"THE DREAM OF MY LIFE"

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 199, 23 August 1930, Page 13 (Supplement)

"THE DREAM OF MY LIFE"

FRENCH NOTABILITIES SPEAK.

SOME GALLIC CANDOUR, "AS MANY AS THERE ARE YEARS." Famous French statesmen, authors and artists were requested to answer the question: '"What is or what has been the Dream of Your Life?" The following answers were given: Raymond Poincare, former Preside"! of the French Republic: To live always iii the peace and quietness of my native country, far from political arena and boring callers, with a few chosen books and some beloved animals in order to prepare myself for death. Paul Bourget, novelist, member of the French Academy: The dream of my life? Merely to be a writer. Louis Barthou, former Prime Minister, member of the French Academy: I have lived my life untrammelled and not even inspired by a dream. I have never given myself a set purpose. I am not the man of only one book. Nevertheless, I must answer your question, and inasmuch as it is not in discreet, I should say that I have always had a leaning toward literature and politics. Had 1 ever dreamed of anything, it would have been to become a prime minister and member of the French Academy. Henride Reg'.iier, poet and dramatist, member of the French Academy: Never teii anyone, least of all yourself, the "dream of your life." It should remain secret and silent whether it be the dream of your heart or that of your soul. Henri Bergson, philosopher, member oi the French Academy: I have never had a dream of this sort. I have merety carried out to the best of my ability the tasks I have undertaken day by day. I have perhaps thereby avoided some great disappointments and must ha\e calculated right. I wish I had something more interesting to say. Marcel Prevost, author, member of trie French Academy: When one has gone far beyond what Dante called the "middle of the path of life,*' one's dream aeroplane is overloaded with the past, and is no more able to rise from the ground. Henri Lavedin, dramatist, member of tha French Academy: Dreams of love, fortune, ambition and glory are all too many. Those of mature years are never the same as those of youth —and it is well

that it should be so—until one reaches ! the age at which dreams take only the form of regrets. Paul Valerv, the poet: To awaken. Colette, novelist: The dream of my life? What could I do with only one dream? Maurice Maeterlink, poet and dramatist: There is more than one dream in every life. There are perhaps as many as there are years. My last dream is: "to know." I believe it is the greatest, the least likely to come true. Edouard Herriot, former Prime Minister: What would have been the dream of my life? To teach, that is to say, first of all, to learn. For that, one must travel and read (which is travelling in the past), with long intervals of rest in the country, to study the plants and animals. t Helen Vacaresco, poet: The dream Ol my life? Without knowing it I missed it —from my birth, I should have loved to be tall, slim and blonde. Paul Geraldy, dramatist: Your question comes very late. At 15 years of a<*e I might have said: to write! At 10, to love! At 20, to be loved! I might have said in the course of years: to work to do nothing, to please others, to please myself. There was a time I might have answered, like one of my characters: I would like to know what I could love; I should love it so!" At present, the dream of mv life is to dream no longer and to see" clearly; in other words; merely to live. _ Andre Maunois, novelist and biographer: Solitude among friends A warm climate, yet invigorating. Books the beautv of which never palls, laughter and craietv but always intermingled with earnestness, sensuality without remorse, and love without sadness—Contradictio in terminis, what would you say? No doubt, but after all dreams are absurd. Maurice Bedel, author: To be fied with what I have written. Jean Giraudoux, author: To remember mv dreams. Yvette Guilbert, singer: I have not even had the time to sleep, let- alone to dream. I have been devoted to stage work since I was 13 years of age, when I wanted to be -'pretty." This dream never came true; lam therefore led up with dreams. Roland Dorgeles, author: A dream? A real dream, which becomes an obsession, bewilders and overwhelms. The men cf , nv age who fought in the war had a: 1 the same dream: to come through it alive. The dream came true for me; I don't ask for more. Francis Cargo, painter: The dream ot my life would be to become a good painter, but it is too late now to tn. Pierre Brisson, dramatic critic: To meet a friendly dramatist.