The Washington herald., 1912-07-14
By A. d. JACOBSON.

Victor Hugo, the man, is not at al
an inspiring figure, and as biography
records, or is supposed to record. facts
We, from the standpoint of the morals
Of Anglo-Saxons, find his character any
thing but thing to be patterned after
Therefore on the whole. It is bettei
tain degree biased in his subjects favor
which, once begun, the author naturally
would try to justify. But 1t happens
too, that, with the best of intentions, the
student as research goes on. finds the
human subject dwinuiing. Such disillu.
sionment IL likely to have an unfortu.
nate effect on the quality OF the product
To make II Short Mr.. Davidson is dis
appointing in this work.
AS the author of the life of Dumas
pere, Mr.. Davidson had made himself
thoroughly familiar with the general pc.
Rod of Hugo's career, and from the
preface it is clear that what he had in
mind was to follow Dumas with the
history of Prosper Merimee, whose per
sonality strongly appealed to him. But
as is so often the case. the publishers
had their doubts as to the reception
such an opus would receive at the hands
Of English readers Merimee, in their
practical opinion. was not a big enough
genius. Hence Victor Hugo. as a second
choice. The author approached him as
one of the foremost figures of his time,
but, as the result shows, with no respect
for him as a man.
Victor Hugo's grandfather was a peas
ant, but the poet. though being an ar
dent democrat, and even a revolutionary.
desired nothing better than to appear
hot ha f,,,o ripo
son OF gentle blood. Then what did he
do? He actually manufactured an aris-
tocratic family tree, connecting himself
with an ancient house OF the nobility.
His admirers accepted the pleasing de-
ception, but an unmannerly investigator
proved this 10 be false. The great poet,
calling himself, by another effort of his
fancy, "Vicomte Hugo simply disposed
of the inconvenient subject by the decla-
ration that rank was of no account,
anyway. and that a man was a man
whether high born or low.
Victor Hugo's love affairs began very
early. Compared with other men of
genius, who by posterity have not been
greatly admired for their amorous tenn
per, Hugo was an indiscriminate devotee
Of the petticoat and always ready to
admit that he was proud OF the fact.
For a number OF years ne had a wife
and a mistress living almost side by side,
and on friendly terms at that. He never
pretended to be devoted to either of
them, though he confessed to a strong
feeling of its kind for both.
He had no friendships the continuance
of which was not due TO the forbear-
ance. of the other party. A typical in
stance of this kind was his relation to
Dumas, who he often insulted but who
always forgave. The difficulty here, as
jealousy. Hugo's ambition was to be the
monarch of the French stage, and he
could not endure that Dumas. a far bet
ter playwright, should be more popular
than himself. Personal vanity. it would
appear, was the handspring of Hugo's ac-
tions, and il often lei him into quite ridic-
ulous situations and the most incredible
utterances We may all of us desire to
be the central figure on our own stage,
but do not expect to appear as the CEN
trail figure in all other eyes. But Hugo
did, and after the habit of the supreme
egotist, he undervalued the powers Of
that audience which he imagined as a vast
and worshipping throng. Yet his later
years We're attended by a display OF
"Hugolatry'' brilliant enough to satisfy
even his Unsuitable need of praise.
Still there remained irreverent persons
VINO persisted in laughing at him. often
immoderately. Especially his politics ex-
posed him to a most unsympathetic
handling. In his earlier years he shifted
repeatedly from party to party. but al
ways managed to carry his rhetoric and
sentiment safe with him. Those of his
political speeches that have been pre-
served are a medley of eloquent gen.
eralities, like those of our own old
school. Sentiment rather than convic-
ton determined his acts and utterances.
His lifelong opposition to capital pun
ishment, for instance. was due solely to
the fact that he could not brook the idea
OF any man having his head severed
from his body. AS for his active con-
nection with the republican cause in
France, he always kept on the right
side of the barricade, and a very long
way behind it, at that. Yet his 'remi-
niscences" give a score of elaborate ac-
counts of his intrepidity and represent
him as one Of the foremost leaders OF
the revolt Fact is, according to the
testimony of his contemporaries, that he
was laughed at, just that, except by the
small band Of satellites sure to be found
about any man of Hugo's self-assertive-
ness
1t is not a pleasant or reassuring pic
ture which his biographer sets before
his readers. For Victor Hugo was a
great genius, and il hurts to see genius
humbled TO a low level by the citation
OF the pettness attached to II. OF him
it can be said truly that a man
may be a genius because he is a fool.
There must have been some mysterious
strength in the man, the source of which
his biogra pher perhaps did not perceive
"a strength with which his weakness
had nothing to do. in one way or an
other. The best thing to do in his case
III
with his gross bodily presence and acts.
THE CHILDREN OF ALsACE Les oberles): By
Rene Bazin John Lane Company, New York
City.
The author is trying to reveal the soul
of some of the people in the conquered
French provinces. Hence his title, Les
Oberles," is meant to convey the feel
lngs of a single family and their friends,
while the translator, In naming the book
The Children of Alsace,r has attempt
ed to create the impression that Rene
Bazin had in mind the entire population,
which. of course, he did not, and which.
In so many words, he says in parts of
the narrative. That too. is the reason
why he does not go into the merit of the
war of 1870, as a result of which Ger
many took away Alsace and Lorraine
from France.
The burden Of the story is the attempt
to picture the daily life and the race
feeling among some of the people there.
We see a little Of the quaint life, but
more of the family and social relations,
the personal and political animosities
that have arisen during the past forty
years as the result OF the success of the
Prussian arms. The primary theme of the
author is a divided family The Oberles
are wealthy Grandfather SON and hia