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Show LAMENT ABSENCE OF GENIUS Frenchmen Wonder That Great War Mas NoVe'roauced Lixeritrm iii"' ' ' ' of Great Ability. That the epoch 1914-15 has not produced pro-duced a single geuius in France la made the occasion for comment by the French journal, Le Cri de Paris. "In tact," says the Cri, "it appears that the stars in our .literary heavens heav-ens have been growing pale for some time. But the time has produced au astonishing, almost miraculous phenomenon. phe-nomenon. Certain works already ancient, an-cient, of which the authors are dead, have suddenly become noted as incomparable, in-comparable, which before were not considered so beautiful. It is the war that all at once has revealed their splendor, and today they evoke universal uni-versal enthusiasm. One may count them upon the lingers, for there are i but four of them: A poem, a piece of music, a sculplure and a painting. "The poem Js the hymn of Victor Hugo, 'The Devoted Ones Who Died for Their Country.' Few French knew it before the war; now everyone knows It by heart, or pretends to know It. The piece of music Is 'The Mar-ceillaise.' Mar-ceillaise.' The young people Imagined Imag-ined it was a rltournelle, a mere flourish. flour-ish. They have just found that It Is a masterpiece. The sculpture la the 'Marseillaise' that Rude cut upon one of the door 'jambs of the arch of triumph. tri-umph. The painting is a panel by Puvis do C'havannes. In the Pantheon, 'St. Genevieve Watching Over Paris.' So in the midst of the storm that which was great has become very groat; and that which was mediocre has become small, very small." |