The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-02

1000 marks . lecture: they have feted,
appiauded, interpreted and annexed
him" Mr.. Bithell 10 carried away by
this idea to make statements which the
Belgians will find II hard to forgive.
THE racial characteristics of the
Flemings are Identical with those of
the Germans; a certain heaviness in
thought and expression, q marked lack
Of the sense Of humor, an imperturb-
able and obstinate conceit. The pre-
vailing characteristic In either case Is
that OF v~iolence-a violence of habit
which run TO waste in the drunken
ness and gluttony we see unashamedly
pictured In Flemish genre pictures. a
violence Of expression which in litcra-
tu-e shapes Itself according to the
mind Of the writer into a fbrous
strength OF a nabby coarseness. The
Flemings are brutal Nerhaeren will
say in the emphasis Of his onversa-
tion; and the merest acquaintance
with Flemish life or literature proves
him 70 be right"
Verhaeren was born In a village
near Antwerp; It seems preposterous.
therefore. for Mr.. B.thell to say that
"he never tool; the trouble 10 make
himself master Of Flemish; he could
not help learning the language spoken
by the people around him. On the
other hand Frenchmen say that his
French il lot pure. which may very
we'll be. lie was trained to go into
business but preferred TO study law.
and gave that up for literr .ure. The
author says he believed thai "the old
| LSlA~taH ,~tsa -A.A -
cause they were such tremendous
eaters and drinkers. because they crc-
ated masterpieces between two drink
ing bouts; ana implies that such was
verhaeren's process in writing poetry.
He ascrlbes three volumes OF poems
to verhaeren's sufferings from indi-
gestion. But he praises him very
highly as the poet OF present day real
tiles. compares him to Victor Hugo
and is inclined to doubt his greatness
because he Is much admired in Bel
GUM. One sonnet must serve TO show
Verhaeren's realism and Mr.. Bithell's
quality al a translator:
Tho servants for the Sunday bak. the bread
OF the best milk and wheat; their brows
bent low.
Ana elbows baSed and at an angle. shed
The sweat with which they steam Into
the dough.
Yea. they are wet all over In their haste:
Tit sweat 10 running down their dangling
breasts:
Their two huge nsts are wading II, the
paste.
And moulding II In rounds IKE flesh of
breasts.
The bakshouss heats its crimson names
outside:
And from a plank's end, two by two. they
The soft. white ioave. into their proper
places.
Blu. when the door 4. opened. ilk. q pack
OF hot. red hounds. the flames force GU. a
track.
And, roaring. leap to bite the wenches'
faces.
II Is only fair to Nerhacren that
We should quote by the side OF this
a few lines In the original. which we
borrow from the article In Miss Amy
1-owell's six French Poets" MAC
millans). She treats him as a poet
to be admired. modestly passes over
anything Objectionable and offers eX-
tracts that will not embarrass
American hearers. This is the begin
ming of a long poem OIL rain:
Tongue CONNIE des Ms sans I'M. "a Tongue
plu!e
Acknowledgement. a ,rayers 10 Jour girls.
iLgne '.s ca-reaux ve'ts Svec sss longs Ill
g.is.
Innn.mcn,. Ia p,uie.
In tongue p!u!e.
La p!u!e.
Ellie s'.f'o a!nsi. dergis hie- so!r.
Des ha!l.ons nous qui pendent
An eiel maussade ct noir.
Ellie s'S,i.e. patientc e. .ente.
Sur les chemins. depuls h!er soir.
Sur les chem!ns ct les venellcs.
Coni.nuel.e.
Les rivisres. d ,ra,.rs leurs disu.s pour
rles.
s.. dtgonGcnt sur les p~rairi,s.
on rot,e au loin du foln noye:
lie vent Eihe au!ncs ?. royers;
Sinitremen,. dams reau tusqu'h mi.corps,
De grands bpufs nolrs beuglent yers les
c!eux tore:
lie soir approche. avec ses ombres.
Don: les pla!nes ct les taill!s s'encombrent.
Et c'est toujours IA plu!e
l.. Tongue plu.e
Fine e. dense. CONNIE Ia suite.
And SO on for many verses more.
We come at last to the one Belgian
whose fame as a writer. for the mo-
ment. at least. has spread throughout
the world. Maurice Maeterlinck. lie
has received the Nobel prize for litera-
ture. like Rudyard Kipllng. What has
Mr.. Blthell to say about him. APP
parently he has no admiration fol
Maeterlinck, and instead OF trying to
judge his work for himself falls back
on a violent attack by Dumont-W Widen
Maeterlinck's crime Is commercial and
popular success. His books are trans.
lated. sometimes before they appear in
French. into the chief languages OF
the world: and even when what re
writes Is feeble It Is discussed every
where as though IL were the pro.
nouncement OF an oracle. From the
selling point Of view his position is
i~mpregnable. He has been attacked
by the venom Of Jeslits. the innuen-
does OF the env!ous and the rca SIN
OF critics WHO object on principle to
literature that has a popular appeal;
but Maeterlincli sits secure behind his
vast public. mapdarin rich and
petted and spoiled" Neither is there
anything disRraceful in the way In
which he was "skyrocke;ed into fame
by Octave Mirbcau In II OF the mos,
astounding examples of pun on rec.
ord" As Mr.. Bltliell tells the story
Mirbeau was In Stephane Mallarme's