36 THE LIFE OF PASTEUR 



"Whatever happens to you, do not grieve; nothing in life is 

 more than a chimera. Farewell, my son." 



On March 20, 1848, Pasteur read to the Acad^mie des 

 Sciences a portion of his treatise on ''Researches on Dimorph- 

 ism." There are some substances which crystallize in two 

 different ways. Sulphur, for instance, gives quite dissimilar 

 crystals according to whether it is melted in a crucible or dis- 

 solved in sulphide of carbon. Those substances are called 

 dimorphous. Pasteur, kindly aided by the learned M. Dela- 

 fosse (with his usual gratefulness he mentions this in the very 

 first pages) had made out a list — as complete as possible — of 

 all dimorphous substances. When M. Romanet, of Arbois 

 College, received this paper he was quite overwhelmed. " It 

 is much too stiff for you," he said with an infectious modesty 

 to Vercel, Charriere, and Coulon, Pasteur's former comrades. 

 Perhaps the head master desired to palliate his own incom- 

 petence in the eyes of coming generations, for on the title page 

 of the copy of Pasteur's booklet still to be found in the Arbois 

 library, he wrote this remark, which he signed with his initial 

 R. : — " Dimorphisme ; this word is not even to be found in the 

 Dictionnaire de I'Acaddmie "11 The approbation of several 

 members of the Academie des Sciences compensated for the 

 somewhat summary judgment of M. Romanet, whose good 

 wishes continued to follow the rapid course of his old pupil. 



After this very special study, dated at the beginning of 1848, 

 one might imagine the graduate-curator closing his ears to all 

 outside rumours and little concerned with political agitation, 

 but that would be doing him an injustice. Those who wit- 

 nessed the Revolution of 1848 remember how during the early 

 days France was exalted with the purest patriotism. Pasteur 

 had visions of a generous and fraternal Republic ; the words 

 drapeau and patrie moved him to the bottom of his soul. 

 Lamartine * as a politician inspired him with an enthusiastic 

 confidence ; he delighted in the sight of a poet leader of men. 

 Many others shared the same illusions. France, as Louis 

 Veuillot has it, made the mistake of choosing her band-master 



1 This celebrated poet took a large share in the Revolution of 1848, 

 when his popularity became enormous. His political talents, however, 

 apart from his wonderful eloquence, were less than mediocre, and he 

 retired into private life within three years. 



His "Meditations," " Jocelyn," " Recueillements," etc., etc., are beau- 

 tiful examples of lyrical poetry, and may be considered a3 forming part 

 of the literature of the world. [Trans.] 



