the women of the french salons-第28章

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　thought　has　become　a　part　of　the　daily　life；　so　that　a　word　suggests　infinite　perspectives　to　the　swift　intelligence。　　It　is　not　what　we　know；　but　the　flavor　of　what　we　know；　that　adds〃sweetness　and　light〃　to　social　intercourse。　　With　their　rapid　intuition　and　instinctive　love　of　pleasing；　these　French　women　were　quick　to　see　the　value　of　a　ready　comprehension　of　the　subjects　in　which　clever　men　are　most　interested。　　It　was　this　keen　understanding；　added　to　the　habit　of　utilizing　what　they　thought　and　read；　their　ready　facility　in　grasping　the　salient　points　presented　to　them；　a　natural　gift　of　graceful　expression；　with　a　delicacy　of　taste　and　an　exquisite　politeness　which　prevented　them　from　being　aggressive；　that　gave　them　their　unquestioned　supremacy　in　the　salons　which　made　Paris　for　so　long　a　period　the　social　capital　of　Europe。　　It　was　impossible　that　intellects　so　plastic　should　not　expand　in　such　an　atmosphere；　and　the　result　is　not　difficult　to　divine。　　From　Mme。　de　Rambouillet　to　Mme。　de　La　Fayette　and　Mme。　de　Sevigne；　from　these　to　Mme。　de　Stael　and　George　Sand；　there　is　a　logical　sequence。　　The　Saxon　temperament；　with　a　vein　of　La　Bruyere；　gives　us　George　Eliot。

This　new　introduction　of　the　feminine　element　into　literature；　which　is　directly　traceable　to　the　salons　of　the　seventeenth　century；　suggests　a　point　of　special　interest　to　the　moralist。　　It　may　be　assumed　that；　whether　through　nature　or　a　long　process　of　evolution；　the　minds　of　women　as　a　class　have　a　different　coloring　from　the　minds　of　men　as　a　class。　　Perhaps　the　best　evidence　of　this　lies　in　the　literature　of　the　last　two　centuries；　in　which　women　have　been　an　important　factor；　not　only　through　what　they　have　done　themselves；　but　through　their　reflex　influence。　　The　books　written　by　them　have　rapidly　multiplied。　　Doubtless；　the　excess　of　feeling　is　often　unbalanced　by　mental　or　artistic　training；　but　even　in　the　crude　productions；　which　are　by　no　means　confined　to　one　sex；　it　may　be　remarked　that　women　deal　more　with　pure　affections　and　men　with　the　coarser　passions。　　A　feminine　Zola　of　any　grade　of　ability　has　not　yet　appeared。

It　is　not；　however；　in　literature　of　pure　sentiment　that　the　influence　of　women　has　been　most　felt。　　It　is　true　that；　as　a　rule；　they　look　at　the　world　from　a　more　emotional　standpoint　than　men；　but　both　have　written　of　love；　and　for　one　Sappho　there　have　been　many　Anacreons。　　Mlle。　de　Scudery　and　Mme。　de　La　Fayette　did　not　monopolize　the　sentiment　of　their　time；　but　they　refined　and　exalted　it。　　The　tender　and　exquisite　coloring　of　Mme。　de　Stael　and　George　Sand　had　a　worthy　counterpart　in　that　of　Chateaubriand　or　Lamartine。　　But　it　is　in　the　moral　purity；　the　touch　of　human　sympathy；　the　divine　quality　of　compassion；　the　swift　insight　into　the　soul　pressed　down　by　

The　heavy　and　weary　weight　　Of　all　this　unintelligible　world；

that　we　trace　the　minds　of　women　attuned　to　finer　spiritual　issues。　　This　broad　humanity　has　vitalized　modern　literature。　　It　is　the　penetrating　spirit　of　our　century；　which　has　been　aptly　called　the　Woman's　Century。　　We　do　not　find　it　in　the　great　literatures　of　the　past。　　The　Greek　poets　give　us　types　of　tragic　passions；　of　heroic　virtues；　of　motherly　and　wifely　devotion；　but　woman　is　not　recognized　as　a　profound　spiritual　force。　　This　masculine　literature；　so　perfect　in　form　and　plastic　beauty；　so　vigorous；　so　statuesque；　so　calm；　and　withal　so　cold；　shines　across　the　centuries　side　by　side　with　the　feminine　Christian　idealtwin　lights　which　have　met　in　the　world　of　today。　　It　may　be　that　from　the　blending　of　the　two；　the　crowning　of　a　man's　vigor　with　a　woman's　finer　insight；　will　spring　the　perfected　flower　of　human　thought。

Robert　Browning　in　his　poem　〃By　the　Fireside〃　has　said　a　fitting　word：

Oh；　I　must　feel　your　brain　prompt　mine；　Your　heart　anticipate　my　heart。　You　must　be　just　before；　in　fine；　See　and　make　me　see；　for　your　part；　New　depths　of　the　Divine！


CHAPTER　VIII。　SALONS　OF　THE　EIGHTEENTH　CENTURY　Characteristics　of　the　Eighteenth　Century　…　Its　Epicurean　Philosophy　…　Anecdote　of　Mme。　du　Deffandthe　Salon　an　Engine　of　Political　PowerGreat　Influence　of　WomenSalons　Defined　　　Literary　DinnersEtiquette　of　the　SalonsAn　Exotic　on　American　Soil。

The　traits　which　strike　us　most　forcibly　in　the　lives　and　characters　of　the　women　of　the　early　salons；　which　colored　their　minds；　ran　through　their　literary　pastimes；　and　gave　a　distinctive　flavor　to　their　conversation；　are　delicacy　and　sensibility。　　It　was　these　qualities；　added　to　a　decided　taste　for　pleasures　of　the　intellect；　and　an　innate　social　genius；　that　led　them　to　revolt　from　the　gross　sensualism　of　the　court；　and　form；　upon　a　new　basis；　a　society　that　has　given　another　complexion　to　the　last　two　centuries。　　The　natural　result　was；　at　first；　a　reign　of　sentiment　that　was　often　over…strained；　but　which　represented　on　the　whole　a　reaction　of　morality　and　refinement。　　The　wits　and　beauties　of　the　Salon　Bleu　may　have　committed　a　thousand　follies；　but　their　chivalrous　codes　of　honor　and　of　manners；　their　fastidious　tastes；　even　their　prudish　affectations；　were　open　though　sometimes　rather　bizarre　tributes　to　the　virtues　that　lie　at　the　very　foundation　of　a　well…ordered　society。　　They　had　exalted　ideas　of　the　dignity　of　womanhood；　of　purity；　of　loyalty；　of　devotion。　　The　heroines　of　Mlle。　de　Scudery；　with　their　endless　discourses　upon　the　metaphysics　of　love；　were　no　doubt　tiresome　sometimes　to　the　blase　courtiers；　as　well　as　to　the　critics；　but　they　had　their　originals　in　living　women　who　reversed　the　common　traditions　of　a　Gabrielle　and　a　Marion　Delorme；　who　combined　with　the　intellectual　brilliancy　and　fine　courtesy　of　the　Greek　Aspasia　the　moral　graces　that　give　so　poetic　a　fascination　to　the　Christian　and　medieval　types。　　Mme。　de　la　Fayette　painted　with　rare　delicacy　the　old　struggle　between　passion　and　duty；　but　character　triumphs　over　passion；　and　duty　is　the　final　victor。　　In　spite　of　the　low　standards　of　the　age；　the　ideal　woman　of　society；　as　of　literature；　was　noble；　tender；　modest；　pure；　and　loyal。

But　the　eighteenth　century　brings　new　types　to　the　surface。　　The　precieuses；　with　their　sentimental　theories　and　naive　reserves；　have　had　their　day。　　It　is　no　longer　the　world　of　Mme。　de　Rambouillet　that　confronts　us　with　its　chivalrous　models；　its　refined　platonism；　and　its　flavor　of　literature；　but　rather　that　of　the　epicurean　Ninon；　brilliant；　versatile；　free；　lax；　skeptical；　full　of　intrigue　and　wit；　but　without　moral　sense　of　spiritual　aspiration。　　Literary　portraits　and　ethical　maxims　have　given　place　to　a　spicy　mixture　of　scandal　and　philosophy；　humanitarian　speculations　and　equivocal　bons　mots。　　It　is　piquant　and　amusing；　this　light　play　of　intellect；　seasoned　with　clever　and　sparkling　wit；　but　the　note　of　delicacy　and　sensibility　is　quite　gone。　　Society　has　divested　itself　of　many　crudities　and　affectations　perhaps；　but　it　has　grown　as　artificial　and　self…　conscious　as　its　rouged　and　befeathered　leaders。

The　woman　who　presided　over　these　centers　of　fashion　and　intelligence　represent　to　us　the　genius　of　social　sovereignty。　　We　fall　under　the　glamour　of　the　luminous　but　factitious　atmosphere　that　surrounded　them。　　We　are　dazzled　by　the　subtlety　and　clearness　of　their　intellect；　the　brilliancy　of　their　wit。　　Their　faults　are　veiled　by　the　smoke　of　the　incense　we　burn　before　them；　or　lost　in　the　dim　perspective。　　It　is　fortunate；　perhaps；　for　many　of　our　illusions；　that　the　golden　age；　which　is　always　receding；　is　seen　at　such　long　range　that　only　the　softly　colored　outlines　are　visible。　　Men　and　women　are　transfigured　in　the　rosy　light　that　rests　on　historic　heights　as　on　far…off　mountain　tops。　　But　if　we　bring　them　into　closer　view；　and　turn　on　the　pitiless　light　of　truth；　the　aureole　vanishes；　a　thousand　hidden　defects　are　exposed；　and　our　idol　stands　out　hard　and　bare；　too　often　divested　of　its　divinity　and　its　charm。

To　do　justice　to　these　women；　we　must　take　the　point　of　view　of　an　age　that　was　corrupt　to　the　core。　　It　is　needless　to　discuss　here　the　merits　of　the　stormy；　disenchanting　eighteenth　century；　which　was　the　mother　of　our　own；　and　upon　which　the　world　is　likely　to　remain　hopelessly　divided。　But　whatev