LAMARTINE--HORACE VERNET--GIRARDIN--HUGO--JANIN
LAMARTINE
[Illustration: LAMARTINE.]
Lamartine is a poet, a historian, and a statesman. He has not been
successful in the last-mentioned capacity, but take his qualities
together, he is, perhaps, the most distinguished of living French
authors.
Alphonse de Lamartine was born on the 21st of October, 1791, at Mecon.
His father was captain in a regiment of cavalry. Refusing to join with
the terrorists in 1794, he fled from Paris into the country with his
wife and two children. But he did not escape the spies of his enemies,
who arrested and put him at once into a dungeon. Some months after, the
terrorists having lost power, he was released. Resolving to provide for
the future peace of his family, he purchased the chateau of Milly, a
spot in the open, and nearly wild country. Lamartine gives us sketches
of his life here. His mother was a good, pious soul, and taught him out
of the old family bible lessons from the sacred scriptures. She often
made visits to the poor, and Alphonse accompanied her on these
benevolent errands, and thus very early in life learned to be gentle and
good. He left the grounds of Milly at eight years of age, to enter the
school of Belley, under the care of the Jesuits.
He took the prizes with ease, and his teachers discovering that he had a
talent for poetry, encouraged it. His parents took counsel as to what
should be done with their son. The father wished to make a soldier of
him, but the mother was opposed to this plan--she did not care to make a
human butcher of her boy. He paused some time at Lyons, on his return
from school, and afterward he traveled over Italy. He here met a young
man who was an excellent singer, and became quite intimate with him, so
much so, that he often slept upon his shoulder. When the two friends had
arrived at Rome, Lamartine was called down to the breakfast-room one
morning, to behold--_not_ his male companion, but a young woman of
beauty, who greeted him familiarly. It was his friend who had been
traveling in male costume, and who now said blushingly, "Dress does not
change the heart."
Lamartine went to Naples and his purse ran low, when he chanced to meet
an old classmate who had plenty of money, and together the young men
enjoyed their good fortune. At Naples, Graziella, the daughter of a poor
fisherman, fell in love with the poet. The story of this girl he tells
very touchingly. When he returned home he was welcomed very warmly. The
family had removed to Macon. His mother grew pale and trembling, to see
how long absence and agony of heart had changed her son. She told him
that their fortune had been considerably affected by his travels and
imprudences, and she spoke not by way of reproach, for said she, "You
know that if I could change my tears into gold, I would gladly give them
all into your hands."
He wished to go to Paris, and his father gave him, for his maintenance,
the moderate sum of twelve hundred francs a year. The mother pitied her
son, and going to her room, she took her last jewel and put it into his
hands, saying, "Go and seek glory!" He took a plenty of recommendations
with him, but was resolved to accept nothing from the emperor. When a
young man he had dreamed of a republic, but now, after coming to Paris,
he became a Bonapartist. He entered the most aristocratic circles, and
changed again to a legitimist. He now made a second voyage to Italy,
following the inclinations of his dreamy nature. During his stay there,
he composed the first volume of his _Meditations_, which afterward won
him so much fame.
He was on the borders of the gulf of Naples, when he heard of the
establishment of the Bourbon dynasty, and he hastened home and solicited
a place in the army, to the great joy of his father. During the Hundred
Days he threw aside the sword, and would not take it again when Louis
XVIII. regained the throne.
Lamartine now loved a young woman devotedly, but she died, to his
excessive grief. He was severely ill from this cause, and it wrought a
great change in his character. When recovered from his illness, he
destroyed his profane poetry, and kept only that which bore the impress
of faith and religion. He published his first volume of _Meditations_
in 1820. He sought in vain two years for a publisher, until at last a
man by the name of Nicoll, as a personal favor, issued the volume. It
made his fortune. France welcomed the new poet as a redeemer, who had
dispelled the materialism of Voltaire. He became an _attache_ of the
ambassador in Tuscany, and there met a young English woman, who was in
love with him before she saw him, from reading his _Meditations_. This
woman he shortly married. She brought him beauty, goodness, and a large
fortune.
In 1823 the second volume of _Meditations_ appeared, and had the same
success as the first. An uncle died at this time, leaving him a fortune,
and he was now independent of the world. He lived alternately in London
and in Paris, occasionally accepting the post of secretary to a foreign
ambassador, and finally becoming charge d'affaires at an Italian court.
Like almost all the distinguished authors of France, Lamartine fought
his duel. He had written something disparaging to modern Italy, and one
Colonel Pepe, an Italian, challenged him to fight a duel. He accepted
the challenge and was wounded. For six months he hung between life and
death. All Florence condemned with severity the brutal colonel, who had
taken offense at one of the poet's verses, and they came to inquire for
his health every hour of the day, as if he had been a monarch. When he
left Florence, great was their sorrow. In the midst of his diplomatic
labors he continued to write poetry, and on his return to Paris in the
month of May, 1829, he published "_Harmonies Poetiques et
Reliegieuses_," and this book created for him such a reputation, and
gave him so much honor, that in 1830 he was elected a member of the
Academy.
The government about this time was resolved upon sending a minister
plenipotentiary to Greece, and Lamartine was chosen as the man; but at
the juncture the revolution broke out, and the project fell to the
ground. The poet was discouraged, and went to live in the country, on an
estate bequeathed to him by one of his uncles. He soon became tired of
his quiet life, and took ship at Marseilles, with his wife and his
daughter Julia, for the Orient. The vessel was his own, and he sailed at
pleasure. France lost for a time her brilliant son, but gained there-for
a beautiful book--_Le Voyage en Orient_. It achieved a great success,
and if he would have been content with literary renown, he now could
have wished for nothing more to add to his happiness. While he was
absent in the East, he kept an eye upon the politics of home.
His daughter Julia was taken very ill at Beyrout, and died. She was
brought back to Marseilles in her coffin. This was a terrible blow to
the poet, who possessed as soft a heart as ever throbbed in the breast
of woman.
During his absence, the electors of Dunkirk decided to offer Lamartine a
seat in the Chamber of Deputies, and he was elected. Well had it been
for the poet if he had rested satisfied with his literature, but he
entered the field of politics to become distinguished, but to win no
laurels. He was unsuccessful, at first, in the Chamber. He became a
radical, and that party flattered him. They were poor--he was rich and
generous. He gave freely for his party, and found himself almost
penniless. He gave to all who needed, so long as he had anything to
give. At this time a man wrote to him--"I die of hunger." The poet sent
five hundred francs, and begged pardon for not sending more, adding--"
You have all my heart."
At this time the _History of the Girondins_ appeared, and had a
remarkable success. Lamartine was severely blamed by many for writing
it, but none disputed the wonderful literary merit of the work. The next
revolution came--and Louis Phillippe fled from France. The people
flocked around Lamartine. They had been charmed by his grand words for
humanity; they were now fascinated by his commanding mien and noble
countenance. They thought because he sang sweetly, wrote nobly, that he
was a statesman. They mistook. The author had no talents for
statesmanship, and he fell. He was too ideal--not sufficiently
practical; and he could not hold the position which the populace had
given him. For a short time his ambition--never an impure one--was
gratified, for he saw France turn toward him as a deliverer; but he has
ever since had the bitter reflection that he was unequal to the
occasion, and that he had acted wisely never to have invaded the domain
of politics.
The history of Lamartine during the revolution of 1848 is everywhere
known, and we need not repeat it. He soon gave up politics forever.
Since that time he has attended only to literature. Recently, he
ventured into speculations, and lost his fortune. I had the good luck to
meet him last June, in the office of the editor of _L'Illustration_, in
the Rue Richelieu. He was in good health, and I was much struck with his
general appearance. He looks to be what he has always been--one of
nature's noblemen. His hair is almost white, but his figure is erect
and noble. He is tall and dignified, and his manners are pleasing.
Lamartine has struggled hard to save from the hands of his creditors his
estate of Saint Point, where the bones of his ancestors lie. Every
autumn he repairs thither with Madame Lamartine, and spends a few months
in the golden quiet of the country. His wife is the angel of his
household, and has proved a treasure far above earthly riches. Both
husband and wife are exceedingly generous. A friend of theirs, who was
very intimate with the family, was so angered at their liberality, that
he one morning entered the house, demanding all the keys, and declaring
that he would for a time take charge of their expenses. They willingly
acceded to his demand. He locked up everything valuable, and left the
house. Soon a sister of charity came, and sought alms for the poor.
Madame Lamartine tried the desk for money--it was locked. She called the
valet and had it broken open, and gave the sister eight hundred francs.
Lamartine smiled, and kissed her for the generous act. The friend
returned and found that there was not money enough left for dinner!
Lamartine possesses a noble heart, a conscience, and is a christian. He
is a bright example, but alas! a rare one, among the authors of France.
HORACE VERNET
[Illustration: HORACE VERNET.]
Horace Vernet, the great modern painter of France, was born in the
Louvre on the 30th of June, 1789. The kings of France were in the habit
of giving to distinguished artists a domicile in the Louvre, and the
father of Horace Vernet, at the time of his birth, had apartments in the
palace. He is descended from a dynasty of artists.
Antoine Vernet, the great-grandfather of Horace, lived in the time of
Mademoiselle de L'Enclos, a very celebrated courtesan, and it is said by
some that he was the author of the portrait of her which exists at this
day, but it is proved that he never left Argnon, where he lived as an
artist. The grandfather of the subject of this sketch--Claude-Joseph
Vernet--studied in Rome, and became a distinguished marine painter under
the reign of Louis XV., who commissioned him to paint a series of
pictures. Carle Vernet, the father of Horace Vernet, was also an artist.
When quite young, he fell violently in love with the daughter of an
opulent furnisher. The marriage was impossible, and his friends, to wean
him from his love, sent him to Italy, where he studied the art of
painting, and took a high prize--but he could not forget the woman he
had loved. In his grief he resolved to give himself up to a monastic
life, and his letters from Italy apprised his friends of that fact. His
father hastened to Italy and brought him back to France, where he at
once acquired distinction as a painter, and was elected a member of the
Academy of Painting. He painted several grand battle-scenes under the
empire, and in 1789 became the father of the Horace Vernet, so justly
distinguished in modern times.
Horace was taught the art of his father, and he learned to draw at the
same time that he learned to read. In 1793 the family of artists
experienced many dangers, and on the 18th of August, while his father
and Horace were crossing the court of the Tuileries palace, Horace was
shot through the hat, while a ball pierced the clothes of the father.
Carle Vernet was about to hasten from France when new terrors detained
him. His sister had married M. Chalgrin, an architect, who adhered to
the fortunes of the court of Provence. For this, the mob had revenge
upon his beautiful wife, who was thrown into the Abbaye prison. Carle
Vernet hastened to his brother artist, David, who was in favor with the
revolutionists, and who could easily save his sister's life. He
besought David to save his sister, but he coolly replied:
"She is an aristocrat, and I will not trouble myself about her." She
perished, and the reason was, that in early life she had refused the
matrimonial offers of the painter.
The youthful Horace was reckoned very beautiful by all his friends, and
especially by his father. He was a model, in fact, and as he grew up, he
showed that he had inherited the artist-genius of his father, and added
to it a wit peculiarly his own. His sallies were often exceedingly
amusing to the people in whose company he chiefly spent his time. He
entered college, and as soon as he had quitted it he was already
distinguished as an artist. Instead of going back to ancient times, he
painted his own age. He was enthusiastic in all his efforts, and
catching the spirit of the times, grew rapidly popular. He did not live
in the past, but in the living present, and endeavored to glorify the
men, deeds, and places of to-day.
The figure of Vernet was small, his face was fine-looking, his hand
white, and his foot very small. He went to masked balls and arrayed
himself as a woman, and was constantly importuned by suitors. On one
occasion a marshal of France was so pressing in his suit, that he put
himself under the care of his wife, who took the supposed lady home with
her in the family carriage!
From 1811 to 1815 Vernet appeared at court and was quite popular. He
painted portraits of the different members of the royal family. He was
so celebrated for his drawings, that the editors disputed for them, and
paid him the highest prices. In 1814 he was decorated with the cross of
the Legion of Honor. At the restoration, he for a time was under a
cloud. He was not idle, but such were his subjects that he was shut out
of the Louvre. He, however, executed many paintings, which subsequently
became celebrated. Disgusted with the treatment he received, he
journeyed with his father into Italy.
The Louvre continued shut against Vernet's pictures, but the peers took
up his cause with great unanimity and enthusiasm. A list of his best
pictures was published and warmly eulogized, and as they could be seen
at his studio, the crowd of artists and critics, and others, wended
their way thither. The painter was recompensed. In the midst of this
crowd, and the confusion necessarily consequent upon their visit, Horace
Vernet went on quietly in his work, in their presence, and executed that
series of grand paintings, which in after years brought him so wide a
renown. The duke of Orleans was his warm friend. He bought many pictures
of him, and ordered himself painted in every style. Charles X. grew
jealous, and concluded it wise to withdraw his persecution of the
artist. He ordered a portrait of himself, and the Louvre was open to
him.
He now wrought a revolution in the art of painting in Paris, and
established a new school. It was his desire to triumph over David, and
he boasted that he would do so. The public pronounced him the first
painter of the age. Some of his best pictures at this time were painted
at Rome. Upon his return he found his old friend king, under the title
of Louis Philippe. He was, of course, a favorite at court. The king gave
him the use of a studio at Versailles, of a magnificent description, in
which he wrought at great national pictures. He was an indefatigable
worker. He never hesitated to make the longest journey to study the
scene of his pictures. He traveled up and down the Mediterranean,
visited Arabia, Africa, and other distant spots, lived in tents, put up
with privation and suffering, that he might paint from nature. His
memory was so excellent that having once looked upon a spot, nothing was
afterward forgotten; every characteristic of the place was sure to
reappear upon the canvas. The least detail of position or gesture, he
remembered for years with ease. Indeed, his faculty for daguerreotyping
such things upon his mind, was wonderful. He met his friend, the marquis
de Pastorel, one day, who said:
"How are you, Horace; where have you kept yourself for these two years?
I have not met you for years."
"You are mistaken," replied the artist; "I met you six months since in
the garden of the Tuileries."
"You are dreaming," said the marquis.
"No," said Vernet, "a lady was with you--wait a moment and I will sketch
her face."
He drew a few hasty lines upon a bit of paper, and lo! the marquis
beheld the face of an intimate lady friend of his, and at the same
instant remembered that he had escorted her across the Tuileries gardens
six months before.
"It is well for you that you live _now_" said the marquis, "for two
centuries earlier they would have burned you for a sorcerer."
Horace Vernet has been a great student of the scriptures, and he
maintains that in painting historical scenes from the bible, the
costumes should be such as the Arabians use at this time, and in his
scripture paintings he has followed out this plan.
In 1834 and 1835 he was principally on the coast of Africa, engaged in
painting. But he returned to his studio at Versailles, and in 1836
produced several grand battle-pictures. The king desired that he should
fill an entire gallery with his pictures at Versailles, and Vernet went
at his giant work. He occupied six years, and the gallery was called _la
Galerie de Constentine_. The king came into his studio one day, and
offered to make Vernet a peer. The painter declined the honor, saying
"the _bourgeois_ rise--the nobles fall--leave me with the arts."
He was one day painting _the Siege of Valenciennes_ for the king, when
the latter requested that the painter would represent Louis XIV. as
prominent in the siege. Vernet consulted history, and found that during
the siege the king was three leagues away with one of his mistresses. He
therefore utterly refused to lie upon canvas. The king was very angry,
and several persons were sent to persuade Vernet to consent, _for pay_,
to make the concession. He however remained firm, and picking up his
effects and selling his pictures, started for St. Petersburgh, where he
was received with open arms by Nicholas. While at the Russian court,
Vernet spoke freely his sentiments, and condemned the taking of Poland.
"Bah!" said the Czar, "you look from a French point of view--I from the
Russian. I dare say, now, you would refuse to paint me _the taking of
Warsaw_."
"No, sire," replied the painter, sublimely; "every day we represent
Christ upon the cross!"
Louis Philippe sent by his ambassador for Vernet to return to Paris.
"You may paint the Siege of Valenciennes without any Louis XIV. in it,
if you please," he said. The painter was received warmly, and the old
quarrel was forgotten. He at once commenced a picture of immense
size--the taking of Smala, which in eight months he finished.
The repose of Horace Vernet is in his travels, and he is one of the
greatest of modern travelers. It is said that the Arabian tribes love
and respect him, and that he returns gladly to their society whenever
duty requires it.
Horace Vernet has been blessed with but one child, a daughter, who
married Paul Delaroche, a distinguished artist. This only child died in
1846.
In the later revolutions which have passed over France, Vernet has not
participated. He has lived only in his profession and among his personal
friends. He resided for years at Versailles, where he had a splendid
mansion, but he removed to Paris a few years since. He is one of the
greatest of modern artists, and is revered as an honor to the nation.
EMILE DE GIRARDIN.
[Illustration: EMILE DE GIRARDIN.]
Girardin has been for so many years one of the leading minds of Paris,
has been so distinguished as a journalist, that I have thought a slight
sketch of his life and character would be acceptable to my readers.
It is said that he never knew the day of his birth, but it occurred in
the year 1802. He does not appear to be as old as he in reality is, for
his forehead is unwrinkled, his eye sparkles with a fascinating fire,
and his hair is not gray. He carries almost always an eye-glass, which
gives him the reputation--undeserved--of impertinence. His manners are
those of a gentleman of the most refined cast, and, as editor of _La
Presse_, he has long wielded a powerful influence over a class of minds.
Girardin was the illegitimate child of a count of the empire; his
mother, taking advantage of the absence of her husband from France,
conducted herself in a shameful manner with her lovers, and before her
husband had returned, she had presented one of them with the subject of
this sketch. Many scandalous stories have been coined by the enemies of
Girardin respecting his birth, but the facts we have stated are
undeniable. He was placed out at nurse with a woman named Choiseul, who
took illegitimate children to the number of ten, from the wealthy and
high-born, to care for and nurse. Had it not been for the shrewdness of
this old nurse, Girardin would never have known his parents. For a time
they came to see their child, in stolen visits, but gradually their
visits died away, and were finally given up altogether. But the nurse in
her walks about the streets met and recognized the familiar faces of the
parents, and ascertained their condition in life.
The father was at this time unmarried, but at the instigation of his
master, Napoleon, he wedded a young wife, and soon neglected his
illegitimate child. Fearing that his wife would discover his secret, and
take revenge upon him, he had the boy secretly removed to the care of an
old servant of his, who was furnished with the means to take care of him
and teach him all he knew himself, which was but little. He was strictly
enjoined to call the child _Emile Delamothe_. This occurred in 1814. The
father now thought that he had acquitted himself of his duty to the boy,
and cared no more for him. But he was not blessed in his union--he had
no legitimate children.
The man into whose care Emile was given, was a harsh man, and gave the
youth no rest from his severe discipline. He allowed him none of the
pastimes of other children, and under this regime he suffered. At
fourteen he had bad health, and a bilious color overspread his face,
which never left it. Seeing that his health was suffering, the master
sent him, under the care of his brother, into Normandy. This brother was
a kind old soul, and gave the boy pleasant words, and a healthy, homely
fare. In the country Emile enjoyed himself heartily. He wandered among
the fields, played among the animals, and slept at night upon a litter
of straw, and grew well again. In his ramblings he was oftenest alone,
and pondered over his wretched fortunes. At eighteen he left the country
for Paris. His first care was to visit his old nurse, and try to
discover the condition of his parents. She could only give him a clew,
but there had been such great changes since he left Paris, that she had
no idea where his father dwelt, if he was alive. Emile then went to see
the old man who first had care of him--his guardian--and plied him with
questions. But he was impenetrable, and would reveal nothing. More than
this--he read the law respecting illegitimate children, to Emile. It was
a heavy blow upon his hopes. His guardian showed him proof of his birth,
and a paper which gave to him, at twenty-one, the command of a small sum
of money, the interest of which had heretofore supported him. In his
anger he tore up the proof of his birth. Perhaps naturally, he at once
took up against the laws of marriage, and became a bitter reformer. He
frequented a reading-room, where he met several literary men who were in
the habit of speaking of their books with pride. Emile was excited to
try his own capabilities, and soon presented to his friends the
manuscript of _Emile_, a story, the principal parts of which were true
records of his own life. The literary friends were at variance in their
criticisms upon the manuscript. Some declared it worthless, and advised
him to get a style, while others praised the effort. Finding no
publisher, our hero learned from a court directory the secret he had
struggled after so long--the address of his father--and sent to him his
story, written in a manner calculated to move the paternal heart. He
received no direct reply, but eight days after, he was presented with an
excellent situation with the secretary of Louis XVIII. Undoubtedly he
was indebted to his father's recommendation for the place. So his
story--afterward published--though it did not appear as he had intended
when he wrote it, was not without its effect.
His time not being wholly occupied in the bureau, Girardin employed his
spare moments in writing one or two novels, which appeared some time
afterward. He has not been a voluminous author, _Emile_ being his
principal book. But his career has been that of a journalist, and though
he has been everything by turns, yet he has had fame and influence.
By a turn in the wheel of fortune Girardin lost his place with the
secretary, and went upon the exchange and solicited an humble office for
the purpose of studying the chances there. As soon as he considered
himself fit to decide, he ventured in buying very heavily certain
stocks, and lost nearly all his little property. He was in despair and
wrote to his father, who sent back an unfeeling letter. It is told of
him that he presented himself before his father with a loaded pistol in
either hand, and threatened to shoot him, and then himself, if he would
not give him his name. This tale was undoubtedly invented by his
enemies. He tried to enter the army but was rejected on account of his
sickly appearance. He was go discouraged at this, that he attempted to
commit suicide, and was saved from death as it were by a miracle. He
resolved never again to give way to a similar rashness, and tried once
more to succeed in life. He boldly took the name of Girardin, and though
it was against law, yet his father feared scandal too much to institute
legal measures against him. He now offered his book--_Emile_--to the
publishers. It was eagerly caught up and sold rapidly. In the midst of
his success he went to the minister and demanded employment, naming his
father as reference! This bold application was successful, and he had a
sinecure given him, as a kind of inspector of the fine arts.
He started a weekly journal with a friend, which was made up of
selections. It was called _The Voleur_, and at the end of a month had a
circulation of ten thousand. It was a dishonest mode of getting money,
as no original writing was given. The name, _Voleur_, means thief. One
of the authors whose writings were often quoted from in the _Voleur_,
loudly remonstrated against the injustice of the procedure, and gaining
no satisfaction, he fought a duel with Girardin, who was wounded in the
shoulder, but the wound was not dangerous. It was not his first duel--he
had fought with pistols in 1825. He withdrew from the conductorship of
the _Voleur_, and under the patronage of the duchess de Berri, started a
new journal, called _la Mode_. It had a great success, but as it waxed
more and more liberal, the duchess repented her patronage, and finally
withdrew it. The act gave the journal three thousand new subscribers. He
foresaw the revolution of 1830, and sold out both his journals, thus
taking excellent care of his property. Under the new _regime_ he started
a weekly paper, which acquired a circulation of one hundred and twenty
thousand copies. He soon fell in love with Madamoiselle Delphine Gay, a
talented and beautiful young woman, and married her.
After his marriage Girardin for several years turned his attention more
particularly to philanthropic projects, which should benefit the people.
He advocated savings banks, and gave much of his time to their
establishment. He also founded an agricultural school. His wife turned
him somewhat from his political and speculative plans, to more practical
ones of this kind.
In 1833 he started _le Musee des Familles_, and to get subscribers, he
placarded the walls of Paris with monstrous bills, initiating a nuisance
which has ever since been used by all kinds of impostors. In 1834 he was
elected to the Chamber of Deputies, and a year later he fought his third
duel.
In 1836 _La Presse_ was established, the journal with which his greatest
fame is connected. In starting this new paper Girardin intended to ruin
all the other Paris journals. His plan was to furnish more matter for
one-half the ordinary price of a journal than the usual dailies gave to
their readers. He made, as he might have expected, bitter enemies out of
his contemporaries. They attacked him, and with such unfairness, and in
such a personal manner, that he flew to the courts for relief, or
revenge. The journalists then accused him of cowardice--of fearing to
trust his reputation to public discussion. It was at this time that he
had his sad and fatal quarrel with Armand Carrel--a brother editor.
Girardin shot Carrel in the groin. He died the next day. Girardin was
wounded in the thigh. The loss of Carrel was deeply felt, and his
funeral was attended by multitudes of the Parisians. For a time Girardin
was exceedingly unpopular in Paris, and his enemies knew well how to
make use of his unpopularity. They attacked him with redoubled severity
and criticised all his questionable acts. He, however, replied to their
fire with so much spirit, and with such terrible bitterness, that they
were in the end if not conquered, willing to let him alone.
In his journal Girardin defended the throne, and was generally the
friend of good morals. He is accused of signing his own name to all the
most brilliant articles which appeared in his journal, whether he was in
reality the author or not, for the sake of his reputation. He made
enemies in all quarters, but his paper gained an immense circulation.
His wife became his disciple, and rendered him great assistance in his
literary labors. She has rendered her own name illustrious in France by
her writings. She was entirely devoted to her husband, and not only
loved the man but espoused his cause and principles. Whenever her
husband was attacked she resented it, and often used a bitter and witty
pen in his defense. Her verses upon Cavaignac are yet remembered in
Paris. When that general arrested her husband, she flew to his house and
demanded if she were living in the reign of terror.
"No," replied Cavaignac, "but under the reign of the sword."
"Attach a cord to your sword and you will be a guillotine!" replied the
intrepid woman.
The drawing-rooms of Madame Girardin were among the most celebrated of
the French capital. There might be seen the most distinguished authors,
political celebrities, and soldiers of the time, and she was the leading
spirit among them. Her husband rarely condescended to attend their
_reunions_, as he had no taste for society and conversation. In the late
revolutions which have swept over France, Girardin continued to save
himself from exile or imprisonment. The truth is, he always loved money
and power too well to make a sacrifice of himself for the cause of the
people, and his course has been too much that of a demagogue from the
first. His great object, during the latter part of his life, seems to
have been to gain the portfolio of a minister--and without success, for
from the days of the 1848 revolution, his influence rapidly declined.
VICTOR HUGO
[Illustration: VICTOR HUGO.]
France has given birth to few men, in modern times, who exceed Victor
Hugo in all that is noble and great. He is not simply a man of genius, a
poet, and an orator, he is in its full sense _a man_. Too many of the
brilliant men of France have lacked principle, have been ready to sell
themselves to the highest bidder. It has not been so with Victor Hugo,
and for that reason he is now an exile from the shores of his native
land. His passionately eloquent orations, delivered on various sad
occasions since he was exiled, have awakened the interest of the world,
and people who cared little for him as the successful author, feel a
deep sympathy for the noble exile.
Victor Hugo was born at Besancon in 1803, and of a rich family. His
father was a general in the service of Joseph Bonaparte, who was then
king of Naples. He followed him into Spain, where he distinguished
himself by his valor. He returned in 1814, and journeyed through Italy.
Victor was then very young, but accompanied his father on his Italian
tour. When but fourteen years old, Victor wrote a poem, to compete with
many older persons for a prize, and though his poem was undoubtedly
deserving of the reward, yet from his extreme youth, only honorable
mention was made of his effort. This early poetical ambition, however,
was an indication of his future career.
When he was twenty-two years of age, Charles X. gave him an audience,
and Victor Hugo presented his majesty with some of his poetry. The king
handed it to Chateaubriand, who was near, and demanded his opinion.
"Sire," said he, "the youth has a sublime genius!"
Hugo was displeased with the judgment of the Academy, which had not
given him the prize for his first verses, and he wrote for an Academy at
Toulouse, won several prizes, and was honored with a degree in the
presence of Chateaubriand. He lived during this time in Paris, with his
mother, who loved him to idolatry, and the affection was as warmly
returned on the part of her son. She was a royalist and suggested his
first poems. When she died he was overwhelmed with grief, and wrote a
sad romance entitled _Han d' Glande_, which was severely attacked by the
critics, many of whom knew his youth. But he triumphed over them all, as
genuine genius is always sure to do. He now fell in love with a
beautiful young girl, named Mademoiselle Foucher, and they married. He
was twenty, and she was but fifteen years of age. They loved each other
fondly, and if they were poor in gold, they were "very rich in virtues."
The publisher who brought out Hugo's romance, says that he visited the
young family to purchase the second edition, and found them living in a
pleasant little dwelling with two children to grace their fireside. Here
came troops of friends, for Hugo had already made them among the wise
and great. The politicians of the day, Thiers and others, were his
companions. He often took his wife and children and went out to saunter
in the public gardens or on the Boulevards, and wherever they went they
carried happiness with them.
Hugo was still a royalist. It was more a sentiment than a principle with
him, for he had not yet regarded politics with conscientious study. In
1826 a publisher made a collection of his poems, and issued them in one
volume. It brought him wealth and renown. But though all this while Hugo
was very happy in his family, yet the critics were bitter in their
attacks upon him. He was accused of plagiarism, and especially when a
new romance of his came out, he was accused of stealing it from Walter
Scott.
The poet lost his first-born, and Madame Hugo took it so much to heart
that he thought it wise to close their residence. Besides, changes had
been made in the street so as to render it less pleasant as a residence.
After one or two changes he finally settled down in the Place Royale,
where he spent many years of his life. This dwelling was furnished to
suit the taste of a poet, and was beautiful in every respect. It was
filled with statues, paintings, and exquisite furniture, and his study,
especially, was a charming apartment. Here his friends came--and they
were numerous as the leaves upon a tree. Young authors flocked to his
rooms and received counsel, and old men came to enjoy his conversation.
He next published _The Last days of the Condemned, and Notre Dame de
Paris_, which had a fine success, and covered his name with glory in
France. He now wrote _Marion Delorme_ for the theater, but the censor
would not allow it to be played. The king himself was appealed to, and
confirmed the decision of his officer, and it appeared after his fall.
This was the play which Dumas stole. When this play was rejected by the
censor, Hugo wrote another for the theatrical manager who had engaged
it, entitled _Hernani_, which had a splendid success. The opposition
which he met from the actors and actresses was at first great, but he
conquered all obstacles. The king, as if to appease him for the conduct
of his censor, gave him a pension of six thousand francs a year, but he
nobly refused to take a franc of it.
The success of _Delorme_ was very great, and the Parisian public wept
over it in dense crowds. One peculiarity of Hugo has been, that having
once written a book or play he never recalls a sentence. Not to please
managers, censors, or friends even, has he ever recalled a line, though
it were to save himself from severe penalties. He has always been too
proud and too conscientious to stoop in this way to either the populace
or the government. In the meantime his house was besieged with
publishers and theatrical managers, who besought him to use his pen for
them.
He wrote, when once at a piece of work, with rapidity, and applied
himself very closely. In writing _Notre Dame_, he was occupied for six
months, and during that time he did not leave his house for a day, such
were the urgent demands of his publisher upon him. He wrote for his
publishers and for the managers and constantly increased his
reputation. _Lucretia Borgia_ appeared on the stage and had an almost
unheard of success. It eclipsed all of his plays which had preceded it.
He also published two or three volumes of songs at this time, which were
enthusiastically received by the French people. He was always the warm
friend of the poor. In 1834 he petitioned the duke of Orleans in favor
of a poor family he chanced to know, and the duke gave a hundred louis
to relieve them. In return the poet addressed the duke in song.
The manager who had brought out _Lucretia Borgia_ offered him ten
thousand francs for another, and very soon _Marie Tudor_ made its
appearance. There seems to have been trouble in its representation, from
quarrels between rival actors. The manager acted dishonorably toward the
poet. He announced his new play in an objectionable manner. Hugo
complained, and he promised amendment the next day. But when the next
day's announcement came Hugo saw no change, and what was worse still,
the manager tried to deceive him by asserting that the bills were
altered according to his wish. Hugo upbraided him for his falsehood, and
demanded the play back. The manager would not give it up, for he had
announced it. Said he:
"To-morrow your play will appear, and I will cause it to prove a
failure."
"Instead of that," replied Hugo, "I will make your theater bankrupt."
The representation came on, and it proved eminently successful. But Hugo
would not forgive such deception and insolence. He wrote a new
play--_Angelo_--for a rival theater. In vain the old manager offered a
high price for it. In a few months he and his theater were bankrupt,
and he found, too late, that it was unwise to attempt to deceive and
insult a man like Victor Hugo.
It is said that M. Hugo has a talent of high order for music, and also
for drawing. During the cholera of 1832, he filled an album with
caricatures to amuse his wife and children, and draw their attention
from the dreadful ravages of the epidemic.
In 1841 Victor Hugo was elected a member of the Academy. Two years later
he was raised to the dignity of peer of the realm. The duke of Orleans
congratulated him upon the event.
A short time previous to this, Barbes was condemned to death. An
application for a reprieve had been made to the king without being
granted. A sister of Barbes came to Hugo, and besought him to use his
influence with the king. Marie Wirtemburg had just died and the count de
Paris was but a few weeks old. Hugo addressed a few touching lines of
poetry to the king, and with allusions to the dead and the newly born,
besought a pardon. It was instantly granted.
The history of Hugo from this time forward the whole world knows. He was
an honest and hearty reformer. He was not content with glory as a man of
letters--he wished to be of service to his suffering fellow-men. He was
to a certain extent a communist, and a thorough republican. He hated the
man Louis Napoleon, and was exiled. Belgium would not hold him, nor
London--the latter was too full of smoke and fog to be endured. He said,
after trying London, "The good Lord will not take the sunshine, too,
from us."
He lives now in the island of Jersey, in a simple English mansion, but
very comfortable. Behind it there is a beautiful garden terminated by a
terrace, upon which the sea lashes its foam when the wind is high. From
the window the sad exile beholds the distant shores of his native
France.
In his retreat he has occupied himself with literary labors. He has been
writing a volume of poetry to appear in the epic form. He has also been
busy upon a volume of philosophy, a drama of five acts in which Mazarin
is to figure as the principal character, two volumes of lyrical poetry,
and a romance upon a modern subject, for which he has been offered one
hundred and twenty thousand francs.
Madame Hugo and the children partake of exile with Victor Hugo, together
with ten grandchildren. Charles Hugo, his son, who is with him, is
distinguished as an author, but busies himself principally on the island
in taking daguerreotype views. He has already made a hundred different
pictures of his illustrious father, and sent them to his admirers in
France.
Victor Hugo is a little over fifty years of age, and is full of life and
animation. Let us hope that by political changes, or the clemency of the
tyrant who sits upon the French throne, that he may soon return to the
land he loves so well.
JULES JANIN
[Illustration: JULES JANIN.]
"Oh! what a year in which to be born!" exclaims Janin of the year
1804--the year in which Napoleon, conqueror at the Pyramids and Marengo,
placed upon his head the imperial crown--and the year which gave birth
to the prince of French critics--Jules Janin. His parents were poor and
humble, but honest and intelligent, and resided in Saint Etienne, near
Lyons. At Lyons he entered school and became distinguished. At fifteen
he imagined himself well versed in Greek and Latin, and in short, was a
young egotist. His family fostered this self love. An uncle said, "Let
me send the prodigy to college in Paris!" An aunt paid the expenses of
the first year--for he entered the college of Louis-le-Grand. This aunt
loved the boy dearly, and for a week before he left, could not see him,
such was her tenderness.
The whole family expected great things of him, and thought that his
talents would be immediately recognized. But they were doomed to
disappointment. He gained no prize in college, and no honors. His aunt
had expected that after one year, such were his talents, that the
college would gladly give him the rest of his education, but she was
obliged to support him for two years more.
He made himself unpopular with his teachers in college from fighting the
Jesuits. When he left college he would not return to Saint Etienne,
where his companions would mock him. He resolved to stay in Paris, even
if he starved. He wrote to his kind old aunt, who at once came to Paris
and made a quiet home for him. But this would not do--the rent of the
house was half her income. He first took a class of pupils and taught
them Latin, Greek, and history. This was a slight addition to their
income. Summer came and his pupils left. He now was forced to engage
with a professor of a boarding-school, at the rate of ten dollars a
month, to teach. The professor was unfortunate and his furniture was
attached, he, at the time, owing Jules for three months' work. He was an
honest and good man, and Jules offered to give him the sum due, though
he had not money enough left to get him a dinner. But he contrived a
plan by which he cheated the law officers of a part of their goods, and
got his pay. He was noted at this time more for his appetite than
anything else, and would sacrifice more for a good dinner, probably,
than for aught else. But in the absence of good living he took to
solitary reading, and acquired a taste for literature.
He one day chanced to meet a college-friend who was a journalist.
"I am miserable," said Janin.
"Become a journalist, then," the friend replied, "if you have not an
income"
That very night he was invited to dine with his friend, and made his
resolution to live by his pen. He commenced his articles in the
journals, writing at first criticisms upon theatrical performances. He
at once commenced his system of flattering those who paid him well
either in praise or gold, and denouncing authors and actors who were
independent of him.
His kind aunt now died, after having expended her last franc, and Janin
took up a new residence. He soon acquired such fame in his critical
writings, that he was at ease. He engaged with the _Figaro_ journal, and
contributed powerfully to its success. He was, of course, well paid for
his services. He fell in love with a young girl in humble life. An
artist did the same. The two men quarreled about her, and Janin wrote a
book in which the woman was the heroine. But he was unsuccessful--the
young woman married the painter and was happy. Janin rose to the highest
position as a fashionable critic in Paris, and still he has never
acquired beyond France the reputation of a profound critic and scholar.
In October, 1841, he was married, and instead of spending a pleasant
evening, he celebrated his marriage by going to his room and writing a
newspaper article, greatly to his prejudice amongst his friends. Of late
it has been remarked, that Jules Janin is less imperious in his
criticisms than he was formerly. He has been very severely reviewed by
Dumas and Roqueplan, and has behaved more wisely since.
We have not sketched Jules Janin as a great man, but as a man who makes
great pretensions, and who has long been acknowledged, in Paris and
France, as the prince of critics.