The Witness by Grace Livingston Hill Lutz (best fiction novels of all time .txt) 📖

Was The

Ideal. Sincerity Was Manifested In Everything She Said And Did. Pity

For The Misery Of Her Fellow Beings,  The Sentiment Of The Dignity Of

Man And His Right To Independence,  Of His Future Grandeur Founded

On His Moral Elevation,  The Cult Of Justice,  And The Love Of

Liberty--Such Were The Prevailing Thoughts Of Her Life And Works.

 

Mme. De Staël's Chief Influence Will Always Remain In The Domain Of

Literature; She Was The First French Writer To Introduce And Exercise

A European Or Cosmopolitan Influence By Uniting The Literatures Of The

North And The South And Clearly Defining The Distinction Between Them.

By The Expression Of Her Idea That French Literature Had Decayed On

Account Of The Exclusive Social Spirit,  And That Its Only Means Of

Regeneration Lay In The Study And Absorption Of New Models,  She

Cut French Taste Loose From Traditions And Freed Literature From

Superannuated Conventionalities. Also,  By Her Idea That A Common

Civilization Must Be Fostered,  A Union Of The Eastern And Western

Ideals,  And That Literature Must Be The Common Expression Thereof,

Whose Object Must Be The Amelioration Of Humanity,  Morally And

Religiously,  She Gave To The World At Large Ideas Which Are Only Now

Being Fully Appreciated And Nearing Realization. In Her Novels She

Vigorously Protested Against The Lot Of Woman In Modern Society,

Against Her Obligation To Submit Everything To Opinion,  Against The

Innumerable Obstacles In The Way Of Her Development--Thus Heralding

George Sand And The General Movement Toward Woman's Emancipation.

France Has Never Had A More Forceful,  Energetic,  Influential,

Cosmopolitan,  And At The Same Time Moral,  Writer Than Mme. De Staël.

 

The Events In The Life Of George Sand Had Comparatively Little

Influence Upon Her Works,  Which Were Mainly The Expression Of Her

Nature. As A Young Girl,  She Was Strongly Influenced By Her Mother,  An

Amiable But Rather Frivolous Woman,  And By Her Grandmother,  A Serious,

Cold,  Ceremonious Old Lady. Calm And Well Balanced,  And Possessing An

Ardent Imagination,  She Followed Her Own Inclinations When,  As A Girl

Of Sixteen,  She Was Married To A Man For Whom She Had No Love. After

Living An Indifferent Sort Of Life With Her Husband For Ten Years,

They Separated; And She,  With Her Children,  Went To Paris To Find

Work.

 

After A Number Of Unsuccessful Efforts Of A Literary Nature,  She

Wrote _Indiana_,  Which Immediately Made Her Success. Her Articles Were

Sought By The Journals,  And From About 1830 Her Life Was That Of The

Average Artist And Writer Of The Time. Her Relations With Chopin And

Alfred De Musset Are Too Well Known To Require Repetition. After 1850

She Retired To Her Home,  The Château De Nohant,  Where She Enjoyed The

Companionship Of Her Son,  Her Daughter-In-Law,  And Her Grandchildren;

She Died There In 1876.

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To Appreciate Her Works,  It Is More Important To Study Her Nature Than

Her Career. This Has Been Admirably Done By The Comte D'haussonville.

George Sand Is Said To Have Possessed A Dual Nature,  Which Seemed

To Contradict Itself,  But Which Explains Her Works--A Dreamy And

Meditative,  And A Lively,  Frolicsome Nature; The First Might Throw

Light Upon Her Religious Crisis,  The Second,  Upon Her Social Side.

The Combination Of These Two Phases Caused The Numerous Conflicts

Of Opinions And Doctrines,  Extending Her Knowledge And Inciting Her

Curiosity; The Not Infrequent Result Was An Intellectual And Moral

Bewilderment And The Deepest Melancholy,  From Which She With Great

Difficulty Freed Herself. Because Of These Peculiarities She Was

Constantly Agitated,  Her Strongly Reflective Nature Keeping Her Awake

To All Important Questions Of The Day.

 

Her Intellectual Development May Be Traced In Her Works,  Which,  From

1830 To 1840,  Were Personal,  Lyrical,  Spontaneous--A Direct Flow From

Inspiration,  Issuing From A Common Sourceived So Much Commendation,

That Would Have Meant Everything To Him A Few Brief Days Ago--Of Course,

Then It Would Have Been Different! But As It Was He Wondered That

Everybody Seemed So Much Interested In Things And Took So Much Trouble

For A Lot Of Nonsense.

 

Courtland Was Surprised To See His Father Come Into The Great Hall Just

As He Went Up On The Platform With His Class. He Hadn't Expected His

Father. He Was A Busy Man Who Did Not Get Away From His Office Often.

 

It Touched Him That His Father Cared To Come. He Changed His Plans And

Made It Possible To Take The Train Home With Him After The Exercises,

Instead Of Waiting A Day Or Two To Pack Up,  As He Had Expected To Do.

The Packing Could Wait Awhile. So He Went Home With His Father.

 

They Had A Long Talk On The Way,  One Of The Most Intimate That They Had

Ever Had. It Appeared During The Course Of Conversation That Mr.

Courtland Had Heard Of The Offer Made To His Son By Ramsey Thomas,  And

That He Was Not Unfavorable To Its Acceptance.

 

"Of Course,  You Don't Really Need To Do Anything Of The Sort,  You Know,

Paul," He Said,  Affably. "You've Got What Your Mother Left You Now,  And

On Your Twenty-Fifth Birthday There Will Be Two Hundred And Fifty

Thousand Coming To You From Your Grandfather Courtland's Estate. You

Could Spend Your Life In Travel And Study If You Cared To,  But I Fancy,

With Your Temperament,  You Wouldn't Be Quite Satisfied With An Idle Life

Like That. What's Your Objection To This Job?"

 

Courtland Told The Whole Story Carefully,  Omitting No Detail Of The

Matter Concerning Conditions At The Factory,  And The Matters At Which He

Was Not Only Expected To Wink,  But Also Sometimes To Help Along By His

Influence. He Realized,  As He Told It,  That His Father Would Look At The

Thing Fairly,  But Very Differently.

 

"Well,  After All," Said The Father,  Comfortably Settling Himself To

Another Cigar,  "That's All A Matter Of Sentiment. It Doesn't Do To Be

Too Squeamish,  You Know,  If You Have Ambitions. Besides,  With Your

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Income You Would Have Been Able To Help Out And Do A Lot Of Good. You

Ought To Have Thought Of That."

 

"In Other Words,  Earn My Salary By Squeezing The Life Out Of Them And

Then Toss Them A Penny To Buy Medicine. I Don't See It That Way! No,

Dad,  If I Can't Work At Something Clean I'll Go Out And Work In The

Ground,  Or Do _Nothing_,  But I _Won't_ Oppress The Poor."

 

"Oh,  Well,  Paul,  That's All Right If You Feel That Way About Of It,  Of

Course. Ramsey Thomas Wanted Me To Talk It Over With You; Promised To Do

The Square Thing By You And All That; And He's A Pretty Good Man To Get

In With. Of Course I Won't Urge You Against Your Will. But What Are You

Going To Do,  Son? Haven't You Thought Of Anything?"

 

"Yes," Said Courtland,  Leaning Back And Looking Steadily At His Father.

"I've Decided That I'd Like To Study Theology."

 

"Theology!" The Father Started And Knocked An Ash Delicately From The

End Of His Cigar. "H'm! Well,  That's Not A Bad Idea! Rather Odd,

Perhaps,  But Still There's Always Dignity And Distinction In It. Your

Great Grandfather On Your Mother's Side Was A Clergyman In The Church Of

England. Of Course It's Rather A Surprise,  But It's Always Respectable,

And With Your Money You Would Be Independent. You Wouldn't Have Any

Trouble In Getting A Wealthy And Influential Church,  Either. I Could

Manage That,  I Think."

 

"I'm Not Sure That I Want To Be A Clergyman,  Father. I Said _Study_

Theology. I Want To Know What Scholarly Christians Think Of The Bible.

I've Studied It With A Lot Of Scholarly Heathen Who Couldn't See

Anything In It But Literary Merit. Now I Want To See What It Is That Has

Made It A Living Power All Through The Ages. I've Got To Know What

Saints And Martyrs Have Founded Their Faith Upon."

 

"Well,  Paul,  I'm Afraid You're Something Of An Idealist And A Dreamer

Like Your Mother. Of Course It's All Right With Your Income,  But,

Generally Speaking,  It's As Well To Have An Object In View When You Take

Up Study. If I Were You I Would Look Into The Matter Most Carefully

Before I Made Any Decisions. If You Really Think The Ministry Is What

You Want,  Why,  I'll Just Put A Word In At Our Church For You. Our Old

Doctor Bates Is Getting A Little Out Of Date And He'll Be About Ready To

Be Put On The Retired List By The Time You Are Done Your Theological

Course. Let's See,  How Long Is It,  Three Years? Had You Thought Where

You Will Go? What Seminary? Better Make A Careful Selection; It Has So

Much To Do With Getting A Good Church Afterward!"

 

"Father! You Don't _Understand_!" Said Courtland,  Desperately,  And Then

Sat Back And Wondered How He Should Begin. His Father Had Been A

Prominent Member Of The Board Of Trustees In His Own Church For Years,

But Had He Ever Felt The Presence? In The Days When Courtland Used To

Sit And Kick His Heels In The Old Family Pew And Be Reproved For It By

His Aunt,  He Never Remembered Any Presence. Doctor Bates's Admirable

Sermons Had Droned On Over His Head Like The Dreamy Humming Of Bees In A

Summer Day. He Couldn't Remember A Single Thought That Ever Entered His

Mind From That Source. Was That All That Came Of Studying Theology?

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Well,  He Would Find Out,  And If It Was,  He Would _Quit_ It!

 

They Were All Comfortably Glad To See Him At Home. His Stepmother Beamed

Graciously Upon Him In Between Her Social Engagements,  And His Young

Brothers Swarmed Over Him,  Demanding All The Athletic News. The House

Was Big,  Ornate,  Perfect In Its Way. It Was Good To Eat Such Superior

Cooking--That Is,  If He Had Been Caring To Eat Anything Just Then; And

There Was A Certain Freedom In Life Out Of College That He Knew He Ought

To Enjoy; But Somehow He Was Restless. The Girls He Used To Know

Reminded Him Of Gila,  Or Else Had Grown Old And Fat. The Country Club

Didn't Interest Him In The Least,  Nor Did The Family's Plans For The

Summer. It Suited Him Not At All To Be Lionized On Account Of His

Brilliant Career At College. It Bored Him To Go Into Society.

 

Sometimes,  When He Was Alone In His Room,  He Would Think Of The

Situation And Try To Puzzle It Out. It Seemed As If He And The Presence

Were There On A Visit Which Neither Of Them Enjoyed