18651870 143 



literary in his tastes, and too radical in his opinions to be 

 popular in the Senate, rose violently against this absolute and 

 arbitrary judgment, forgetting everything but the jeopardy of 

 free opinions before the excessive and inquisitorial zeal of the 

 Senate. His speech was very unfavourably received, and one 

 of his colleagues, M. Lacaze, aged sixty-eight, challenged him 

 to a duel. Sainte Beuve, himself then sixty-three years old, 

 refused to enter into what he called "the summary jurisprud- 

 ence which consists in strangling a question and suppressing 

 a man within forty-eight hours." 



The students of the Ecole Normale deputed one of their 

 number to congratulate Sainte Beuve on his speech, and wrote 

 the following letter 



"We have already thanked you for defending freedom of 

 thought when misjudged and attacked ; now that you have 

 again pleaded for it, we beg you to receive our renewed 

 thanks. 



' ' We should be happy if the expression of our grateful 

 sympathy could console you for this injustice. Courage is in- 

 deed required to speak in the Senate in favour of the inde- 

 pendence and the rights of thought ; but the task is all the more 

 glorious for being more difficult. Addresses are now being 

 sent from everywhere ; you will forgive the students of the 

 Ecole Normale for having followed the general lead and having 

 sent their address to M. Sainte Beuve." 



This letter was published in a newspaper. Etienne Arago 

 published it without remembering the University by-laws which 

 forbade every sort of political manifestation to the students. 

 It had given pleasure to Sainte Beuve, the pleasure that elderly 

 men take in the applause of youth ; but he soon became uneasy 

 at the results of this noisy publicity. 



Nisard, the Director of the school, could not very well 

 tolerate this breach of discipline. In spite of the entreaties 

 of Sainte Beuve, the student who had signed the letter was 

 provisionally sent back to his family. His comrades revolted 

 at this and imperiously demanded his immediate restoration. 

 Pasteur attempted to pacify them by speaking to them, but 

 failed utterly ; his influence was very great over his own pupils , 

 the students on the scientific side, but the others, the " lit- 

 teraires" were the most violent on this question, and he was 

 not diplomatic and conciliating enough to bring them round. 

 They rose in a body, marched to the door, and the whole 



