de Saint-Saens_, 1890.]

[Footnote 119: _Id., ibid._]

[Footnote 120: C. Saint-Saens, _Problemes et Mysteres_, 1894.]

[Footnote 121: _Harmonie et Melodie_.]

And he has proved it by the absolute fearlessness of his judgments on
art; for not only has he reasoned soundly against Wagner, but dared to
criticise the weaknesses of Gluck and Mozart, the errors of Weber and
Berlioz, and the accepted opinions about Gounod; and this classicist,
who was nourished on Bach, goes so far as to say: "The performance of
works by Bach and Haendel to-day is an idle amusement," and that those
who wish to revive their art are like "people who would live in an old
mansion that has been uninhabited for centuries."[122] He went even
further; he criticised his own work and contradicted his own opinions.
His love of liberty made him form, at different periods, different
opinions of the same work. He thought that people had a right to change
their opinions, as sometimes they deceived themselves. It seemed to him
better boldly to admit an error than to be the slave of consistency. And
this same feeling showed itself in other matters besides art: in ethics,
as is shown by some verses which he addressed to a young friend, urging
him not to be bound by a too rigid austerity:

"Je sens qu'une triste chimere
A toujours assombri ton ame: la Vertu...."[123]

and in metaphysics also, where he judges religions, faith, and the
Gospels with a quiet freedom of thought, seeking in Nature alone the
basis of morals and society.

[Footnote 122: C. Saint-Saens, _Portraits et Souvenirs_, 1900.]

[Footnote 123:

I know that a vain dream of virtue
Has always cast a shadow on your soul (_Rimes familieres_).
]

Here are some of his opinions, taken at random from _Problemes et
Mysteres_:

"As science advances, God recedes."

"The soul is only a medium for the expression of thought."

"The discouragement of work, the weakening of character, the
sharing of one's goods under pain of death--this is the Gospel
teaching on the foundation of society."

"The Christian virtues are not social virtues."

"Nature is without aim: she is an endless circle, and leads us
nowhere."

His thoughts are unfettered and full of love for humanity and a sense of
the responsibility of the individual. He called Beethoven "the greatest,
the only really great artist," because he upheld the idea of universal
brotherhood.