Evening star., 1932-07-02
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH G.. BOWERMAN.

lished within a short time OF the
authors death. st. Francis Of Assist
and Caesar Borgia, Thomas Kempis
and Casanova. Fenelon and Talleyrand
occupy chapters next door to each
other. At first we are inclined to think
that the sinners had at least the more
varied personalities; then we come to
Fenelon. a saint of the world, living in
the world. and We decide that his per-
sonality was the most interesting OF
them all. The keynote Of each char
acter is expressed by Gamallel Brad
ford in each essay title-"The Riot OF
Youth: Caesar Borgia"; Gods Vaga-
bond: st. Francis of Assist; The
Devils Vagabond: Casanova" Alone
With God: Thomas a Kempis"; The
Prince of Darkness: Talleyrand';; God
and the World: Fenefon"; The Glory
of Sin: Byron" These biographical
ESSAYS all follow the photographic
method used by Bradford in his previ-
GUS collections, that IS the method OF
close analysis of character and motive.
Some other books by Gamallel Bradford
are: Lee the American, Confederate
Portraits" Union Portraits, Portraits
of Women" Portraits OF American
Women" American Portraits, Dam
aged Souls, Inc oOul VI odHluci
Pepvs," "A Naturalist of Souls" OAR
win" Life and l." "As God Made
Them" Daughters OF Eve. The quick
and the Dead"
Francois de Salignac de Ia Mothe
Fenelon, born in 1851, was memoer
of an old, aristocratic French family,
so impoverished that the younger sons
had to choose either the army or the
ecclesiastical career, however, was not
a mere choice OF evils. and from be-
ginning to end he loved and followed
it with a natural instructive ardor. p"
But in choosing the church he did
not resign the world, which he always
loved. Remaining in the world, hold
ing in it positions of Importance. he
became the outstanding example of
uprightness and piety in VIGOROUSLY
corrupt society. His life was a much
more difficult one than that of Thomas
A. Kempis, pursued in the safe Sc
clusion of the cloister. Soon after
taking holy orders he became director
of the Nouvelies Catalogues, school
in Paris for girls converted from Prot
estantism. His experience here was
probably responsible for his work, writ
ten in 1887, THE Education of Girls. y
In 1889 Louis XIV made him tutor
to his grandson, the Duke of Bur
gundy. a probable heir to the throne.
For this beloved and devoted pupil
Fenelon wrote his Fables" Dialogues
of the Dead " History of the Ancient
Philosopher" and Adventures OF
Telemachus," a philosophical romance
of the imaginary wanderings of Tele-
machus in search of his father, Ulysses,
with political aand sociological argu-
ments of a rather daring character for
those days" In 1895 Fenelon became
Archbishop of Cambria and after his
defeat in the controversy over Quietism,
and the death of the Duke of Bur-
gundy, he retired to Cambria, where he
spent his last years in pastoral work
and in strolling alone in his park, for
getting "the tumults and sorrows of
the world with flowers and bird song"
Gamaliel Bradford estimates Fenelon's S
essential worth: IF ever there was
born saint. it was Fenelon. But his
saintliness did not take the path OF
eschewing the world, but the far more
difficult one of overcoming it. .
Perhaps the most significant and char
acteristic element in Fenelon Is his
power over human souls, both as to
their conduct for this world and their
spiritual advantage for another"
Most interesting of Gamaliel Brad
fCrd's Sinners" is Talleyrand, foreign
minister under the French directory,
consulate and empire. confided in, used
and hated by Napoleon. Inordinately
greedy for money he had no scruples
about means of securing it. He is
credited with the remark: Society is
divided into two classes, the shearers
and the shorn: one should always be
with the first as against the second. u
Talleyrand has also been accused OF
disloyalty to every one except himself.
1T is certainly singular feature of
Talleyrand's career that from first to
last he at least appeared to have be-
trayed long succession of leaders and
always, invariably, to his own advan-
tage in the end" Yet Talleyrand had
his defense. He insisted that "the
highest loyalty in the world was the
loyalty to ones country. and from the
beginning to the end he had been faith
full to France. had worked for France,
had only deserted those who had first
deserted her. As he put it squarely:
L have never kept fealty to any one
longer than he has himself been obedi-
ent to common sense. But, II you
judge all my action by this rule. you
will find that 1 have been eminently
consistent. ;" In concluding his essay,
Gamaliel Bradford quotes from Talley-
rand himself: Here are SO years
passed. I do not know whether I am
satisfied when 1 recapitulate how so
many years have slipped away. or how
have managed to fill them. How
many useless agitationsl How many
efforts that have been unfruitful, tire
some complications. exaggerated emo
tionS. powers wasted, gifts cast away,
hostilities inspired, solid poise over
turned. illusions destroyed. passions and
desires satiated and rendered vain
And what is the result of it all? Moral
and physical fatigue, complete dis
couragement for the future and pro-
found disgust for the past" And Brad
ford comments as his closing sentence ::
Such seems to be the epitaph and the
epitome OF the Prince de Talleyrand
after S3 years of piling up a fortune
and duping God and man.
K X
Bertram Thomas made long prepara :
ton for his trek across the unexplored
desert region Of Arabia. He knew much
about the country theoretically. for he
had been grand vizier to the Sultan
OF Muscat and Oman for five years and
had learned dielects, customs, religions.
hidden hcsti!ities. tribal alliances.
botanv and zoology. He had also made
tentative sh3rt expeditions into the un-
known territory. Then, with the stage
all set like an Arabian Nights hero he
secretly left MuScat one night and
sailed to Dhufar to commence his zd-
venturous and dangerous march into
desert mysteries. The Rashidi tribes
man. Sheik Sahail, whom he had
pledged to meet him there and be his
guide. did not appear. So there was
a long wait while two other tribesmen.
at a good price. went into the desert
to find the missing Sheik. Almost
mira culously he was found and with
much persuasion and more dollars he
was induced to accompany Thomas into
the hazards Of the desert. The whole
story IS told in Arab Felix: Across
the Empty Quarter Of Arabia" bv
Bertram Thomas