The Life of Jean Henri Fabre 



It does not surprise us to see the serene 

 kindliness of our compatriot veiling itself in 

 dejection and becoming almost pugnacious 

 when confronted by the melancholy exploits 

 of force; for how could he remain unaffected 

 before the stupendous barbarism and iniquity 

 of 1870? 



At the time of his retirement to Orange, 

 Fabre was already the father of five children: 

 Antonia, Aglae, Claire, Emile, and Jules, 

 who, in course of time, were joined by three 

 others, Paul, Anna, and Marie-Pauline. 



It was not with Fabre as with some intel- 

 lectuals, whose thoughts and life remain al- 

 most strangers to the home which they estab- 

 lish one day as though in a moment of dis- 

 traction, and who divide their lives into two 

 parts — one being devoted to their profes- 

 sional labours and the other reserved for the 

 exigencies of family life. 



Like the pages of his native country who 

 live surrounded by their wives and children, 

 sharing their tasks and breaking bread with 

 them, Fabre loved to make his family share 

 in his work as well as in his leisure. He too 

 was a worker in the fields, and was per- 

 suaded that, just as there can never be too 

 many hands at work to extract their wealth, 

 so there could never be too many eyes at 



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