THE FRENCH ACADEMY. 289 



he go through this excess of enthusiasm and convic- 

 tion ? It is far from certain ; but what matters it ? 

 In any case, did it prevent his writing later on the 

 most complete history of France yet issued ? 



u As for me, if I am not suspected of being a Druid, 

 I was formerly charged with being a dreamer. This 

 was the beginning of my enterprises. I fancy that I 

 have since proved myself a practical man. I do not, 

 however, for all that, disparage dreamers. A little 

 imagination is a good leaven for the heavy dough of 

 human affairs. The more distant the goal the higher 

 you must aim. It is well for the sculptor to seek a 

 mountain for cutting out his first statue. It is not 

 amiss for the positive man to have to throw off his 

 mind a little of the impracticable and unattainable. 

 It is not amiss that, fancying himself omnipotent, he 

 has thought of attempting everything. Experience 

 will only too soon cut off what was impossible in his 

 illusion ; but his works will always retain something 

 strong and forcible to support them, his intelligence 

 something grand to elevate it. From the St. Simonian 

 aberration, now happily forgotten, there nevertheless 

 sprang accomplished engineers, distinguished econo- 

 mists, and first-class financiers. M. Thiers began by 

 writing criticisms of pictures. Claude Bernard him- 

 self, your illustrious colleague, began with a tragedy. 

 You have not that, at least, to twit me with. 



" I spoke just now of the history of France, written 

 by Henri Martin. It is his chief work ; it is in all 



