The Life of Jean Henri Fabre 



whom science and fortune had lately con- 

 spired to raise to one of the highest chairs 

 in the University was to be forced to descend 

 from the modest desk of a lycee professor; 

 he whom the friendship and admiration of 

 Duruy had dreamed, it is said, of promot- 

 ing to the high dignity of tutor to the Prince 

 Imperial * was now to be forbidden to teach 

 the schoolgirls of his own Provence \ 



For it was about this time that " he at- 

 tempted to found at Avignon a sort of sys- 

 tem of secondary education for young girls," 

 and delivered, in the ancient abbey of Saint- 

 Martial, those famous free lectures which 

 remained so celebrated in the memory of the 

 generation of that period, and at which an 

 eager crowd thronged to hear him, among 

 the most assiduous members being Rouma- 

 nille, the friend of Mistral, who knew the 

 exquisite secret of weaving into his melo- 

 dies " the laughter of young girls and the 

 flowers of spring." 



For no one could explain a fact better than 

 Fabre; no one could elucidate it so fully and 

 so clearly. No one could teach as he did, 

 so simply, so picturesquely, yet in so original 

 a fashion. 



1 Revue scientifique, May 7, 1910, speech by M. Ed- 

 mond Perrier. 



194 



