george sand- 第28部分

Qui　sait　ce　qu'un　enfant　peut　entendre　et　peut　dire

Dans　tes　soupirs　divins　nes　de　l'air　qu'il　respire；

Tristes　comme　son　coeur　et　doux　comme　sa　voix？_

George　Sand；　who　agreed　with　Musset；　claimed　for　〃the　most　beautiful　of　all　the　arts；〃　the　honour　of　being　able　to　paint　〃all　the　shades　of　sentiment　and　all　the　phases　of　passion。〃　　〃Music；〃　she　says；　〃can　express　everything。　　For　describing　scenes　of　nature　it　has　ideal　colours　and　lines；　neither　exact　nor　yet　too　minute；　but　which　are　all　the　more　vaguely　and　delightfully　poetical。〃＇31＇


＇31＇　Eleventh　_Lettre　d'un　voyageur_：　　To　Giacomo　Meyerbeer。


As　examples　of　music　in　literature　we　have　George　Sand's　phrase；　more　lyrical　and　musical　than　picturesque。　　We　have；　too；　the　gentle；　soothing　strophes　of　Sully　Prudhomme　and　the　vague　melody　of　the　Verlaine　songs：　　〃_De　la　musique　avant　toute　chose_。〃　　It　would　be　absurd　to　exaggerate　the　influence　exercised　by　George　Sand；　and　to　attribute　to　her　an　importance　which　does　not　belong　to　her；　over　poetical　evolution。　　It　is　only　fair　to　say；　though；　that　music；　which　was　looked　upon　suspiciously　for　so　long　a　time　by　classical　writers　of　sane　and　sure　taste；　has　completely　invaded　our　present　society；　so　that　we　are　becoming　more　and　more　imbued　with　it。　　George　Sand's　predilection　for　modern　art　is　another　feature　which　makes　her　one　of　us；　showing　that　her　tendencies　were　very　marked　for　things　of　the　present　day。




VII

THE　HUMANITARIAN　DREAM

PIERRE　LEROUXSOCIALISTIC　NOVELS


Hitherto　we　have　seen　George　Sand　put　into　her　work　her　sufferings；　her　protests　as　a　woman；　and　her　dreams　as　an　artist。　　But　the　nineteenth…century　writer　did　not　confine　his　ambitions　to　this　modest　task。　　He　belonged　to　a　corporation　which　counted　among　its　members　Voltaire　and　Rousseau。　　The　eighteenth…century　philosophers　had　changed　the　object　of　literature。　　Instead　of　an　instrument　of　analysis；　they　had　made　of　it　a　weapon　for　combat；　an　incomparable　weapon　for　attacking　institutions　and　for　overthrowing　governments。　　The　fact　is；　that　from　the　time　of　the　Restoration　we　shall　scarcely　meet　with　a　single　writer；　from　the　philosopher　to　the　vaudevillist；　and　from　the　professor　to　the　song…maker；　who　did　not　wish　to　act　as　a　torch　on　the　path　of　humanity。　　Poets　make　revolutions；　and　show　Plato　how　wrong　he　was　in　driving　them　away　from　his　Republic。　　Sophocles　was　appointed　a　general　at　Athens　for　having　written　a　good　tragedy；　and　so　novelists；　dramatists；　critics　and　makers　of　puns　devoted　themselves　to　making　laws。　　George　Sand　was　too　much　a　woman　of　her　times　to　keep　aloof　from　such　a　movement。　　We　shall　now　have　to　study　her　in　her　socialistic　_role_。

We　can　easily　imagine　on　what　side　her　sympathies　were。　　She　had　always　been　battling　with　institutions；　and　it　seemed　to　her　that　institutions　were　undoubtedly　in　the　wrong。　　She　had　proved　that　there　was　a　great　deal　of　suffering　in　the　world；　and　as　human　nature　is　good　at　bottom；　she　decided　that　society　was　all　wrong。　　She　was　a　novelist；　and　she　therefore　considered　that　the　most　satisfactory　solutions　are　those　in　which　imagination　and　feeling　play　a　great　part。　　She　also　considered　that　the　best　politics　are　those　which　are　the　most　like　a　novel。　　We　must　now　follow　her；　step　by　step；　along　the　various　roads　leading　to　Utopia。　　The　truth　is；　that　in　that　great　manufactory　of　systems　and　that　storehouse　of　panaceas　which　the　France　of　Louis…Philippe　had　become；　the　only　difficulty　was　to　choose　between　them　all。

The　first；　in　date；　of　the　new　gospels　was　that　of　the　Saint…Simonians。　When　George　Sand　arrived　in　Paris；　Saint…Simonism　was　one　of　the　curiosities　offered　to　astonished　provincials。　　It　was　a　parody　of　religion；　but　it　was　organized　in　a　church　with　a　Father　in　two　persons；　Bazard　and　Enfantin。　　The　service　took　place　in　a　_bouis…bouis_。　The　costume　worn　consisted　of　white　trousers；　a　red　waistcoat　and　a　blue　tunic。　　On　the　days　when　the　Father　came　down　from　the　heights　of　Menilmontant　with　his　children；　there　was　great　diversion　for　the　people　in　the　street。　　An　important　thing　was　lacking　in　the　organization　of　the　Saint…Simonians。　In　order　to　complete　the　〃sacerdotal　couple；〃　a　woman　was　needed　to　take　her　place　next　the　Father。　　A　Mother　was　asked　for　over　and　over　again。　　It　was　said　that　she　would　soon　appear；　but　she　was　never　forthcoming。　　Saint…Simon　had　tried　to　tempt　Madame　de　Stael。

〃I　am　an　extraordinary　man；〃　he　said　to　her；　〃and　you　are　just　as　extraordinary　as　a　woman。　　You　and　I　together　would　have　a　still　more　extraordinary　child。〃　　Madame　de　Stael　evidently　did　not　care　to　take　part　in　the　manufacture　of　this　prodigy。　　When　George　Sand's　first　novels　appeared；　the　Saint…Simonians　were　full　of　hope。　　This　was　the　woman　they　had　been　waiting　for；　the　free　woman；　who　having　meditated　on　the　lot　of　her　sisters　would　formulate　the　Declaration　of　the　rights　and　duties　of　woman。　　Adolphe　Gueroult　was　sent　to　her。　　He　was　the　editor　of　the　_Opinion　nationale_。　　George　Sand　had　a　great　fund　of　common　sense；　though；　and　once　more　the　little　society　awaited　the　Mother　in　vain。　　It　was　finally　decided　that　she　should　be　sought　for　in　the　East。　　A　mission　was　organized；　and　messengers　were　arrayed　in　white；　as　a　sign　of　the　vow　of　chastity；　with　a　pilgrim's　staff　in　their　hand。　　They　begged　as　they　went　along；　and　slept　sometimes　outdoors；　but　more　often　at　the　police…station。　George　Sand　was　not　tempted　by　this　kind　of　maternity；　but　she　kept　in　touch　with　the　Saint…Simonians。　She　was　present　at　one　of　their　meetings　at　Menilmontant。　　Her　published　_Corrspondance_　contains　a　letter　addressed　by　her　to　the　Saint…Simonian　family　in　Paris。　　As　a　matter　of　fact；　she　had　received　from　it；　on　the　1st　of　January；　1836；　a　large　collection　of　presents。　　There　were　in　all　no　less　than　fifty…nine　articles；　among　which　were　the　following：　　a　dress…box；　a　pair　of　boots；　a　thermometer；　a　carbine…carrier；　a　pair　of　trousers　and　a　corset。

Saint…Simonism　was　universally　jeered　at；　but　it　is　quite　a　mistake　to　think　that　ridicule　is　detrimental　in　France。　　On　the　contrary；　it　is　an　excellent　means　of　getting　anything　known　and　of　spreading　the　knowledge　of　it　abroad；　it　is　in　reality　a　force。　　Saint…Simonism　is　at　the　root　of　many　of　the　humanitarian　doctrines　which　were　to　spring　up　from　its　ashes。　　One　of　its　essential　doctrines　was　the　diffusion　of　the　soul　throughout　all　humanity；　and　another　that　of　being　born　anew。　　Enfantin　said：　　〃I　can　feel　St。　Paul　within　me。　　He　lives　within　me。〃　　Still　another　of　its　doctrines　was　that　of　the　rehabilitation　of　the　flesh。　　Saint…Simonism　proclaimed　the　equality　of　man　and　woman；　that　of　industry　and　art　and　science；　and　the　necessity　of　a　fresh　repartition　of　wealth　and　of　a　modification　of　the　laws　concerning　property。　　It　also　advocated　increasing　the　attributions　of　the　State　considerably。　　It　was；　in　fact；　the　first　of　the　doctrines　offering　to　the　lower　classes；　by　way　of　helping　them　to　bear　their　wretched　misery；　the　ideal　of　happiness　here　below；　lending　a　false　semblance　of　religion　to　the　desire　for　material　well…being。　George　Sand　had　one　vulnerable　point；　and　that　was　her　generosity。　　By　making　her　believe　that　she　was　working　for　the　outcasts　of　humanity；　she　could　be　led　anywhere；　and　this　was　what　happened。

Among　other　great　minds　affected　by　the　influence　of　Saint…Simonism；　it　is　scarcely　surprising　to　find　Lamennais。　　When　George　Sand　first　knew　him；　he　was　fifty…three　years　of　age。　　He　had　broken　with　Rome；　and　was　the　apocalyptic　author　of　_Paroles　d'un　croyant_。　　He　put　into　his　revolutionary　faith　all　the　fervour　of　his　loving　soul；　a　soul　that　had　been　created　for　apostleship；　and　to　which　the　qualification　of　〃a　disaffected　cathedral〃　certainly　applied。

After　the　famous　trial；　Liszt　took　him　to　call　on　George　Sand　in　her　attic。　　This　was　in　1835。　　She　gives　us　the　following　portrait　of　him：　　〃Monsieur　de　Lamennais　is　short；　thin；　and　looks　ill。　　He　seems　to　have　only　the　feeblest　breath　of　life　in　his　body；　but　how　his　face　beams。　　His　nose　is　too　prominent　for　his　small　figure　and　for　his　narrow　face。　　If　it　were　not　for　this　nose　out　of　all　proportion；　he　would　be　handsome。　　He　was　very　easily　entertained。　　A　mere　nothing　made　him　laugh；　and　how　heartily　he　laughed。〃＇32＇　It　was　the　gaiety　of　the　seminarist；　for　Monsieur　Feli　always　remained　the　_Abbe_　de　Lamennais。　　George　Sand　had　a　passionate　admiration　for　him。　　She　took　his　side　against　any　one　who　attacked　him　in　her　third　_Lettre　d'un　voyageur_；　in　her　_Lettre　a　Lerminier_；　and　in　her　article　on　_Amshaspands　et　Darvands_。　　This　is　the　title　of　a　book　by　Lamennais。　　The　extraordinary　names　refer　to　the　spirits　of　good　and　evil　in　the　mythology　of　Zoroaster。　　George　Sand　proposed　to　pronounce　them　_Chenapans　et　Pedants_。　　Although　she　had　a　horror　of　journalism；　she　agreed　to　write　in　Lamennais'　paper；　_Le　Monde。_


＇32＇　_Histoire　de　ma　vie。_


〃He　is　so　good　and　I　like　him　so　much；〃　she　writes；　〃that　I　would　give　him　as　much　of　my　blood　and　of　my　ink　as　he　wants。〃＇33＇　She　did　not　have　to　give　him　any　of　her　blood；　and　he　did　not　accept　much　of　her　ink。　　She　commenced　publishing　her　celebrated　_Lettres　a　Marcie_　in　_Le　M