george sand-第38章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


1＇　Such　was　the　tone　of　her　letters。


＇41＇　_Correspondance。_


She　had　the　Opera　from　her　windows　and　an　Olympic　circus　at　every　cross…road。　Paris　was　certainly　_en　fete_。　　In　the　evenings　it　was　just　as　lively。　　There　were　the　Clubs；　and　there　were　no　less　than　three　hundred　of　these。　　Society　women　could　go　to　them　and　hear　orators　in　blouses　proposing　incendiary　movements；　which　made　them　shudder　deliciously。　　Then　there　were　the　theatres。　　Rachel；　draped　in　antique　style；　looking　like　a　Nemesis；　declaimed　the　_Marseillaise_。　　And　all　night　long　the　excitement　continued。　　The　young　men　organized　torchlight　processions；　with　fireworks；　and　insisted　on　peaceably…inclined　citizens　illuminating。　　It　was　like　a　Nationial　Fete　day；　or　the　Carnival；　continuing　all　the　week。

All　this　was　the　common；　everyday　aspect　of　Paris；　but　there　were　the　special　days　as　well　to　break　the　monotony　of　all　this。　　There　were　the　manifestations；　which　had　the　great　advantage　of　provoking　counter…manifestations。　On　the　16th　of　March；　there　was　the　manifestation　of　the　National　Guard；　who　were　tranquil　members　of　society；　but　on　the　17th　there　was　a　counter…manifestation　of　the　Clubs　and　workingmen。　　On　such　days　the　meeting…place　would　be　at　the　Bastille；　and　from　morning　to　night　groups；　consisting　of　several　hundred　thousand　men；　would　march　about　Paris；　sometimes　in　favour　of　the　Assembly　against　the　Provisional　Government；　and　sometimes　in　favour　of　the　Provisional　Government　against　the　Assembly。　　On　the　17th　of　April；　George　Sand　was　in　the　midst　of　the　crowd；　in　front　of　the　Hotel　de　Ville；　in　order　to　see　better。　　On　the　15th　of　May；　as　the　populace　was　directing　its　efforts　against　the　Palais　Bourbon；　she　was　in　the　Rue　de　Bourgogne；　in　her　eagerness　not　to　miss　anything。　　As　she　was　passing　in　front　of　a　_cafe_；　she　saw　a　woman　haranguing　the　crowd　in　a　very　animated　way　from　one　of　the　windows。　　She　was　told　that　this　woman　was　George　Sand。　　Women　were　extremely　active　in　this　Revolution。　　They　organized　a　Legion　for　themselves；　and　were　styled　_〃Les　Vesuviennes_。〃　　They　had　their　clubs；　their　banquets　and　their　newspapers。　　George　Sand　was　far　from　approving　all　this　feminine　agitation；　but　she　did　not　condemn　it　altogether。　　She　considered　that　〃women　and　children；　disinterested　as　they　are　in　all　political　questions；　are　in　more　direct　intercourse　with　the　spirit　that　breathes　from　above　over　the　agitations　of　this　world。〃＇42＇　It　was　for　them；　therefore；　to　be　the　inspirers　of　politics。　　George　Sand　was　one　of　these　inspirers。　　In　order　to　judge　what　counsels　this　Egeria　gave；　we　have　only　to　read　some　of　her　letters。　　On　the　4th　of　March；　she　wrote　as　follows　to　her　friend　Girerd：　　〃Act　vigorously；　my　dear　brother。　　In　our　present　situation；　we　must　have　even　more　than　devotion　and　loyalty；　we　must　have　fanaticism　if　necessary。〃　　In　conclusion；　she　says　that　he　is　not　to　hesitate　〃in　sweeping　away　all　that　is　of　a　_bourgeois_　nature。〃　　In　April　she　wrote　to　Lamartine；　reproaching　him　with　his　moderation　and　endeavouring　to　excite　his　revolutionary　spirit。　　Later　on；　although　she　was　not　of　a　very　warlike　disposition；　she　regretted　that　they　had　not；　like　their　ancestors　of　1793；　cemented　their　Revolution　at　home　by　a　war　with　the　nations。


＇42＇　_Correspondance：_　To　the　Citizen　Thore；　May　28；　1848。


〃If；　instead　of　following　Lamartine's　stupid；　insipid　policy；〃　she　then　wrote；　〃we　had　challenged　all　absolute　monarchies；　we　should　have　had　war　outside；　but　union　at　home；　and　strength；　in　consequence　of　this；　it　home　and　abroad。〃＇43＇　Like　the　great　ancestors；　she　declared　that　the　revolutionary　idea　is　neither　that　of　a　sect　nor　of　a　party。　　〃It　is　a　religion；〃　she　says；　〃that　we　want　to　proclaim。〃　　All　this　zeal；　this　passion　and　this　persistency　in　a　woman　is　not　surprising；　but　one　does　not　feel　much　confidence　in　a　certain　kind　of　inspiration　for　politics　after　all　this。


＇43＇　_Correspondance：_　To　Mazzini；　October　10；　1849。


My　reason　for　dwelling　on　the　subject　is　that　George　Sand　did　not　content　herself　with　merely　looking　on　at　the　events　that　were　taking　place；　or　even　with　talking　about　them　with　her　friends。　　She　took　part　in　the　events；　by　means　of　her　pen。　　She　scattered　abroad　all　kinds　of　revolutionary　writings。　　On　the　7th　of　March；　she　published　her　first　_Letter　to　the　People_；　at　the　price　of　a　penny；　the　profits　of　which　were　to　be　distributed　among　working…men　without　employment。　　After　congratulating　these　great　and　good　people　on　their　noble　victory；　she　tells　them　they　are　all　going　to　seek　together　for　the　truth　of　things。　　That　was　exactly　the　state　of　the　case。　　They　did　not　yet　know　what　they　wanted；　but；　in　the　mean　time；　while　they　were　considering；　they　had　at　any　rate　begun　with　a　revolution。　　There　was　a　second　_Letter　to　the　People_；　and　then　these　ceased。　　Publications　in　those　days　were　very　short…lived。　They　came　to　life　again；　though；　sometimes　from　their　ashes。　　In　April　a　newspaper　was　started；　entitled　_The　Cause　of　the　People_。　　This　was　edited　almost　entirely　by　George　Sand。　　She　wrote　the　leading　article：　　_Sovereignty　is　Equality_。　　She　reproduced　her　first　_Letter　to　the　People_；　gave　an　article　on　the　aspect　of　the　streets　of　Paris；　and　another　on　theatrical　events。　　She　left　to　her　collaborator；　Victor　Borie；　the　task　of　explaining　that　the　increase　of　taxes　was　an　eminently　republican　measure；　and　an　agreeable　surprise　for　the　person　who　had　to　pay　them。　　The　third　number　of　this　paper　contained　a　one…act　play　by　George　Sand；　entitled　_Le　Roi　attend_。　　This　had　just　been　given　at　the　Comedie…Francaise；　or　at　the　Theatre　de　la　Republique；　as　it　was　then　called。　　It　had　been　a　gratis　performance；　given　on　the　9th　of　April；　1848；　as　a　first　national　representation。　　The　actors　at　that　time　were　Samson；　Geffroy；　Regnier；　Anais；　Augustine　Brohan　and　Rachel。　　There　were　not　many　of　them；　but　they　had　some　fine　things　to　interpret。

In　George　Sand's　piece；　Moliere　was　at　work　with　his　servant；　Laforet；　who　could　not　read；　but　without　whom；　it　appears；　he　could　not　have　written　a　line。　　He　has　not　finished　his　play；　the　actors　have　not　learnt　their　parts；　and　the　king　is　impatient　at　being　kept　waiting。　　Moliere　is　perplexed；　and；　not　knowing　what　to　do；　he　decides　to　go　to　sleep。　　The　Muse　appears　to　him；　styles　him　〃the　light　of　the　people；〃　and　brings　to　him　all　the　ghosts　of　the　great　poets　before　him。　　AEschylus；　Sophocles；　Euripides　and　Shakespeare　all　declare　to　him　that；　in　their　time；　they　had　all　worked　towards　preparing　the　Revolution　of　1848。　　Moliere　then　wakes　up；　and　goes　on　to　the　stage　to　pay　his　respects　to　the　king。　　The　king　has　been　changed；　though。　　〃I　see　a　king；〃　says　Moliere；　〃but　his　name　is　not　Louis　XIV。　　It　is　the　people；　the　sovereign　people。　　That　is　a　word　I　did　not　know；　a　word　as　great　as　eternity。〃

We　recognize　the　democrat　in　all　this。　　_Le　Roi_　_attend_　may　be　considered　as　an　authentic　curiosity　of　revolutionary　art。　　The　newspaper　announced　to　its　readers　that　subscriptions　could　be　paid　in　the　Rue　Richelieu。　　Subscribers　were　probably　not　forthcoming；　as　the　paper　died　a　natural　death　after　the　third　number。

George　Sand　did　much　more　than　this；　though。＇44＇　We　must　not　forget　that　she　was　an　official　publicist　in　1848。　　She　had　volunteered　her　services　to　Ledru…Rollin；　and　he　had　accepted　them。　　〃I　am　as　busy　as　a　statesman；〃　she　wrote　at　this　time。　　〃I　have　already　written　two　Government　circulars。〃＇45＇


＇44＇　With　regard　to　George　Sand's　_role_；　see　_La　Revolution　de_　1848；　by　Daniel　Stern　（Madame　d'Agoult）。

＇45＇　_Correspondance：_　To　Maurice　Sand；　March　24；　1848。


With　George　Sand's　collaboration；　the　_Bulletin　de　la　Republique_　became　unexpectedly　interesting。　　This　paper　was　published　every　other　day；　by　order　of　Ledru…Rollin；　and　was　intended　to　establish　a　constant　interchange　of　ideas　and　sentiments　between　the　Government　and　the　people。　　〃It　was　specially　addressed　to　the　people　of　rural　districts；　and　was　in　the　form　of　a　poster　that　the　mayor　of　the　place　could　have　put　up　on　the　walls；　and　also　distribute　to　the　postmen　to　be　given　away。　　The　_Bulletins_　were　anonymous；　but　several　of　them　were　certainly　written