george sand-第32章

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in。　　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　Monde_。　　We　have　already　spoken　of　these　letters；　in　order　to　show　how　George　Sand　gradually　attenuated　the　harshness　of　her　early　feminism。


＇33＇　_Correspondance_：　　To　Jules　Janin；　February　15；　1837。


These　letters　alarmed　Lamennais；　nevertheless；　and　she　was　obliged　to　discontinue　them。　　Feminism　was　the　germ　of　their　disagreement。　　Lamennais　said：　　〃She　does　not　forgive　St。　Paul　for　having　said：　　‘Wives；　obey　your　husbands。'〃　　She　continued　to　acknowledge　him　as　〃one　of　our　saints；〃　but　〃the　father　of　our　new　Church〃　gradually　broke　away　from　her　and　her　friends；　and　expressed　his　opinion　about　her　with　a　severity　and　harshness　which　are　worthy　of　note。

Lamennais'　letters　to　Baron　de　Vitrolles　contain　many　allusions　to　George　Sand；　and　they　are　most　uncomplimentary。




〃I　hear　no　more　about　Carlotta〃　（Madame　Marliani）；　he　writes；　〃nor　about　George　Sand　and　Madame　d'Agoult。　I　know　there　has　been　a　great　deal　of　quarrelling　among　them。　　They　are　as　fond　of　each　other　as　Lesage's　two　_diables_；　one　of　whom　said：　　‘That　reconciled　us；　we　kissed　each　other；　and　ever　since　then　we　have　been　mortal　enemies。'〃　　He　also　tells　that　there　is　a　report　that　in　her　novel；　entitled　_Horace_；　she　has　given　as　unflattering　a　portrait　as　possible　of　her　dear；　sweet；　excellent　friend；　Madame　d'Agoult；　the　_Arabella_　of　the　_Lettres　d'un　voyageur_。　　〃The　portraits　continue；〃　he　writes；　〃all　true　to　life；　without　being　like　each　other。〃　　In　the　same　book；　_Horace_；　there　is　a　portrait　of　Mallefille；　who　was　beloved　〃during　one　quarter　of　the　moon；〃　and　abhorred　afterwards。　　He　concludes　the　letter　with　the　following　words：　　〃Ah；　how　fortunate　I　am　to　be　forgotten　by　those　people！　　I　am　not　afraid　of　their　indifference；　but　I　should　be　afraid　of　their　attentions。　。　。　。　　Say　what　you　like；　my　dear　friend；　those　people　do　not　tempt　me　at　all。　　Futility　and　spitefulness　dissolved　in　a　great　deal　of　_ennui_；　is　a　bad　kind　of　medicine。〃　　He　then　goes　on　to　make　fun；　in　terms　that　it　is　difficult　to　quote；　of　the　silly　enthusiasm　of　a　woman　like　Marliani；　and　even　of　George　Sand；　for　the　theories　of　Pierre　Leroux；　of　which　they　did　not　understand　the　first　letter；　but　which　had　taken　their　fancy。　　George　Sand　may　have　looked　upon　Lamennais　as　a　master；　but　it　is　very　evident　that　she　was　not　his　favoured　disciple。

It　was　due　to　his　teaching　that　George　Sand　obtained　her　definite　ideas　about　Catholicism；　or　rather　against　it。　　She　was　decidedly　its　adversary；　because　she　held　that　the　Church　had　stifled　the　spirit　of　liberty；　that　it　had　thrown　a　veil　over　the　words　of　Christ；　and　that　it　was　the　obstacle　in　the　way　of　holy　equality。　　What　she　owed　specially；　though；　to　Lamennais　was　another　lesson；　of　quite　another　character。　　Lamennais　was　the　man　of　the　nineteenth　century　who　waged　the　finest　battle　against　individualism；　against　〃the　scandal　of　the　adoration　of　man　by　man。〃＇34＇


＇34＇　Compare　Brunetiere；　_Evolution　de　la　poesie　lyrique_；　vol。　　i。　　p。　　310。


Under　his　influence；　George　Sand　began　to　attach　less　importance　to　the　personal　point　of　view；　she　ceased　applying　everything　to　herself；　and　she　discovered　the　importance　of　the　life　of　others。　　If　we　study　this　attentively；　we　shall　see　that　a　new　phase　now　commenced　in　the　history　of　her　ideas。　　Lamennais　was　the　origin　of　this　transformation；　although　it　is　personified　in　another　man；　and　that　other　man；　was　named　Pierre　Leroux。

What　a　strange　mystery　it　is；　among　so　many　other　mysteries；　that　of　one　mind　taking　possession　of　another　mind。　　We　have　come　into　contact　with　great　minds　which　have　made　no　impression　on　us；　whilst　other　minds；　of　secondary　intelligence；　perhaps；　and　it　may　be　inferior　to　our　own；　have　governed　us。

By　the　side　of　a　Lamennais；　this　Pierre　Leroux　was　a　very　puny　personage。　　He　had　been　a　compositor　in　a　printing　works；　before　founding　the　_Globe_。　　This　paper；　in　his　hands；　was　to　become　an　organ　of　Saint…Simonism。　He　belonged　neither　to　the　_bourgeois_　nor　to　the　working…class。　He　was　Clumsy；　not　well　built；　and　had　an　enormous　shock　of　hair；　which　was　the　joy　of　caricaturis