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Show KENAN'S DRAMA. An Attempt to Combine Politics, Philosophy and History. ; Mr. Ernest Kenan's new drama, "Le Pretre de Nemi," is published to-day. It is intended to continue the author's philosophical phil-osophical dialogues, the transcendent and abstract form of which it assumes. The drama apparently treats of the causes of the fall of Alba and of the victory, of Rome in the seventh century before the Christian era; in reality it is a satire of more modern interest. M. Kenan's Rome is another name for Germany; and his characters Metias, Liberalis and Cethe-gus Cethe-gus correspond exactly to the Radical party par-ty inFrance. "Le Pretre de Nemi" is profoundly pro-foundly interesting and full of contrasted - ' . sentiments and contradictory paradoxes, expressed in that beautiful style which makes Renan the greatest of contemporary contempo-rary French prose writers. There is hardly a question of the day' to which some allusion cannot bo found. But what are the opinions and convictions of the author ? As usual, it is impossible to say precisely, for M. Renan delights to show not only the two sides of other people's thoughts but the two sides of his own, and that, too, with complete impartiality. The book, leaves an impression of sadness. sad-ness. It is the work of a pessimist, yet one whose life is full of joy, and whose mind is full of poetry and wisdom. Here, however, is one passage to which M. Renan has, placed no antidote anti-dote in any other part of his book, and which we may consider a personal conviction, con-viction, although it is placed in the mouth of the hero: "It is impossible to escape from this triple nostulate God, justice, immorality. Virtue has no need of the justice of men; but 'virtue cannot dispense dis-pense with celestial witness to say to it, 'Courage! Courage!'" We could not desire a clearer profession of M. Renan's belief as to the destinies of the soul and the future life. London News. ' .: |