the women of the french salons-第2节

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t　under　the　special　charm　of　their　leaders。　　It　was　a　charm　full　of　subtle　flattery。　　These　women　were　usually　clever　and　brilliant；　but　their　cleverness　and　brilliancy　were　exercised　to　bring　into　stronger　relief　the　talents　of　their　friends。　　It　is　true　that　many　of　them　wrote；　as　they　talked；　out　of　the　fullness　of　their　own　hearts　or　their　own　intelligence；　and　with　no　thought　of　a　public；　but　it　was　only　an　incident　in　their　lives；　another　form　of　diversion；　which　left　them　quite　free　from　the　dreaded　taint　of　feminine　authorship。　　Their　peculiar　gift　was　to　inspire　others；　and　much　of　the　fascination　that　gave　them　such　power　in　their　day　still　clings　to　their　memories。　　Even　at　this　distance；　they　have　a　perpetual　interest　for　us。　　It　may　be　that　the　long　perspective　lends　them　a　certain　illusion　which　a　closer　view　might　partly　dispel。　　Something　also　may　be　due　to　the　dark　background　against　which　they　were　outlined。　　But；　in　spite　of　time　and　change；　they　stand　out　upon　the　pages　of　history；　glowing　with　an　ever…fresh　vitality；　and　personifying　the　genius　of　a　civilization　of　which　they　were　the　fairest　flower。

The　Gallic　genius　is　eminently　a　social　one；　but　it　is；　of　all　others；　the　most　difficult　to　reproduce。　　The　subtle　grace　of　manner；　the　magic　of　spoken　words；　are　gone　with　the　moment。　　The　conversations　of　two　centuries　ago　are　today　like　champagne　which　has　lost　its　sparkle。　　We　may　recall　their　tangible　formsthe　facts；　the　accessories；　the　thoughts；　even　the　words；　but　the　flavor　is　not　there。　　It　is　the　volatile　essence　of　gaiety　and　wit　that　especially　characterizes　French　society。　　It　glitters　from　a　thousand　facets；　it　surprises　us　in　a　thousand　delicate　turns　of　thought；　it　appears　in　countless　movements　and　shades　of　expression。　　But　it　refuses　to　be　imprisoned。　　Hence　the　impossibility　of　catching　the　essential　spirit　of　the　salons。　　We　know　something　of　the　men　and　women　who　frequented　them；　as　they　have　left　many　records　of　themselves。　　We　have　numerous　pictures　of　their　social　life　from　which　we　may　partially　reconstruct　it　and　trace　its　influence。　　But　the　nameless　attraction　that　held　for　so　long　a　period　the　most　serious　men　of　letters　as　well　as　the　gay　world　still　eludes　us。

We　find　the　same　elusive　quality　in　the　women　who　presided　over　these　reunions。　　They　were　true　daughters　of　a　race　of　which　Mme。　De　Graffigny　wittily　said　that　it　〃escaped　from　the　hands　of　Nature　when　there　had　entered　into　its　composition　only　air　and　fire。　　They　certainly　were　not　faultless；　indeed；　some　of　them　were　very　faulty。　　Nor　were　they；　as　a　rule；　remarkable　for　learning。　　Even　the　leaders　of　noted　literary　salons　often　lacked　the　common　essentials　of　a　modern　education。　　But　if　they　wrote　badly　and　spelled　badly；　they　had　an　abundance　of　that　delicate　combination　of　intellect　and　wit　which　the　French　call　ESPRIT。　　They　had　also；　in　superlative　measure；　the　social　gifts　which　women　of　genius　reared　in　the　library　or　apart　from　the　world；　are　apt　to　lack。　　The　close　study　of　books　leads　to　a　knowledge　of　man　rather　than　of　men。　　It　tends　toward　habits　of　introspection　which　are　fatal　to　the　clear　and　swift　vision　required　for　successful　leadership　of　any　sort。　　Social　talent　is　distinct；　and　implies　a　happy　poise　of　character　and　intellect；　the　delicate　blending　of　many　gifts；　not　the　supremacy　of　one。　　It　implies　taste　and　versatility；　with　fine　discrimination；　and　the　tact　to　sink　one's　personality　as　well　as　to　call　out　the　best　in　others。　　It　was　this　flexibility　of　mind；　this　active　intelligence　tempered　with　sensibility　and　the　native　instinct　of　pleasing；　that　distinguished　the　French　women　who　have　left　such　enduring　traces　upon　their　time。　〃It　is　not　sufficient　to　be　wise；　it　is　necessary　also　to　please；〃　said　the　witty　and　penetrating　Ninon；　who　thus　very　aptly　condensed　the　feminine　philosophy　of　her　race。　　Perhaps　she　has　revealed　the　secret　of　their　fascination；　the　indefinable　something　which　is　as　difficult　to　analyze　as　the　perfume　of　a　rose。

A　history　of　the　French　salons　would　include　the　history　of　the　entire　period　of　which　they　were　so　prominent　a　factor。　　It　would　make　known　to　us　its　statesmen　and　its　warriors；　it　would　trace　the　great　currents　of　thought；　it　would　give　us　glimpses　of　every　phase　of　society；　from　the　diversions　of　the　old　noblesse；　with　their　sprinkling　of　literature　and　philosophy；　to　the　familiar　life　of　the　men　of　letters；　who　cast　about　their　intimate　coteries　the　halo　of　their　own　genius。　　These　salons　were　closely　interwoven　with　the　best　intellectual　life　of　more　than　two　hundred　years。　　Differing　in　tone　according　to　the　rank；　taste；　or　character　of　their　leaders；　they　were　rallying　points　for　the　most　famous　men　and　women　of　their　time。　　In　these　brilliant　centers；　a　new　literature　had　its　birth。　　Here　was　found　the　fine　critical　sense　that　put　its　stamp　on　a　new　poem　or　a　new　play。　　Here　ministers　were　created　and　deposed；　authors　and　artists　were　brought　into　vogue；　and　vacant　chairs　in　the　Academie　Francaise　were　filled。　　Here　the　great　philosophy　of　the　eighteenth　century　was　cradled。　　Here　sat　the　arbiters　of　manners；　the　makers　of　social　success。　　To　these　high　tribunals　came；　at　last；　every　aspirant　for　fame。

It　was　to　the　refinement；　critical　taste；　and　oral　force　of　a　rare　woman；　half　French　and　half　Italian；　that　the　first　literary　salons　owed　their　origin　and　their　distinctive　character。　　In　judging　of　the　work　of　Mme。　De　Rambouillet；　we　have　to　consider　that　in　the　early　days　of　the　seventeenth　century　knowledge　was　not　diffused　as　it　is　today。　　A　new　light　was　just　dawning　upon　the　world；　but　learning　was　still　locked　in　the　brains　of　savants；　or　in　the　dusty　tomes　of　languages　that　were　practically　obsolete。　　Men　of　letters　were　dependent　upon　the　favors　of　noble　but　often　ignorant　patrons；　whom　they　never　met　on　a　footing　of　equality。　　The　position　of　women　was　as　inferior　as　their　education；　and　the　incredible　depravity　of　morals　was　a　sufficient　answer　to　the　oft…repeated　fallacy　that　the　purity　of　the　family　is　best　maintained　by　feminine　seclusion。　　It　is　true　there　were　exceptions　to　this　reign　of　illiteracy。　　With　the　natural　disposition　to　glorify　the　past；　the　writers　of　the　next　generation　liked　to　refer　to　the　golden　era　of　the　Valois　and　the　brilliancy　of　its　voluptuous　court。　　Very　likely　they　exaggerated　a　little　the　learning　of　Marguerite　de　Navarre；　who　was　said　to　understand　Latin；　Italian；　Spanish；　even　Greek　and　Hebrew。　　But　she　had　rare　gifts；　wrote　religious　poems；　besides　the　very　secular　〃Heptameron〃　which　was　not　eminently　creditable　to　her　refinement；　held　independent　opinions；　and　surrounded　herself　with　men　of　letters。　　This　little　oasis　of　intellectual　light；　shadowed　as　it　was　with　vices；　had　its　influence；　and　there　were　many　women　in　the　solitude　of　remote　chateaux　who　began　to　cultivate　a　love　for　literature。　　〃The　very　women　and　maidens　aspired　to　this　praise　and　celestial　manna　of　good　learning；〃　said　Rabelais。　　But　their　reading　was　mainly　limited　to　his　own　unsavory　satires；　to　Spanish　pastorals；　licentious　poems；　and　their　books　of　devotion。　　It　was　on　such　a　foundation　that　Mme。　De　Rambouillet　began　to　rear　the　social　structure　upon　which　her　reputation　rests。　　She　was　eminently　fitted　for　this　role　by　her　pure　character　and　fine　intelligence；　but　she　added　to　these　the　advantages　of　rank　and　fortune；　which　gave　her　ample　facilities　for　creating　a　social　center　of　sufficient　attraction　to　focus　the　best　intellectual　life　of　the　age；　and　sufficient　power　to　radiate　its　light。　　Still　it　was　the　tact　and　discrimination　to　select　from　the　wealth　of　material　about　her；　and　quietly　to　reconcile　old　traditions　with　the　freshness　of　new　ideas；　that　especially　characterized　Mme。　De　Rambouillet。

It　was　this　richness　of　material；　the　remarkable　variety　and　originality　of　the　women　who　clustered　round　and　succeeded　their　graceful　leader；　that　gave　so　commanding　an　influence　to　the　salons　of　the　seventeenth　century。　　No　social　life　has　been　so　carefully　studied；　no　women　have　been　so　minutely　portrayed。　　The　annals　of　the　time　are　full　of　them。　　They　painted　one　another；　and　they　painted　themselves；　with　realistic　fidelity。　　The　lights　and　shadows　are　alike　defined。　　We　know　their　joys　and　their　sorrows；　their　passions　and　their　follies；　their　tastes　and　their　antipathies。　　Their　inmost　life　has　been　revealed。　　They　animate；　as　living　figures；　a　whole　class　of　literature　which　they　were　largely　instrumental　in　creating；　and　upon　which　they　have　left　the　stamp　of　their　own　vivid　personality。　　They　appear　later　in　the　pages　of　Cousin　and　Sainte…Beuve；　with　their　radiant　features　softened　and　spiritualized　by　the　touch　of　time。　　We　rise　from　a　perusal　of　these　chronicles　of　a　society　long　passed　away；　with　the　feeling　that　we　have　left　a　company　of　old　friends。　　We　like　to　recall　their　pleasant　talk　of　themselves；　of　their　companions；　of　the　lighter　happenings；　as　well　as　the　more　serious　side　of　the　age　which　they　have　illuminated。　　We　seem　to　see　their　faces；　not　their　manner；　watch　the　play　of　intellect　and　feeling；　while　they　speak。　　The　variety　is　infinite　and　full　of　charm。

Mme。　de　Sevigne　talks　upon　paper；　of　the