French Traits: An Essay in Comparative Criticism |
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Common terms and phrases
activities admirable Alruna amateur American Anglo-Saxon artistic attitude become called cern certainly character characteristic charm civilization clairvoyance conspicuous contrast course criticism democracy democratic developed distinction distinctly Donatello emotion England English esteem excess fact fancy feeling foreign France French art French language French manners Frenchman Frenchwoman genius Goethe Gouverneur Morris hand human ideal illustrate imagine impersonal individual influence institutions intellectual intelligence interest Italian John Morley kind lack less Ludovic Halévy Madame Cardinal mainly marriage matter Matthew Arnold means ment merely mind moral nature ness never Nouvel Opéra one's organic ourselves Paris Parisian passion perhaps philosophy poetic poetry political popular positive provincial pure reason regard respect Revolution rococo seems sense sentiment side social instinct society speak sphere spirit Stendhal superficial sure taste things Tintoretto tion trait Victor Hugo virtue Voltaire wholly women word
Popular passages
Page 96 - Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be : Why then should we desire to be deceived?
Page 329 - The prudent, penniless beginner in the world labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land for himself, then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him. This is the just and generous and prosperous system which opens the way to all, gives hope to all, and consequent energy and progress and improvement of condition to all.
Page 147 - ... behold a vagabond with a corked face and a banjo sings a little song, strikes a wild note which sets the whole heart thrilling with happy pity.
Page 329 - Now there is no such relation between capital and labor as assumed, nor is there any such thing as a free man being fixed for life in the condition of a hired laborer.
Page 30 - Comtist regard for humanity to "a childless woman's love for a lap-dog " is a fair measure of his sympathetic quality, maintains that " the French way of loving the human race is the one of their many sins which it is most difficult to forgive," and that "it is not love that one wants from the great mass of mankind, but respect and justice.
Page 307 - It is not hard to know God, provided one will not force oneself to define him. ' Do not bring into the domain of reasoning that which belongs to our innermost feeling. State truths of sentiment, and do not try to prove them. There is a danger in such proofs ; for in arguing it is necessary to treat that which is in question as something problematic : now...
Page 147 - They have looked up, be it said, at many scores of clergymen without being dimmed, and behold! a vagabond with a corked face and a banjo sings a little song, strikes a wild note which sets the heart thrilling with happy pity.
Page 408 - The only happiness a brave man ever troubled himself with asking much about was happiness enough to get his work done. Not "I can't eat!" but "I can't work!" that was the burden of all wise complaining among men. It is, after all, the one unhappiness of a man, That he cannot work; that he cannot get his destiny as a man fulfilled.
Page 406 - Yorker who chases street-cars, eats at a lunch counter, drinks what will " take hold '' quickly at a bar he can quit instantly, reads only the head-lines of his newspaper, keeps abreast of the intellectual movement by inspecting the display of the Elevated Railway newsstands while he fumes at having to wait two minutes for his train, hastily buys his tardy ticket of sidewalk speculators, and leaves the theater as if it were on fire — the life of such a man is, notwithstanding all its futile activity,...
Page 315 - I find on this side the Atlantic a strong resemblance to what I left on the other — a nation which exists in hopes, prospects, and expectations...