george sand-第42节

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　priest　of　the　place　springs　into　a　boat　and　goes　to　the　rescue　of　some　sailors　in　peril。　　All　the　difficulties　of　theological　interpretations　are　at　once　dispelled　for　her。　　A　young　man　falls　in　love　with　her；　but　on　discovering　that　he　is　not　a　believer　she　endeavours　to　convert　him；　and　goes　moonlight　walks　with　him。　　Moonlight　is　sometimes　dangerous　for　young　girls；　and；　after　one　of　these　sentimental　and　theological　strolls；　she　has　a　mysterious　ailment。　。　。　。

In　order　to　understand　George　Sand's　anger　on　reading　this　novel；　which　was　both　religious　and　social；　and　at　the　same　time　very　harmless；　we　must　know　what　her　state　of　mind　was　on　the　essential　question　of　religion。

In　the　first　place；　George　Sand　was　not　hostile　to　religious　ideas。　　She　had　a　religion。　　There　is　a　George　Sand　religion。　　There　are　not　many　dogmas；　and　the　creed　is　simple。　　George　Sand　believed　firmly　in　the　existence　of　God。　　Without　the　notion　of　God；　nothing　can　be　explained　and　no　problem　solved。　　This　God　is　not　merely　the　〃first　cause。〃　　It　is　a　personal　and　conscious　God；　whose　essential；　if　not　sole；　function　is　to　forgiveevery　one。

〃The　dogma　of　hell；〃　she　writes；　〃is　a　monstrosity；　an　imposture；　a　barbarism。　。　。　。　　It　is　impious　to　doubt　God's　infinite　pity；　and　to　think　that　He　does　not　always　pardon；　even　the　most　guilty　of　men。〃　　This　is　certainly　the　most　complete　application　that　has　ever　been　made　of　the　law　of　pardon。　　This　God　is　not　the　God　of　Jacob；　nor　of　Pascal；　nor　even　of　Voltaire。　　He　is　not　an　unknown　God　either。　　He　is　the　God　of　Beranger　and　of　all　good　people。　　George　Sand　believed　also；　very　firmly；　in　the　immortality　of　the　soul。　　On　losing　any　of　her　family；　the　certainty　of　going　to　them　some　day　was　her　great　consolation。

〃I　see　future　and　eternal　life　before　me　as　a　certainty；〃　she　said；　〃it　is　like　a　light；　and；　thanks　to　its　brilliancy；　other　things　cannot　be　seen；　but　the　light　is　there；　and　that　is　all　I　need。〃　　Her　belief　was；　then；　in　the　existence　of　God；　the　goodness　of　Providence　and　the　immortality　of　the　soul。　　George　Sand　was　an　adept　in　natural　religion。

She　did　not　accept　the　idea　of　any　revealed　religion；　and　there　was　one　of　these　revealed　religions　that　she　execrated。　　This　was　the　Catholic　religion。　　Her　correspondence　on　this　subject　during　the　period　of　the　Second　Empire　is　most　significant。　　She　was　a　personal　enemy　of　the　Church；　and　spoke　of　the　Jesuits　as　a　subscriber　to　the　_Siecle_　might　do　to…day。　She　feared　the　dagger　of　the　Jesuits　for　Napoleon　III；　but　at　the　same　time　she　hoped　there　might　be　a　frustrated　attempt　at　murder；　so　that　his　eyes　might　be　opened。　　The　great　danger　of　modern　times；　according　to　her；　was　the　development　of　the　clerical　spirit。　　She　was　not　an　advocate　for　liberty　of　education　either。　　〃The　priestly　spirit　has　been　encouraged；〃　she　wrote。＇53＇　〃France　is　overrun　with　convents；　and　wretched　friars　have　been　allowed　to　take　possession　of　education。〃　　She　considered　that　wherever　the　Church　was　mistress；　it　left　its　marks；　which　were　unmistakable：　　stupidity　and　brutishness。　　She　gave　Brittany　as　an　example。


＇53＇　_Correspondance：_　To　Barbes；　May　12；　1867。


〃There　is　nothing　left；〃　she　writes；　〃when　the　priest　and　Catholic　vandalism　have　passed　by；　destroying　the　monuments　of　the　old　world　and　leaving　their　lice　for　the　future。〃＇54＇


＇54＇　_Ibid。：_　To　Flaubert；　September　21；　1860。


It　is　no　use　attempting　to　ignore　the　fact。　　This　is　anti…clericalism　in　all　its　violence。　　Is　it　not　curious　that　this　passion；　when　once　it　takes　possession　of　even　the　most　distinguished　minds；　causes　them　to　lose　all　sentiment　of　measure；　of　propriety　and　of　dignity。

_Mademoiselle　La　Quintinie_　is　the　result　of　a　fit　of　anti…clerical　mania。　　George　Sand　gives；　in　this　novel；　the　counterpart　of　_Sibylle_。　　Emile　Lemontier；　a　free…thinker；　is　in　love　with　the　daughter　of　General　La　Quintinie。　　Emile　is　troubled　in　his　mind　because；　as　his　_fiancee_　is　a　Catholic；　he　knows　she　will　have　to　have　a　confessor。　　The　idea　is　intolerable　to　him；　as；　like　Monsieur　Homais；　he　considers　that　a　husband　could　not　endure　the　idea　of　his　wife　having　private　conversations　with　one　of　those　individuals。　　Mademoiselle　La　Quintinie's　confessor　is　a　certain　Moreali；　a　near　relative　of　Eugene　Sue's　Rodin。　　The　whole　novel　turns　on　the　struggle　between　Emile　and　Moreali；　which　ends　in　the　final　discomfiture　of　Moreali。　　Mademoiselle　La　Quintinie　is　to　marry　Emile；　who　will　teach　her　to　be　a　free…thinker。　Emile　is　proud　of　his　work　of　drawing　a　soul　away　from　Christian　communion。　　He　considers　that　the　light　of　reason　is　always　sufficient　for　illuminating　the　path　in　a　woman's　life。　　He　thinks　that　her　natural　rectitude　will　prove　sufficient　for　making　a　good　woman　of　her。　　I　do　not　wish　to　call　this　into　question；　but　even　if　she　should　not　err；　is　it　not　possible　that　she　may　suffer？　　This　free…thinker　imagines　that　it　is　possible　to　tear　belief　from　a　heart　without　rending　it　and　causing　an　incurable　wound。　　Oh；　what　a　poor　psychologist！　　He　forgets　that　beliefis　the　summing　up　and　the　continuation　of　the　belief　of　a　whole　series　of　generations。　　He　does　not　hear　the　distant　murmur　of　the　prayers　of　by…gone　years。　　It　is　in　vain　to　endeavour　to　stifle　those　prayers；　they　will　be　heard　for　ever　within　the　crushed　and　desolate　soul。

_Mademoiselle　La　Quintinie_　is　a　work　of　hatred。　　George　Sand　was　not　successful　with　it。　　She　had　no　vocation　for　writing　such　books；　and　she　was　not　accustomed　to　writing　them。　　It　is　a　novel　full　of　tiresome　dissertations；　and　it　is　extremely　dull。

From　that　date；　though；　George　Sand　experienced　the　joy　of　a　certain　popularity。　　At　theatrical　performances　and　at　funerals　the　students　manifested　in　her　honour。　　It　was　the　same　for　Sainte…Beuve；　but　this　does　not　seem　to　have　made　either　of　them　any　greater。

We　will　pass　over　all　this；　and　turn　to　something　that　we　can　admire。　　The　robust　and　triumphant　old　age　of　George　Sand　was　admirable。　　Nearly　every　year　she　went　to　some　fresh　place　in　France　to　find　a　setting　for　her　stories。　　She　had　to　earn　her　living　to　the　very　last；　and　was　doomed　to　write　novels　for　ever。　　〃I　shall　be　turning　my　wheel　when　I　die；〃　she　used　to　say；　and；　after　all；　this　is　the　proper　ending　for　a　literary　worker。

In　1870　and　1871；　she　suffered　all　the　anguish　of　the　〃Terrible　Year。〃　　When　once　the　nightmare　was　over；　she　set　to　work　once　more　like　a　true　daughter　of　courageous　France；　unwilling　to　give　in。　　She　was　as　hardy　as　iron　as　she　grew　old。　　〃I　walk　to　the　river；〃　she　wrote　in　1872；　〃and　bathe　in　the　cold　water；　warm　as　I　am。　　。　。　。　　I　am　of　the　same　nature　as　the　grass　in　the　field。　　Sunshine　and　water　are　all　I　need。〃

For　a　woman　of　sixty…eight　to　be　able　to　bathe　every　day　in　the　cold　water　of　the　Indre　is　a　great　deal。　　In　May；　1876；　she　was　not　well；　and　had　to　stay　in　bed。　　She　was　ill　for　ten　days；　and　died　without　suffering　much。　　She　is　buried　at　Nohant；　according　to　her　wishes；　so　that　her　last　sleep　is　in　her　beloved　Berry。


In　conclusion；　we　would　say　just　a　few　words　about　George　Sand's　genius；　and　the　place　that　she　takes　in　the　history　of　the　French　novel。

On　comparing　George　Sand　with　the　novelists　of　her　time；　what　strikes　us　most　is　how　different　she　was　from　them。　　She　is　neither　like　Balzac；　Stendhal；　nor　Merimee；　nor　any　story…teller　of　our　thoughtful；　clever　and　refined　epoch。　　She　reminds　us　more　of　the　〃old　novelists；〃　of　those　who　told　stories　of　chivalrous　deeds　and　of　old　legends；　or；　to　go　still　further　back；　she　reminds　us　of　the　_aedes_　of　old　Greece。　　In　the　early　days　of　a　nation　there　were　always　men　who　went　to　the　crowd　and　charmed　them　with　the　stories　they　told　in　a　wordy　way。　　They　scarcely　knew　whether　they　invented　these　stories　as　they　told　them；　or　whether　they　had　heard　them　somewhere。　　They　could　not　tell　either　which　was　fiction　and　which　reality；　for　all　reality　seemed　wonderful　to　them。　　All　the　people　about　whom　they　told　were　great；　all　objects　were　good　and　everything　beautiful。　　They　mingled　nursery…tales　with　myths　that　were　quite　sensible；　and　the　history　of　nations　with　children's　stories。　　They　were　called　poets。

George　Sand　did　not　employ　a　versified　form　for　her　stories；　but　she　belonged　to　the　family　of　these　poets。　　She　was　a　poet　herself　who　had　lost　her　way　and　come　into　our　century　of　prose；　and　she　continued　her　singing。

Like　these　early　poets；　she　was　primitive。　　Like　them；　she　obeyed　a　god　within　her。　　All　her　talent　was　instinctive；　and　she　had　all　the　ease　of　instinctive　talent。　　When　Flaubert　complained　to　George　Sand　of　the　〃tortures〃　that　style　cost　him；　she　endeavoured　to　admire　him。

〃When　I　see　the　difficulty　that　my　old　friend　has　in　writing　his　novel；　I　am　discouraged　about　my　own　case；　and　I　say　to　myself　that　I　am　writing　poor　sort　of　literature。〃

This　was　merely　her　charity；　for　she　never　understood　that　there　could　be　any　effort　in　writing。　　Consequently　she　could　not　understand　that　it　should　cause　suffering。　　For　her；　writing　was　a　pleasure；　as　it　was　the　satisfaction　of　a　need。　　As　her　works　were　no　effort　to　her；　they　left　no　trace　in　her　memory。　　She　had　not　intended　to　write　them；　and；　when　once　written；