Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1894 — Varied History. [ARTICLE]

Varied History.

The Academic Francaise was founded by Cardinal Richelieu in 1636, lived long enough to snub Corneille and Moliere, was abolished in 1793, was revived two years later and made a useful body by Napoleon in 1803. Since then it haa been a part of the Institute of France. It elects its own members, who are now .known as the Forty, ltntnortafo Its duties are to preserve the purity of the French language, to encourage and preserve French literature, ana to distribute several queer prizes, such, for instance, as $2,000 each year to that member of the working class who has performed the most virtuous action of the year, ’and S3OO every other year to the rising gepius who is considered to be most in need of and most worthy qf encouragement. Tne members are aupposed to meet twice a week, and are paid s3.B7 —a Napoleon—for every meeting they attend. They receive, besides, a salary of S3OO a year. Zola, who has been rejected some six or seven times, holds to the tradition that membership in the\_Academy is the highest literary honor that can be bestowed upon a Frenchman.