generally the rock on which they split. Women do not usually admire men
who cast off their manhood or are unconscious of the rights and
prerogatives of the stronger sex; and they admire just as little those
"strong-minded women" who strive to excel only in the masculine virtues.
I have never been persuaded that it argues well for a people when its
women are men and its men women. Yet I trust I have always honored and
always shall honor woman. I raise no question as to woman's equality or
inequality with man, for comparisons cannot be made between things not
of the same kind. Woman's sphere and office in life are as high, as
holy, as important as man's, but different; and the glory of both man
and woman is for each to act well the part assigned to each by
Almighty God.

The Saint-Simonian writings made me familiar with the idea of a
hierarchy, and removed from my mind the prejudices against the Papacy
generally entertained by my countrymen. Their proposed organization, I
saw, might be good and desirable if their priests, their Supreme Father
and Mother, could really be the wisest, the best,--not merely the
nominal but the real chiefs of society. Yet what security have I that
they will be? Their power was to have no limit save their own wisdom and
love, but who would answer for it that these would always be an
effectual limit? How were these priests or chiefs to be designated and
installed in their office? By popular election? But popular election
often passes over the proper man and takes the improper. Then as to the
assignment to each man of a capital proportioned to his capacity to
begin life with, what certainty is there that the rules of strict right
will be followed? that wrong will not often be done, both voluntarily
and involuntarily? Are your chiefs to be infallible and impeccable?
Still the movement interested me, and many of its principles took firm
hold of me and held me for years in a species of mental thraldom;
insomuch that I found it difficult, if not impossible, either to refute
them or to harmonize them with other principles which I also held, or
rather which held me, and in which I detected no unsoundness. Yet I
imbibed no errors from the Saint-Simonians; and I can say of them as of
the Unitarians,--they did me no harm, but were in my fallen state the
occasion of much good to me.

FERDINAND BRUNETIERE

(1849-)

BY ADOLPHE COHN

Ferdinand Brunetiere, the celebrated French literary critic, was