LITERARY NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2465, 28 April 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

LITERARY NOTES.

[o\VN con iiKsrox i > ekt. | Paris, March 3. Mon Journal, by J. Miehelet, (Msirpon and Flammarion). Thia journal of tho historian, extends from 182-) to 1823, and is the foreshadow of his life— a life wit.V

out spot, and that will rank anion!,' the

purest of tho nineteenth century. Tho present volumo must not bo nonfounded with his " Souvenirs." These latter wore only written when Michclot wns br-fcwoun the rips age of forty and fifty, and deal

but with his infancy and ndolosoenoc. The "Journal" consists of jottinars wh«n on tho threshold of man-life: they are the notes of projects: tlionshts on friendship, love, humanity, and marriaire ; a register of sentiments, oinotions, and ideas. The first part of tho Journal U taken up with letters to his bo«om chum, Poiusot, a medical student. They had a Castor and Pollux unity of existence; or, rathor their affliction recalled that existing be-

twecn Tennyson and Hall am when both wore in the spring of life. Tho snnond part of the volume, extending to]S29, i.s

ho diary of Mir.hclet's ideas and illustrates )is powers of worlc and. imagination. As ie truly observed of himself :" InWlnc-

tu.'il pillions devoured my yont.li." Vet theao fuhinittod ideas arc barely even a. sample of what he jntterf down, n's in IS6-1 ho stoic:al!y burnpd portfolios full of snnh

documents, alleging that tho absence of a comma, as ho learned from his investiira-

ions as an historian, might misinterpret

his thoughts ; or worse, where a literary executor might indulge in substitutions or suppression*, a. century he. said, would not .suffice to sift my materials and to select all that merited to live. Tho Journal then, gives us tho great historian in his chrysalis stage ; records tho daily events of his literary life, and whore sadness was unrelieved by few joys. We can trace therein a reflection of the sorrows of Werthcr, and the melancholy of Roneu. In addition to Micholet's meditations on literature and morality, we rind the buds of his future opinions on love, woman and marriage. The idea of love at otic time so frightened him that ho could say like Pascal. "I will live alone and I will die alone ;" lint when he found the other moiety of his existence the young Platonist viewed life ' under less Shopenhauer or Loopardi colour.?. A wife proved to be his guardian angel, he also dreaded marriage, fearing Jits love might prove a blank, and his affection a deception. A slight jilting braced his nerves, and a plunge into matrimony soon taught him that lifo , meant duty, not abstractions or phraa-y sentiment. Michelet was a kind of connecting link between the epoch of the sensibility of the Revolution and ours. There is a good dual of liousscati's Emila in Miuholot's literary beginning; with him tho vital question to propagate mankind was love ; to this ho added the example of arduous sttidy and uii«e:ising worl;. The letters of his friend Poinsofc are important, simply as serving to draw out Michelet. I'oinsot's description of the anatomy lesson, where a beautiful young woman, &c. lay dead on the. table of the amphitheatre, but came to life again when the demonstrator gave the body the first plunge of his bistoury, is a legend common to every anatomy school in the world, and so must bo accepted arm ijrnuo sulU. It was just a story to catch Michclet's tenderness, who possessed such a fund of human love thn.t he would not tread upon a worm, but would stap aside and let the creature

Histoire dcs muvrcx dc Tlienplilk Gnntier, by Vicomte do Lovonjonl (Charpentier). Gautier entered society ?o early and figured therein so long that tho number of his friends and acquaintances was legion. He mixed with all the ranks and conditions of men, Tie had numerous disciples, too, and a lurjj-e circle of reader?. Ho was distinguished in poetry, romances and travels; but, perhaps, the multitude kn-MV him host as a critic. Tlio author is a TMirhn nobleman, who lias already acquired si. reputation for a'very curious ami authoritative volume on Balxne. Many accept him as infallible on all that relates to that cro't.t novn'isr. Ivieli of tho two volumes of the history covers si. period of twontv vnars of G-mtiov'a life—from 1 S.JO to 1K')1, and from 1832 to 187' J. It. is thus that thn work is ! i survey of contemporary literature, art. and society. We percoivo iu the portraits drawn by tho Viscount that, paradoxical scepticism and indolent fatalism, which imparted so personal a mark to G-iutier's mind and its output. In addition to being a poet, a critic, and a romnnrinr, Gautier excelled also as a. wit. The latter trait, will be onconntered prominently in his letter.-". In this " history " will be found a yreat many articles out of print, or impossible to obtain, sue!) as those on Hoffman and Heine. His "voyages" will outlast bis other productions, and none of his travels surpass the two volumes ho published in IS-59 on Russia. His theatrical and fine art criticisms are specimens of the flowery stylo of tho French languasro. Perhaps the Tablcnux da Sicijc will strike many as the most emotional of his writings ; it wain consequence of the srrief and sufferina , he experienced in I'mmee terrible in 1870 thi;' 'listened hi" end—from lirsiirt Til-- hi-toi-y will bo relished by those who have followed and shared in the infpllec. tinl life of Euroso during the l::st half century. Jfc'Mtf/o ct finance* de Vultalro, by Louis Nicolardot, 2 vola.(Dentee et Cie.) Since thirty years M. Nicolardot has made it a speciality to expose, that the real " O'mih! Frar.cn.is" was a miser and a trickster The. author's two volumes revised and en liirged, are as velentless to-day in their liate, as whon they sprang warm into the literary world thirty years ay-o. The "Id I'ouuts in tho indictment are pli-aded : viz., that Voltaire when at Potsdam, prigged the stumps of candles, morsels of sugar, quantities of tea, coffee and chocolate, that "Frederick rntinned to those visitors whom he billeted on himself. It was thus, that Voltaire always sold the 121 bs of candles that formed hi< allowance per month, and cnnhlcd him In utilise the ends of caudles, that he abstracted from rhe royal apartments. Tlir other typo-count is, tlint Voltaire borrowed court mourning, and had it alien*] to suit him for every day wear. Tlu; whole business life of Voltaire—ho was a money-lender, army contractor, and colonial trader, besides his other talents, has been ransacked to demonstrate, he was a usurer, suspicions of debtors, nnd an idolatoi'of annuity investments. However, in charging 4 per cent, for loans io his tenants, while the bank rate was ;">. the great philosopher was not the least of n.en. He did charge higher to Princes and Grand Dukes, but they semed to feel they were under no obligation to repay what they borrowed. It was by imploL'Uig the influence of Frederick, that

the German roitclcts were forced to remombcr meum and tiiuin. Beyond what rumour touguod, there is no evidence that Voltaire ever attempted any loan on shent per shout terms. Voltaire, always when purchasing drove a hard bargain. Let those only without Kin throw a stono at him. If Voltaire was generous or charitable, that flowed from a motive, says Nicolardot. Bur. why assume a burl, rather than a good motive : why expect Voltaire to empty his cash box filled by his literary oririiings, rather than a barrister or a doctor, or Niookrdot himself, who has mado money by his writing;.' ? Begging letters were as plentiful in Voltaire's days as in our own ; he had the cruelty—good i-onso sonic might say, to pay no attention to l,hoso paper pellets of vagabondage. Bisidef, ho lent agooddealnf money to friends without interest, and all he got in exohangc from thfi obliged, was abnso. In this respect the world has not much changed since That which remains, and thiifc which is rcmombored of Voltaire, is not the common frailties of our cominnn, nature, but the influenco his public life and mind has left behind, in chastising abuses and privileges ; in teaching honpst men not to bo afraid to hold up thuir heads in a world made for all alike j and being till his last breath, the dreaded standing counsel against every intolerance, and the advocate of every rational liberty.

VEibimihin ties fannies var ha fi-m.ves by O. G:enrd (I-Tuchette and Oα.)' Siaca a few years, the superior education of woman has become quite a passionate topic of debate. Perhaps tho hits at woman being educated, to synchronize with rdifjated man, are as sharp today as they were thirty years ago. And the spirit of the saino remark applies to tho errors of tho<e parents who believe, that all their children are worthy of the same education, and cip'iblc of profiting , by the same iu>trur;t.ion. Society has social classes, say some, and for entrance into \vl:i(;h education must be in harmony. The cqiiiilitiiri'iiis allege that there must be no "olass education," but give to all boys and girls the samo instruction. M. GnS ird is Ihe highest authority in Krancn on tho second'iry and superior education

! 'if Wiirncn. IIi; would like education to be entrusted solely to women; but, lio seems to overlook fhe fact that Madainu do Sevigm-, M:i.]ii!no d' Epinay, Madame de Lambert, just us Madame de Mainicnon :111 rl other erlucatiouists, confined their efforts to children, whose position in lifo w.'t-i well defined. Hβ examines the pedagogic ideas of Mesdames Nenker, Roland do Genii?, Guizot, ami de Koinnsat, mid finds that these ladies have nothing original at all, but simply imbibed their educational notions from Foiiclon and RouM-eau. Fenelon seemed, to be their Bible Thin he pertinently wrote : Wo.'irm lms nob to govern or make war; neither polities, jurisprudence, nor philosophy suit her ; she has a home to look after, a husband to make happy, Rons —till ■'. certain age—to watch over, and daughters to marry off. Woman is, and o'.itrbt to remain, the kou! of the fireside. It would he taking tho iviong road, continued Fiinelon, to lead tho minds of youusr girls towards the speculations of pure science; on tho other hand, touch her all that will be useful to her us u wife and a mother.

'Merhnce, by Comto d' Hanssonvillo (Hachctto ot cii'). This is a literary nnd biographical study on Prosper MonniOß, of whom it nriy be «id, his real churacler wis only known after his death, because dm in-/ iiin life lime Ik.' was the man with the cyniijil inns!;. Tiie author is the anlii.hosU of his subject in political and lvlwious as well as in literary ta-les. It has over appeared to tiki that. Merimcj') had a mania to be considered a bold, I).id man, and so avoid too clo.-r, an examination eiiher of his ideas or his opinions. Wo have the Moiiirieo of l.'.ini/xi and the two Jiuwnn'tns, an photographed by himself in his letters to these personages. That photograph is unpleasing. Comto de gives us twenty letters, which arc tender, affectionate, good and faithful. Some ivero written to the daughter-in-law of Mr W. Senior, and the others to the d.iughier of an illiHtrious French officer. To both these lidios Mcremee was confidential and affectionate, hut, above all natural. Wo know he did not believe in friendship between men, but he admitted that it was possible between man and woman, provided the devil did dot interfore. There was a good deal of feminine temperament in Mcrimee. He held, de.-pitn theologians, that souls have a sex »s well as the body, aud as he advanced in age he lovtd spiritual women. It was i;i iipi-i £ his idenl Stuiidhnl, that he .-I' quired notoriety for the courser part of his character. Thin ho held that no one dies of consumption in Snr.in—but oflon of heart, disease—which is a malady unknown t.hen\ The persons who die from love aie invariably the husbands of iniolJu'i- wife, who elope with tho wife, of another husband. Mprimee believed in the loiritimncy of the passions, provided they wore true and robust. He shocked .Mrs Senior by questioning her if tho chastity of woman ought to be more than a mere social convention, for, ho added, in five thousand years there will be some substitute fur marriage. He confesses ho never was wicked, but in grooving old ho endeavoured to avoid being bad, which was more difficult to carry out t-hnn is generally believed. lie avowed that had ho to bojrin life fig.-uii he would endeavour to be a hypocrite and flatter everybody, liespite tho internal pain of having to flatter people under a mask. At tlin closing years of his life, when prostrated by consumption and melancholy, he deplored his loneliness, he ardently desired to have a daughter to educate, or to adopt some little gipsy girl to ivar up as he believed she ought to be, though when she grew up the " little monster might desert him for a masher." He knew well he was destined to live aloiie, as he died, but the desire to have somebody to love him renin iner] with him ns a dream till his death, at Cannes in ISG7He had no clear instinct of life ; his ideas respecting it were confused ; he tasted all its so-called pleasures, experienced all its-alleged joys, and only found bitterness to lie at the. bottom of lie cup-. Knt of what could he repi-nt ? lit: nover during his career recognised •or virtue- only energies, and for duty 'ml pa.-.t.i'.ns. It is fair to aak if he iiiv idi'.-r conceptions about either life rir"d,;alli. He had the pride of intellectual audacity, for which he was castigated by bitterness of heart; and both clung to h:in lil;e the shirt of Nessus, poisoning his existence, for his was the incurable malady of hereditary ennui.

Lr.s pui/s rift di.r millelnn, by Leon <le Ho-;:oy (.Soivl). 'I'liis sprightly voii:nso is W'itSen in a simple and ntu'lious slyly, tin-iwiijg iii tic: li 1 ;_'ht on Finland and the BaU'c pi'ovinu ■.-. It opens with an exi:«!l«nt summary of Russia, ;wd an attractive description of St. Peterabui , ". Tiie author i as j.rofuse'y illustrated tb.e v.)iuino with his own sketches. Any roliiiliio infoiin:ition of llnssia is at t he P'u.«:;it ini-raciit invaluable, we know s i iitfclc of ill- , realm of tlio whilo C/.ai , .