New-York tribune., 1922-06-25

N mund Wilson jr. doesn't think
n much OF Baudelaire. and ap-
parently is thinking Of an ar
ticle disposing Of him for good These
are Rascocs words; we are not certain
that they represent Wilson's idea COM
pletely and without mitigation. shall
not, then, insist so strongly upon their
impudence as II they had come directly
from him. Ncvertheles-, the idea of
disposing for good OF Baudclairc IN n
clever and erudite article 20 be pub
lishcd. I presume, in "The Dial' OF The
New RepublcD doesn't amuse me so
much as IL annoys nc. ! am not, 20 my
eternal sorrow, one Of your urbane, oh
jective fellows. ] cannot sigh YEARLY,
nor smile tolerantly, az such upstart
presumption.
Baudelairc Is one ~ the great poets o.
the world. II IL a grave error 20 think
OF him, who had something Of the phil
osophic quality OF Lucrctius, as an un-
mitirated dandy. He was the finest
poet Of his century. the most interest
ing Frenchman OF his time and the
creator OF a new spirit in world litcra.
ture His influence. as Rascoe remarked
in the paragraph cited. has been i'm
measurable Belgian literature, for in
stance. dates from Les Fleurs d1 Mal '). {.
and 10 dismiss him as "shoddy' and
affected" soul is a cheap and vulgar
importinence. Nor are Wilson's ftrie-
lures in any sense novel. There IS not
lvcee in France whose pupils are not
warned against the "pose, afcctaiion
and artifciality" Of Baudclairc.
! have only a word 20 say 10 critic
who believes that a natural mode OF
expression" is anything except remote
from literary style, especially such
style as Baudelairc's. Nor ~ u neces-
.sary for me 20 argue 40 length against
The unfairness Of judging poets
style from letters 20 his family. Will
son knows as well as any one that We
write 20 our family when we do u
M alD 10 let IL be known that the
weather is vile, we've caught another
cold we dined with mothers friend,
1 Nine Durand-DupOnt. or we need
money. Writing home is duty, not a
pleasure; 10 is n stilling OF the con-
science, not an instructive labor OF
/ love- This is especially true IN the
case Of Baudelaire. Remember his cir
| curnstances His mother. an impe-'
cunious. we'l-born young girl was re-
/ ceived in q well-tO-dO family as poor
relation. There she became acquainted
/ with Baudelaire senior. man already
well on in years, who married hcr
Charles Baudelairo. like Saintc- Beuye'
was born when his father was rela..
/ lively an old man. Tho father died
and Nine. Baudelairc married Na-
poleonic general, AuspliCk, who was
probably an Irish adyenfufer nam od
OPnak. There was never any love lost
between the general and the poet. ine
Young mother taking her husbands
| view Of their differences. il the poet
was sent out 20 India it was that they
might be rid Of q troublesome lad, anl
when he came back % France nc had
few favors from his family Aiter
the publication Of Les Fleurs du Nal
| Nine. Auspick wrote two letters 70 the
roeps brother (which ! have seem
| about the poems % her son. They dis
play her as sensitive and intelligent
woman. the kind OF mother a poet
might we'll desire sympathetic. rather
than antipathetic, 10 his ambitions.
A sHoDDY soul. forsooth, Has Mr.
"A Wilson read Banville or the poets
private character? Bsudelaire' en-
~ the Church. was in torment all his
life long. As Jules Wales was social
insurgent, 80 he was the great spirtual
revol,e Read "Voyage," the quatrain
beginning; ,
levons lsncrci'
Read "Don Juan aux Lnfers' - sem.
per eadem,' ia Mort des Pauvres''
| Sec his noble anguish 30 these lines
from ola Fontaine dc Sang"i
"J'si cherche dams lamoar un SOM
neil oublieuX:
"iais ramour nest pour mol qu'un
matelas d'aiguilles."
Raseoe says he was "meretrieiou,ly
decadert." Wrong. There isn., de-
cadent lire in all Baudeiaire. Neither
bis disbolism nor his dandyFme may be
described as decsdence. Revolt IS an
other word. Millions satan has more
robiiitv in one hair OF his head than
the whole corpus of 'eos literature.
And the pride Of BaudelR.rc. Nnere
in all literature will you hnd more
sterr. a prouder. loftier. more uneom-
nromising soul than speaks IN Les