192 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



" Vous insultez Yoltaire, et vous me faites I'honneur de m'injurier. 

 C'est votre affaire. 



" Nous sommes, vous et moi, deux liommes quelconque. L'avenir 

 jug-era. Vous dites que je suis vieux, et vous me faites entendre que 

 vous etes jeune. «/e le crois. 



" Le sens moral est encore si peu iorm6 chez vous, que vous me 

 faites ' une honte ' de ce qui est mon honneur. 



" Vous pretendez, monsieur, me faire la legon. De quel droit ? Qui 

 etes-vous ? Aliens au fait. Le fait le voici : Qu'est-ce que c'est que 

 votre conscience, et qu'est-ce que c'est que la mienne ? 



" Comparons-les. 



" Un rapprochement suffira," etc' 



And now he launches into a grand and dignified comparison, in which 

 the words used are quite adequate to the weight of the feelings expressed. 



No doubt there are other elements which contribute their share to 

 make this letter so strong in style : as, for example, the great crescendo 

 of the whole, which gradually and with a continual bridling in shows 

 us the growing speed and bulk of his feelings, until they burst forth 

 in grandeur. Then, again, we feel that the person who wrote this is 

 on the one hand a man of the world, who can constrain passionate out- 

 bursts, and this prepares us for the subsequent great effect when his 

 passion is let loose ; for the man of the world is not the man of the 

 street, who uses weighty language for light occasions. On the other 

 hand, we hardly need fear, with Victor Hugo, that we may find the 

 " typical " man of the world who has lost all power of passion in habit- 

 ually repressing it ; and we are prepared to receive the full meaning of 

 deep words when they come. 



However, the passage exemplifies what I mean. Instead of the 

 word " imprudence," we expect something meaning unworthy, immora- 

 action, or insolence. Instead of " un peu," we expect " profondement," 

 etc. It will be seen that the whole beginning is in a tone of lightness 

 which we would almost expect to notice in two gentlemen conversing 

 in some public place quite simply, though without smiling. Still the 

 essence which underlies the form is intensely passionate. 



The reaction against this abuse of strong language may lead, on 

 the one hand, to this disproportionate use of lighter words, or, on the 



* " Sir, you are indiscreet. . . . That has already been said. I do not insist upon it. 

 I rather despise useless things. 



" You insult Voltaire, and you do me the honor to revile me. That is your affair. 



" You and I are two men — what manner of men the future will decide. You say I 

 am old, and you give mo to understand that you are young. / believe it. 



" In you the moral sense is still so undeveloped that you pronounce that in me ' a 

 shame' which is my honor. 



" You presume, sir, to read me a lecture. By what right ? Who are you ? Let us 

 come down to facts. Here is fact : What is your conscience, and what is mine ? 



" Compare the two. 



" A comparison will be enough," etc. 



