The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-10
A CLEVER POET
ENTOMOLOG|sT
Jean Henri Fabre Is the New
est Star
IN GLORY OF FRANCE
Late In Life He Decided ON Career That
Brought Him Much Fame-He
Wrote Books on Work and
Play of Insects
rom the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune.
Wrapped about in the haze of distance
and fragrant with the faint aroma OF
romance, has come to us by way of the
Partisan press the strange story OF Jean
Henri Fabre, the recently discovered
poet -entomologist of France.
The sad thousands of persons here and
everywhere who, at 40; or 90 years old,
are about to accept ranking as failures
because they have not yet made GOOD
should consider the accomplishment of
this quiet old man of Provence, who was
AZ years old before he began to study
for his life work and Sc when he started
to write his scientific prose poem, Les
Souvenirs Entomologiaues," the book that
has caused him to be hailed as the
newest star in the glory of France.
The story of his life, quite unknown
| until few days ago. is a very simple
one. Born in 1923 at Saint-Leons in the
department of Aveyron, of very poor par
ents, he spent secluded and uneventful
youth. He went to school, of course, and
must have shown early cleverness, for
when he was ready to go to the College
de Rodez, and 1t was decided that his
parents could not afford to pay his way
there. he went to the Normal school of
Avignon and won a scholarship from that
institution.
He was graduated at IS years of age,
and on account of his scholastic record
was Immediately appointed professori In
the high school of Carpentras. He was
soon transferred to the school at A5accio
to conduct the courses in physics and
chemistry. For II years he toiled there,
leaving 1t In 1852 in response to call
from Avignon Lycee, which offered him
a professorship in the same two courses.
Eighteen years more passed in the mo-
notonous round of teaching. AS far as
anyone knows he had no idea of ever
doing anything else. For diversion he
wrote treaties on agricultural chemistry;
In fact. between 1862 and 1870 he wrote
50 volumes of these essays
The Turning Point
Then. on a day when fate must have
been secretly busy In his behalf, he
picked up one Of Leon Dufour's lectures
on entomology. He had no sooner finished
it than sudden curiosity possessed him
to know all the details of insect life that
more than guess at. He thought the
thing over carefully. He was AZ years
old and had a large family depending on
his earnings; he had been running In
groove for 20 years and was naturally
doubtful If at his age he could lay his
whole life on a shelf and start out on an
entirely new line. But 1t did not take MN
long to come to a decision. 1t seemed to
him necessary that he should take up
Att, Oh which
comparatively little was known. and de-
vote all the rest of his life to it.
Accordingly he gave up his professor
ship. and, leaving cities and city life.
bought a modest little chateau and farm
at Serignan, away in the south or france
and near the River Rhone. He then set
himself to work Systematically to watch
the ways of insects. Part of the time he
spent in the fields and woods, lying on
the ground for hours and hours In the
glare of the sun; part of the time leaning
over the little glass cases in his crude
laboratory trying quaint experiments with
the tiny creatures he had brought In and
imprisoned there.
In his book. Lies Souvenirs Entomo-
logiuues,' written after nine years oil
such observation, he describes many of
the experiments by means of which ne
measured the ingenuity and intelligence
of insects.
Tn untechnical and intimate manner the
work and play of all the myriad insects
are described. The community life of the
ants and the monarchies of the bees, the
romance of the butterflies and all trans
lated into the human words that the rest
of us can understand.
A Jubilee Day
In recognition of the monumental WORK
ten volumes of science and poetry-a
Jubilee day was arranged by some or the
greatest scientists and poets in Europe.
The date was April 8. 1910, and the fete
celebrated then was the occasion of the
discovery by the world in general of this
strange old man OF So years who has
never looked for fame. NJ Ed Perrier.
member of the institute and director of
the Museum of Natural History In Paris,
was deputed to present to Jean Henri
Fabre a gold medal of honor struck for
the occasion; Maurice Maeterlinck. the
Belgian dramatist, was to present medal
from the Royal Academy of stockholm,
and M Claparide was appointed to award
the diploma Of the Institute of Geneva
The pilgrims coming from all parts of
EUROPE met at the village of Serignan
on the appointed morning and proceeded
to the chateau of the savant. They found
him seated in his little front garden sur
rounded by his numerous family. his IN
evitable black felt hat firmly, on his head
Edmond Rostand sent this greeting:
"Hindered from coming to you, | join
nv hearts best wishes to those VINO are
feting today an admirable man. one or
Frances greatest and most glorious men,
whose work I admire Spge philosopher
a profound poet, the insects Virgil; who
has made us kneel with him in the grass;
a solitary soul he is, whose life Is mar
velous lesson in wisdom; noble figure
which Capped with his black felt hat
has now made Serignan immortal
His Crude Equipment
After the banquet the old man led his
admirers back to the small laboratory on
the first floor of his house There they
examined with surprise the crude equip
ment with which he had accomplished so
much. There were only few glass
cases, several jars. some glass tubes, Or
binary dirt burrows. a number or mower
pots and several metal bells
He laughed at the surprise or his
guests.
my implements are poor, yes?' he
cried IT am the prince Of impecunios-
ity."
Jean Henri Fabre regards his work as
nearly finished Not that he believes the
science of entomology Is complete, only
his contribution toward it. The ending
of his great work sounds the pathetic
note of age. yet it rings with hopefulness
and strength.