Victor Cousin, Part I [pp. 161-165]

THE
LADIES' REPOSITORY.
MA R CH, i 8 6 8.
VICTOR COUSIN.
NVE must hasten to pay our homage to the
dead, for the jealous and impatient critic
awaits his prey; or, rather, does not even await
it. In his delight at the fall of something great,
he already brands the scarcely cold ashes. Let
us quickly free ourselves from a troublesome
admiration, spoil and unmask our idols. Let
us prove that we are no longer a nation of children, carried away by splendor and glory, but a
nation of old men, icy and without illusions,
who understand the depth of things-that is,
the emptiness of all. Charming and beautiful
wisdom which promises to crown so nobly this
century, which began in intoxication and illusion! For us, we belong to another age, and
this wisdom is not ours. An illustrious adversary has just died. Our first word shall be one
of respect, or we will keep silence. But we need
no longer speak of sad caprices; let us ignore
them, and speak of those who are dead, without
concealing our prejudices, but with that just
mixture of respect and freedom which alone is
worthy of them.
Besides, with what a fearful weight do these
great deaths leave the survivors loaded! As
we see the faces which have glorified the cradle
of our century fall one by one, the responsibility
of succeeding generations increases and deep ens. Accustomed to admire these men, the
pioneers of our age, and to develop under their
protection, we see with sadness the void before
us. Happy are those who in this void see only
the success of their own glory, or the assurance
of their future power! Let us hope with them,
that they may be strong enough to replace what
has departed!
M. Victor Cousin must then depart in his
turn, he who might have been believed im mortal, so much did his nature contain of sap
and manhood. His exhaustless youth aston VOL. XXVIII.-IT
ished and charmed all who approached him;
an ever-burning flame illuminated that powerful
organization. Physically, as well as morally, his
was a nature of fire. If death had attempted to
conquer him by one of those slow maladies
which, little by little, undermines the system,
he would still have overcome it as he has so
often done. Men of this sort can not lose their
life drop by drop; they perish by a single blow.
This physical energy was only the symbol and
expression of a more universal strength, that
which a soul ever in motion, a burning imagination directs constantly to the most diverse objects, but which, to this wonderful mobility,
united an inflexible tenacity, an unconquerable
rule, and designs conceived with the highest
wisdom and unswervingly pursued. He had
been, if I may so express myself, forged upon
the anvil of the Revolution. Born in'92, in
the heart of Paris, of an obscure family, he
inherited from the people impulsiveness, finesse,
gayety, passion, and lack of reflection. The
Revolution endowed him with a sort of violence,
a bold familiarity, and that spirit of propagandism which has made him the head of his school
in our age, The fire which animated him was
so superabundant that it shed itself over all
who approached him. Even of those who opposed him, how many have received from him
the first glow! His public eloquence, we are
told by those who were so happy as to have
heard him, was incomparable; his private elo quence was not less so. An inexhaustible flu ency, a strength full of grace and bitterness, an
unequaled richness of remembrances, a quick ness of sight, a grandeur of gesture, and with
all this a magnificent head and eyes whence
the mind gushed like a torrent-such was M.
Cousin when seen in private life, as he must be
seen if one would understand fully the exalted
place which he has occupied in our age, and the
noise which his name has made.
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