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Philip Gilbert Hamerton

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In the course of the vacation, my husband listened pretty regularly to
M. Raillard's English readings out of Emerson or Tennyson, while he
occasionally read a little German with his son-in-law. He was very
desirous of resuming the study of that language, which, he said, would
be of great service in his studies, but he was not able to find the
time--Italian absorbing all he could spare. Two masters--or rather a
master and a mistress--had been recommended to him, and when he could
manage it, he wrote to them alternately long letters in Italian, which
they returned corrected.

Mr. Bodley, an English gentleman who was studying French institutions
and politics most seriously, and who was acquainted with Mr. Hamerton's
works, came in August to see him. This visit was the beginning of a
lasting acquaintance, which was appreciated and valued by both parties.
When we settled in the Parc des Princes, and when, after his marriage,
Mr. Bodley resided in Paris, they met with new pleasure and fresh
interest whenever an opportunity offered itself.

Mr. Bodley was commencing his studies on Prance for the work he had just
undertaken for Messrs. Macmillan, which should essay to do for France
what Mr. Bryce had done for the United States in his "American
Commonwealth." Recognizing Mr. Hamerton as the chief English authority
on all French questions, he had, soon after his first arrival in Paris,
been put into communication with him by the good offices of a common
friend in the diplomatic service. A correspondence ensued, in the first
letter of which my husband gave Mr. Bodley some advice on an article the
latter had been requested to write for the "Quarterly Review," on
"Provincial France," before he had had any opportunity of studying the
French provinces. Here is part of the letter:--

"AUTUN, SAÛNE-ET-LOIRE. _June_ 11, 1890.

"MY DEAR SIR,--It is a laudable, though an extraordinary desire on your
part to know something about the subject you have to treat. I have never
heard of such a case before. I have known France for thirty-five years,
and find generally that English critics, who know nothing two miles from
the British Embassy, are ready enough to set me down and teach me my
proper place. I send by this post a colis postal, containing--

"1. 'Round my House,' by P. G. H.

"2. 'La France Provinciale,' par René Millet.

"3. 'French and English,' by P. G. H.

"I have not a copy of the English edition of 'French and English,' but
the Tauchnitz is better, as it had the benefit of correction.

"You ought to notice, with reference to provincial France, the extreme
difficulty of making any general statements that are true. For example,
it is believed in England that all French land is cut up into small
bits. A traveller who writes in the 'Temps' newspaper said lately, that
although the greater number of proprietors in the Forest Lands of the
Nièvre were small owners, the greater part of the land was in the
possession of large owners; and he mentioned one who, he said, owned
12,000 hectares (more than 24,000 acres) of excellent forest. He did not
give the name. There are several large landowners in this neighborhood.
One had an income of £24,000 a year, but it was divided amongst his
children.

"France is a very various country, and therefore difficult to know. If
you have Mr. H----'s book amongst those you notice, you should bear in
mind that it is a strictly partisan publication, hostile to all
republicans, against whom the author seems to have taken a brief," etc.,
etc.

Then followed some other letters, from which. I give a few paragraphs:--

"AUTUN. _July_ 15, 1890.

"You have done an imprudent thing in not publishing your 'Quarterly'
article at once. There are two times for writing--first when you know
nothing, secondly when you know a great deal; the intermediate time,
that of acquisition, is not favorable to writing, because it destroys
the author's confidence in himself. He possesses that confidence before
learning, and renews it when he has learned. In the interval he suffers
from diffidence.

"I am glad to hear that M. Jusserand likes my books; he is just the kind
of Frenchman whose opinion one really values.

"I shall be very glad if you can come. I shall be away part of
September. All August I shall be at home, but if you could have come
about now, it would have been better still."

"_July_, 28, 1890.

"The shortest rout from Paris to Autun, as to mere distance, is by
Laroche, Gravant, Avallon, etc. In the present case I strongly recommend
the shorter and more rural route, as being by far the prettier and less
fatiguing, and also because it enables you to see one of the most
picturesque small towns in France--Avallon. You have five hours to see
Avallon, and the picturesque valley that it overlooks.... The next
morning you will of course be occupied in seeing Autun, but if you will
make your way to the railway station, so as to be there at 11.15, you
will see a vehicle with yellow wheels and a chestnut mare, with a white
mark on her face. The said vehicle will bring you to Pré-Charmoy (if you
will kindly allow it to do so), in time for déjeuner. Please let me know
the day. It would be better not to make any hard-and-fast arrangement
about your departure, as I may be able to persuade you to take some
drives with me to see something in this neighborhood."

"AUTUN. _November_ 2, 1890.

"I received the 'Quarterly' this morning, and read your article. Towards
the close, you say every Frenchman in the provinces works. That, I am
sorry to say, is a mistake. Unfortunately there is still a strong
survival of the old caste prejudice against work, as being beneath a
gentleman. All the young men I know whose parents are very well off _are
as idle as they can be, unless they go into the army or the Church_, and
now they hardly ever go into the Church, or when they do it is in some
order (Jesuits, Marists, etc.). I was talking about this with a rich old
French gentleman about ten days ago, and he deeply deplored it; he said
he felt more respect for common workmen than for the idle young men in
his own class.

"You appear to think that the Morvan language is a Celtic tongue. No; it
is only a French patois, very interesting and peculiar in its
grammatical forms. I understand it partly when spoken, and can read it
with some little difficulty. My daughter understands it very well. Our
servants speak it among themselves. Their French is very pure, though
somewhat limited in its vocabulary.

"It seems to me that you are happily endowed and situated for
undertaking a work of the kind you intend to write. You have seen a
great deal of the world, you have no prejudices, you desire nothing but
to be just, and especially you have that very rare quality--a right
curiosity. I was pleased, and a little amused by the contrast, when I
compared you with the strangely uninterested English whom I have seen in
and out of France. I recollect staying with a friend in England, a few
years ago, and I noticed that _he did not ask me one single question
about France_. He simply talked of his own locality, and did not appear
to take the slightest interest in the continent of Europe.

"You made me pass a very pleasant day, which encourages the hope that
you will come again to this neighborhood. There is a great deal to be
seen within a driving radius, especially if you consent to sleep one
night away from home.

"My wife and I are going to Paris in December, when I mean to look you
up."

To another visitor whose name I am not at liberty to mention, my husband
had written the following interesting letter:--

"Whilst driving home in the dark, after saying good-bye to you, I
thought over your remarks about the great revolution in habits of
thought which must take place in consequence of the influence of
scientific methods. The difficulty I foresee is this. Religions supply a
want that science does not and cannot supply; they answer to the need of
certain emotions--trust, hope, joy, 'peace in believing,' the happiness
of thinking that we are each of us individually cared for by a supremely
good and all-powerful Father. Women especially seem to need these
emotions to make life happy for them, and when they cease to believe, as
many now do, they feel a sense of desolation. The most successful
religion (the Roman) has succeeded by supplying most abundantly that
care and those consolations which women expect a religion to give, and
which science does not _in the least degree supply_; in fact, women
usually dislike science. Now, as the churches maintain themselves
chiefly by the influence and support of women, may they not continue to
maintain themselves indefinitely in this way? Is it not possible, to
mention a special case, that the Roman Catholic Church may exist for an
indefinite length of time simply as a provider of the kind of authority
and the kind of emotion that women desire, and that they cannot obtain
from science? Mr.----, a friend of mine, considers religion absolutely
necessary to women, and to many men, not that he at all considers
religion to be true in the matter-of-fact sense, but the scientific
truth of a doctrine is quite distinct from its beneficial effect upon
the mind.

"For my part, I don't know what to think about the future. Long ago I
used to hope for a true religion, but now I see that if it is to be free
from mythology, it ceases to be a religion altogether, and becomes only
science, which has none of the heating and energizing force that a real
religion certainly possesses. Neither has science its power of uniting
men in bonds of brotherhood, and in giving them an effective hostile
action against others as religious intolerance does."

On the subject of religious belief, my husband had written previously to
Mr. Seeley:--

"I have been corresponding with a friend [the same Mr.---- mentioned in
the letter to another visitor] about the religious views of Mark
Pattison and Dean Stanley. He knew both of them, and quite confirms what
I had heard before, that they were no more believers than Renan.
Pattison he describes as a conservative agnostic or pantheist, meaning
by 'conservative' a man who thought it better to preserve old forms. I
recollect that Appleton told me when he was here that there was not the
slightest obligation on a clergyman of the Church of England to believe
in the divinity of Christ, and that many clergymen in the present day,
including Pattison, had no such belief. My friend himself seems to be an
agnostic, and a strong supporter of the Church of England at the same
time, and quite lately he earnestly counselled some young English ladies
(who were Unitarians, but obliged to live abroad) to join the Church of
England for the sake of 'religious fellowship.' He tells me that there
is in Dean Stanley's 'Christian Institutions' an exposition of the
Apostles' Creed, containing hardly a syllable to which Renan could not
subscribe.

"From all this it would appear that some, at least, of the English
clergy have adopted the Jesuit principle, practically so convenient, by
which any one may have an esoteric religion for himself as the
comfortable lining of the cloak, and an esoteric religion for other
people as the outside of the cloak. Meanwhile these clergymen are deeply
respected, whilst honest men whose opinions are not one whit more
heretical are stigmatized as 'infidels,' and excluded from 'good
society.' You seem to have got into a curious condition in England.
Surely many laymen are right in distrusting parsons."

As editor of the "Portfolio," he had been contributing articles from
time to time, but Mr. Seeley was anxious to see him undertake an
important series for the following year. He proposed different subjects
likely to tempt the author's fancy, and suggested "Turner in
Switzerland;" but one of the difficulties was the quantity of work done
by Turner in Switzerland, and the time that would be required to follow
in his steps. Another suggestion of Mr. Seeley's was to write about a
group of French living artists who would be good representatives of the
modern school, and whose works would furnish striking illustrations. He
said with his usual kind thoughtfulness: "I must confess that my
suggestion of a French subject arose partly from the pleasure you would
find in paying a visit to your daughter at Paris; and partly also from
the reflection that Paris is not far from London."

Mr. Hamerton had proposed "The Louvre," but it was feared that the
subject would not be a popular one; and after mature consideration, the
idea of a connected series of articles on modern French painters was
entertained by both publisher and editor. Mr. Seeley wrote: "I was
rather in hopes that my vague suggestion of a subject might take root in
your mind and develop into something definite; or, to change the
metaphor, that it might be a spark to kindle your invention. I think
such a series would be interesting here, and would furnish admirable
subjects for twelve etchings."

A journey to Paris was then decided upon for the winter.

The Saône cruise proved particularly pleasant this time, on account of
the welcome offered to the passengers of "L'Arar" by several friends at
Neuville, who most hospitably entertained them on land and water. They
were invited on board "L'Hirondelle" and "Petite Amie," and raced
"L'Arar" against them. It was a comfort to my husband to feel himself
among friends, for he suddenly suffered from an irregular action of the
heart which lasted for thirty-six hours, but ceased as suddenly as it
came. He had had another distress of the same kind in the summer, but
only of a couple of hours' duration. I had entreated him to see a doctor
at the time; but he said it was only nervousness. At Neuville likewise
he refused to seek advice, feeling sure it would cease of itself; and
now I have the painful certainty that he was already laboring under the
symptoms of heart disease. Still, he speedily recovered, and resumed his
studies in water-colors and in pen-and-ink the day after.

I see by this note in the diary that he was well satisfied with his
boat: "Sept. 15. My studies occupied me till lunch-time, and then, after
_déjeuner_, we started in 'L'Arar' to try an experiment in sailing with
a breeze so light as to be imperceptible, sheets not even stretched, yet
we went up as far as Pont Vert and beyond. We might have gone further,
but came back to call upon Madame Vibert."

In October, Mr. Hamerton wrote an article for "Chambers' Encyclopaedia"
on the "History of Art," and another for the "Portfolio" on "National
Supremacy in Painting." Having been asked to contribute to the "Forum,"
he began in November an article on "Home Life in France."

He was always anxious to clear up any international misunderstanding
between France and England, and had written in May to the "Pall Mall
Gazette" an explanatory letter on the so-called persecution of the
Church by the Republic, as regarded the execution of the decrees
concerning religious orders.

He had also sent a letter to the "Academy" on "France and the Republic."

Although very tolerant himself in matters of religion, it was his
opinion that the State, whether under a Republic or a Monarchy, had a
right to exact obedience to its laws as well from religious bodies as
from private persons; and that a Republican government ought not to be
accused of tyranny because it enforced the execution of these general
laws. But people are very apt to take the view which M. de Cassagnac so
frankly avowed when addressing the Republican party in the Chamber: "We
claim unbounded liberty for ourselves--because you promise it in your
programme; but we refuse it to you--because it is contrary to our
principles."

About the middle of November there was copied into the "Temps" an
anonymous letter which had appeared in "Truth," professing to express
the hostile feelings entertained by English naval officers against the
officers of the French fleet, which had recently visited Malta. This
roused Mr. Hamerton's indignation; the more so as he never for one
moment believed the discourteous and outrageous letter to be genuine. I
transcribe his explanation of the incident as given by himself to his
son-in-law:--

"_Novembre_ 17, 1890.

"MON CHER FILS,--Il m'est arrivé de pouvoir, je crois, être utile au
maintien des bonnes relations entre les marines anglaises et françaises.
Un journal anglais, 'Truth,' a publié il y a quinze jours une lettre
sans signature, mais présentée comme la communication authentique d'un
officier de notre flotte de la Méditerranée. Dans cette lettre
l'écrivain représentait les officiers comme très mécontents d'être
obligés de donner l'hospitalité à ceux de l'escadre française qui est
venue à Malte; disant que c'était leur métier de recevoir les Français à
coups de fusil et qu'ils ne désiraient pas les voir autrement.

"Je connais assez les sentiments d'un 'English gentleman,' (et nos
officiers de marine se piquent de soutenir ce caractère) pour savoir
qu'ils comprendraient l'hospitalité mieux que cela, et j'ai envoyé le
paragraphe en question à l'Amiral commandant la flotte Anglaise de la
Méditerranée, en lui suggérant l'idée d'une protestation. Il m'a répondu
par télégramme qu'au reçu de ma lettre l'indignation avait été générale
parmi les officiers et qu'ils préparent une protestation qu'ils
m'enverront pour que je la fasse circuler autant que possible dans la
presse française. Le retard a été probablement occasionné par les
mouvements de la flotte."

A few days later the following letter was received by Mr. Hamerton:--

"H. M. S. BENBOW. _November_ 17,1890.

"DEAR SIR,--I hope you will kindly assist us in getting the gross
misstatements copied from 'Truth' as to our feelings towards the French
Navy contradicted.

"You will perceive that the paper I enclose is signed by an officer
representing each ship, and that most ranks in the service are also
represented thereon.

"Any expense that may be incurred would you kindly let me know?

"Yours faithfully,

"H. RAWSON,

"Capt. R. N."

The protestation which accompanied the letter ran thus:--

"H. M. S. BENBOW, AT MALTA. _November_ 15, 1890.

"DEAR SIR,--Your letter of the 1st of November, sent to the
Commander-in-Chief of the British fleet in the Mediterranean, has been
forwarded to us, and we have to thank you for having called our
attention to the paragraph in the 'Temps,' copied from 'Truth' of the
31st of October.

"Referring to the language in 'Truth,' the editor of the 'Temps' says
that he hopes it will be protested against in England. The paragraph had
been seen and commented on by our officers; but as in England no one
ever takes the trouble to answer or contradict any statement made in
that paper ('Truth'), and as in this case its object was so palpably
political, viz. to cause the present Government trouble, and prevent the
cordiality and friendship that has existed so long between the two
nations, no notice was taken of it; but when a paper of such importance
as the 'Temps' copies the paragraph, and it is thus brought before the
French nation, it at once becomes important and demands a protest and a
denial.

"As you have already taken an interest in the matter, we are led to hope
that you will assist us in procuring the insertion in any French papers
that may have copied this paragraph, most especially the 'Temps,' the
naval papers, and the local papers at Toulon, of a protest on the part
of the officers of the English fleet in the Mediterranean against the
language of the article, and to deny, on our part, any such feelings or
ideas as are attributed to us in it.

"We beg to assure you that it gave us real and unfeigned pleasure to see
the French fleet in our midst at Malta, and that what little we were
able to do to make their visit agreeable and pleasant was done from no
feeling of duty, or even as a mere return for the kindly reception
accorded to us at Toulon, but from a sincere appreciation of the high
qualities of French naval officers, and a desire to cultivate their
friendship.

"We have the honor to be,

"Sir

"Your obedient servants."

Three weeks later came a letter of thanks, closing the incident, which
had caused no little trouble to Mr. Hamerton.

"MALTA. _December_ 12, 1890.

"DEAR MR. HAMERTON,--Thank you very much in the name of the English Navy
for so kindly assisting us to repel the gross insinuations of 'Truth,'
also for the extracts, and the trouble you have taken for us. I only
regret that you should have drawn 'Truth' on you.

"I have shown your letter to the Admiral and all the officers here, who
are much pleased with all that has been done.

"Again thanking you, believe me,

"Yours truly,

"H. RAWSON."

Mr. Hamerton considered himself well rewarded for his exertions by the
tokens of warm approval he received both from England and from France.

"French and English" did not meet with the success it deserved, though
it was published in England, America, and France, and in the Tauchnitz
edition. The author had entertained few illusions about the fate of the
work, for some reasons which he has himself explained in private
letters, and in his prefaces to the book. He once wrote in answer to a
letter from M. Raillard:--

"Vous lisez mes livres, un peu sans doute pour faire plaisir au vieux
Papa, mais je crois réellement qu'ils vous seront utiles à cause de la
simplicité du style et de la clarté que j'ai toujours cherchées. Ces
qualités m'ont gagné de nombreux lecteurs, mais en même temps m'ont
privé de toute réputation de profondeur. En Angleterre on classe tous
les écrivains clairs, comme écrivains superficiels."

But he said in the preface to the Tauchnitz edition:--

"The kind of success most gratifying to me after writing a book of this
kind would be to convert some readers to my own method, or rule, in the
formation of opinion, whether it concerns one side or the other.

"My method is a good one, but not so good for eloquence as the hastier
methods of journalism."

And in the preface of the English edition:--

"I should like to write with complete impartiality if it were possible.
I have at least written with the most sincere desire to be impartial,
and that perhaps at the cost of some popularity in England, for certain
English critics have told me that impartiality is not patriotic; and
others have informed me of what I did not know before, namely, that I
prefer the French to my own countrymen."

Though "French and English" never became what may be called a popular
book, it nevertheless attracted a good deal of attention, and the author
received a great number of letters expressive of admiration and
gratitude for the clear discernment and impartiality with which the
differences existing between the two nations had been studied and
expounded.

Here is a pretty sample from a French lady:--

"MONSIEUR,--Je viens de lire avec le plus grand plaisir votre livre
'French and English.' Il est si rare qu'un écrivain anglais ose--ou
veuille, aller contre les préjugés de ses lecteurs anglais, et nous
fasse justice, que j'en ai éprouvé un vrai sentiment de reconnaissance.
Bien des jugements portés sont ceux dont j'ai l'habitude de gratifier
mes amis, et, comme il y a toujours, 'a great deal of human nature in
mankind;' je n'apprécie que mieux votre livre à cause de cela. À
quelques exceptions près, par exemple, la fin du chapitre 'on Truth,' je
vois les choses comme vous, mais certains préjugés sont bien invétérés
dans l'esprit de vos compatriotes.

"Lorsque je protestais contre les idées fausses qu'on se faisait de
nous, on m'a dit si souvent: 'Oh! mais, vous n'êtes pas français, vous!'
Le mot est bien caractéristique. Un Français qui ne répond pas à l'idée
qu'on se fait de sa nation, c'est une exception.

"Je ne l'aurais peut-être pris que comme une manière de taquiner, une
plaisanterie, si cela ne m'avait été répété encore tout dernièrement par
un homme d'une vraie valeur intellectuelle, qui a toute une théorie sur
les races. La conclusion à déduire était: tout ce qui pense sérieusement
ne peut être français. Qui sait si votre livre ne vous a pas fait
accuser de vous être perverti à notre contact puisque vous nous êtes
assez favorable!

"Je trotte tous ces temps-ci dans la neige, avec votre livre dans mon
manchon, lisant à chacun de mes amis le morceau qui lui revient, mais je
voudrais qu'ils lisent tout.

"Sans me donner le temps de trop réfléchir j'ai écrit ma lettre; après
je n'aurais plus osé. J'aurai eu ainsi l'occasion de dire à un homme de
talent qu'il m'a fait goûter un vrai plaisir ... peut-être est-ce une
satisfaction pour un auteur.

"Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, mes compliments bien sincères pour votre
'fairness' à notre égard.

"Yours truly."

I also give a passage from one of Mr. Calderon's letters:--

"Last night--to my regret--I finished the last chapter of your 'French
and English.' I am delighted with its truth. Remember (as an excuse for
giving an opinion so freely) that I too am very fairly acquainted with
both countries--their capitals and provinces."

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