of Neudon sudden, me ounx
Non,sn r-,intsd 20 Inc IN me pap~r and AID
M . 'on-c tr.rs. NtcroR Hrao .rsL.
oare ,aid IN. ognE man hs 3, ther, Ana D..
TN'l'N'l W. u4I NlsfiFfNlN NJ nuuE NORMAN
iooA ~ mai Nhi,n Wa IN inc rsrs aa5cd me
srArs On e. anf then N, ,sid % NJ
Nou have suffered grsat,. .,r Conttnu- 10
DEFEND inc ,snqusned Thcn ,hs vent
kis-ed Rsr band N. vs. . charming era.
'urs and had r-aGtifuI syr.
s-si,tcd her % d~-ceud from ~, train a,
Paris snd after salutinE h,r - 10, our~sN,,
- ~, 'i' cly m ths ~fosd
Herein T. the Icy 3" he yr-vcholngv Of
4 Thousand pa-sage~ m VICTOR HrGos
statements II personal experience
vhIch, from the GrIbblean mint ~ view.
prove his un-' rrIpIlous menda,ity in
the matter of sslf-gloriiication. We,
how simple the explanation Of course
the ridiculous incident never nccurrrI'
II was VICTOR HU"O who vas reading
the Eclipse containing the mention
n himself II Wa tho Young woman
who was looking with her beautiful ewes
NJ s-sss-rnz NJ thu ur,,aa - NG-..A-- n.