The New York herald., 1922-08-06
CHR RONICLE AND
CO NJ NJ E N T
BY ARTHUR BARTLETT MAURICE.

tnat have been written to authors by
strangers who have been moved to
correspondence by an impelling in
terest in some aspect of the authors
work. That such a work has never
been written is perhaps due to the
fact that the wealth of material
available, is so great that at least
half a dozen volumes would be
needed by any one who contem-
plated more than a mere scratching
OF the surface Of the subject. To
illustrate by one or two examples
that have become historic in lit
erary annals. Perhaps the most
famous correspondence of this kind
was that which passed between
Balzac and Nine. de Hanska. The
late Vicomte Spoelberch de Louven-
joul, Belgian scholar, who made
the study of Balzac his life's work,
published book dealing exclu-
sively with that correspondence.
The book began with the statement
that "the 2Sth of February, 1892,
was perhaps the most decisive day
Of Balzac's life" That was the
date Of the receipt Of the first letter
signed "PEtrangere' and bearing
the stamp of the Odessa post office.
THE letter was addressed to
1 Balzac in care Of the editor
Of La Peau de Chagrin," the pub
Usher Gesselin, at Paris. The en-
thusiastic praise of 'rEtrangere"
was tempered by a note of reproach.
The writer deplored the fact that
Balzac had forgotten in La Peau
de Chagrin" what had made the
success of his previous works-that
is to say, the delicacy of feeling and
the refinement of his feminine
characters-and had thus shaken
the pedestal on which he had never
ceased to place women in the earlier
successful books. She begged him
to make a return to the highest
sources of his previous inspirations
by relinquishing his ironical or
skeptieal portrait paintings which
have as their starting point the
lowering of women or the denial of
the noble and pure role that is hers
when she understands the mission
which the Almighty has given her
TO fulfill on earth.' Balzac was
much intrigued by the letter, and
was annoyed and embarrassed for
the reason that he was about to
publish the Rabelaisian "Contes
Drolatiques," which he felt would
hardly be likely to appeal to
one of the high ideals professed by
'1'Etrangere."
THE letter, coming from such
L distance, tickled in delight
ful manner Balzac's Unsuitable
vanity. He went about showing it
gleefully to his friends. Then ex-
pansiveness gave place to reticence.
He became suddenly completely re-
served concerning his northern
admirer, returning at once to the
habits of discretion which were
habitual with him when women
were in question. For more letters
were coming from "l'Etrangere."
who was destined to be Nine. de
Balzac in the last year or two Of
the novelist's life, and they were
beginning to assume a personal
tone. She, then the wife of another
man, and a thousand miles and
more away at time when distances
Ioomed large, wrote in letter of
November z, 1892: You must love
and be loved in return; an ideal
union OF hearts must thus have
been effected; your soul must
experience unknown feIicities:
TEtrangere' loves you both and
wishes to be your friend; she like
wise knew how to love, but that is
all. Oh! you will understand me-"
nERHAPS the most extraordinary
l. letter that Thackeray ever re-
ceived from stranger was that
written him by Charlotte Bronte
- "a --n.I s4xy..4. .,