SCHUT, P.O_E. A. Martel, The Traveller who Almost Became an Academician - Cópia

7/29/2019 SCHUT, P.O_E. A. Martel, The Traveller who Almost Became an Academician - Cpia

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E. A. MAREL, HE RAVELLER WHO ALMOS BECAMEAN ACADEMICIAN

E. A. MAREL, POPONIK, KI JE SKORAJ POSAL LAN

AKADEMIJE

Pierre-Ola SCHU1

Izvlee UDK 551.44(44):929 Martel . A.Pierre-OlafSchut:E.A.Martel,popotnik,kijeskorajpostallanAkademije

Edouard-Alred Martel je ivel v Parizu. ako kot njegov oeje tudiral pravo. a drubeni poloaj, oetova dediina, nimogel izpolniti njegovih elja po slavi na polju znanosti, zakatero je sodil, da je vir napredka lovetva. Zelo rad je poto-

val in ta popotovanja so bila zadoenje njegovim eljam in sovisoko presegala njegovo pariko advokatsko prakso. Skoraj ponakljuju je naletel na, kar je sam kmalu uzakonil kot novo vejonaravoslovnih znanosti speleologijo, to je preuevanje nara-

vnih podzemeljskih jam. Ali se bo Martel, popotnik z visokimicilji, uspel odlikovati tudi v znanosti? Biografja tega moa, pod-prta z analizo njegovih del in njegovega dopisovanja, prikazuje

ivljenjsko pot turista, ki je elel biti priznan kot znanstvenik.Biografja prikazuje pot tega samouka, ki se je od anonim-nega lana rancoskega planinskega drutva (Club Alpin ran-ais) povzpel do kandidata za Akademijo znanosti, to je prav vnajvije znanstvene kroge. Prikazana je tudi razlika, ki jo je taznani mo ustvaril med turistinimi izleti in raziskovanjem vznanstvene namene.kljune besede: zgodovina speleologije, turizem, znanost,Martel, rancija.

COBISS: 1.01

Abstract UDC 551.44(44):929 Martel . A.Pierre-OlafSchut:E.A.Martel,thetravellerwhoalmostbe-comeanacademian

Edouard-Alred Martel lives in Paris. Like his ather he stud-ies to become a lawyer. Tis social position, ruit o the pater-nal heritage, does not ulfl his desire to become amous in thefeld o science, which he considers as the source o progress ormankind. He has a passion or travelling and, in the course ohis journeys, fnds a way to satisy his ambitions, which run arbeyond his Parisian legal practice. Almost by chance, he comesacross what he would soon institutionalize as a new branch onatural science: speleology, that is to say the study o natural,underground caves. Will Martel, the ambitious traveller, man-age to distinguish himsel in the scientifc world? Te mans

biography, supported by an analysis o his writings and his cor-respondence, illustrates the career o a tourist who wished tobe acknowledged as a scientist. Showing the anonymous mem-ber o the Club Alpin ranais rising up to being candidate atthe Academy o sciences, this biography illustrates the path oa sel-made man right up to the highest spheres o science. Italso demonstrates the distinction this illustrious man createdbetween trips or tourist and explorations dedicated to scien-tifc purposes.key words: History o speleology, Martel, rance, tourism, sci-ence.

Te discovery and exploration o the urthest and mostinhospitable areas o the world signals the end o the glo-bal conquest in the 19th and 20th centuries. Tese explo-

rations had been led by colonists and soldiers, but alsoby scientists and sometimes even plain tourists. What-ever their motivations, these men all opened up new

INRODUCION

ACA CARSOLOGICA 35/1, 149157, LJUBLJANA 2006

1 University Lyon I, [email protected]

Received / Prejeto: 21.07.2005


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spaces and gave them meaning according to the waythey viewed them. Tis is where the travellers personality plays an essential part. Te underground world is oneo these inhospitable places which became the objects osystematic exploration rom the end o the 19th century.Tis happened under the infuence o a man called E.A.

Martel (1859 1938). 1938).1938).Trough a biography o this active and somewhat

ambiguous character both a tourist by temperamentand a scientist by inclination we shall try to understandthe meaning E.A. Martel gives to caves: are they to beconsidered as jewels or regional tourism; as privilegedstandpoints rom which to observe natural phenomena:or both?

Te scientic aspirations o a man who would turnout to be the world specialist in underground research limited by his social position and his inclination ortourism were to give a specic meaning to caves and

the underground world or times to come.

Martels passion or caves is an opportunity orus to search into both the development o tourism andthe many scientic discoveries o the late 19th and early20th centuries. We shall analyze, in the course o his liesevents, the active role he played in the development otourism and how he somewhat uncertainly went up the

high spheres o science.Te biographic perspective leads us to use a corpus

o documents essentially made o Martels own publications1and his correspondence2.

1 or a complete bibliography o E.A. Martel, see: Chabert, C.,Courval, M. de, 1971: E.A. Martel 18591938 Bibliographie. ravaux scientiques du Club Alpin ranais, Paris.

2E.A. Martels correspondence is published in: Andr, D., Casteret, M., Carlier, P., Gautier, A., Kalliatakis, G., Renouard, C.& L., 1997: La Plume et les goures. Association E.A. Martel, HyelzasMeyrueis.

Te cradle which received young EdouardAlred in 1859in Pontoise, Paris area, belongs to an upper middleclassamily.

His ather is a lawyer. Trough hard work and adenite sense o money saving, he has managed to haul

himsel up to this conquering social class o the 19

th

century. His own ather beore him had also worked hard toensure the uture o his amily. According to the inheritance strategy, EdouardAlreds ather expects his son toollow in his steps and keep taking the amily still a littlehigher up the social hierarchy.

Respectul o parental authority, the young man accepts his ate. He studies law, becomes a clerk in 1881then graduates and takes up the unction o lawyer to theParis court o appeal in 1883. When, soon aerwards, hebuys his Parisian practice, it seems like the natural reward or several generations o hard working lawyers inthe Martel amily.

o imitate the higher social classes, his amily oengoes on holiday trips (Boyer, 1999). At times when the ather, dedicated to moneymaking, is too busy working, hesends o his wie and son alone. Tey ollow the classicitineraries o the time, visiting Chamonix and Switzerland or the Pyrenees, which attract increasing numberso visitors, thanks to their spas.

Ten they start travelling abroad. Aer Germany andAustria, E.A. Martel makes the classic trip to Italy (Boyer,2000). He is just a child, but his travel journal testies oa denite taste or picturesque landscapes, which seem to

impress him more than any o works o art seen in museums or churches. Tis taste or natural beauties leads himto join the ranks o the Club Alpin ranais. Te latter,a scholarly society, gathers together middleclass people,tourists and scientists around a common passion or

the mountain environment. ogether they work or itsdevelopment, especially rom the point o view o tourism (Rauch, 1986; Hoibian, 2000; Lejeune, 1988). SoonEdouardAlred takes an active part in the activities othe club. In the Austrian Alps, or example, he climbs theGross Venediger (3673 meters), the Dachstein (2996 meters) and the Gross Glockner (3789 meters) one aer theother in dicult weather conditions. He also takes partin the social lie o the club, giving conerences.

Even though his proessional obligations orbid himto travel as much as he would like to, Martel is able totalk about many places around the globe as he reads extensively, especially the Peeranns georaphische mi-eilunen as well as he tour du monde aazines.

His keen interest in geography appears very earlyin his lie probably sparked by his amily trips andhe later deepens his knowledge through reading. In highschool he gets the rst prize o the Paris schools geography contest, which gives him the opportunity to join theprestigious Socit de Gographie. Te latters policy isto promote travelling in view o developing geographicknowledge. Martels own knowledge was added to a topographers skill, which led him to work at map adjustments in the Pyrenees and the Esterel.

BOURGEOIS CHILDHOOD

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PICURESQUE CEVENNES

In 1883, Martel discovers a region o rance totall ig-nored b tourists, despite geographer A. Lequeutrespraise o it: the Cevennes. ourists tend to all ollow thesame tracks, tring to see what ought to be seen and thusmissing unknown picturesque places. rom his ver rst,short sta in the Cevennes, E.A. Martel happens to rowdown the arn gorges. He is extremel impressed b whathe sees: a lovel stream alling into the narrow gorges oa canon, tall gures carved in the rock and even somemediaeval vestiges. Tis discover was like a revelationto him, inviting him to write and share his enthusiasmwith man. He writes an article or the annual publica-tion o the Club Alpin ranais. Aer praising the beauto Haut arn, he tries to reorient the traditional touristaxis towards the Cevennes. He writes: It is a shame tosee, ear aer ear, herds o rench tourists invade areasturned ashionable b the English, when places like Hautarn remain ignored and neglected (Martel, 1883).

Te ollowing ear Martel goes back to that region.He discovers the Causse Noir and uncovers a naturalsite: Montpellier-le-Vieux (Martel, 1884). Heaps o stoneblocks so strangel shaped as to appear hand carved, tothe point that the name o the place evokes the picture oa long orgotten cit. rom then on, his admiration orthe area is such that he starts ociall promoting it withtourists. As a spokesman to the Parisian travellers, an ex-perienced lecturer and an inspired writer, he starts a realcampaign in avour o the Lozre area (Poujol, 1999).

Te climax o this wave o enthusiasm is indisput-abl the publication o his book, les Cvennes, in 1890.Tis work wins over a large number o readers alwason the look-out or new journes and practical books toorganize them. Te demand is such that it is reprintedseveral times. As luck would have it, the publishing andsuccess o the book take place just beore the setting upo an association which will be unequalled in its work or

tourism: the ouring-Club de rance. Martel naturallbecomes one o its rst members and, due to the suc-cess o his book, he enjos a special status. Inevitabl, theouring-club de rance is infuenced b his enthusiasmand directs its interest towards the regions Martel avoursand promotes: the Esterel all the wa to the Cevennes.Supported b the constant growth o the ouring-Club,his campaign is a success. But reducing his role to that oa propagandist would be too limiting. His true merit is tohave uncovered the natural beauties o a region.

Aer the arn gorges and Montpellier-le-Vieux,Martels attention turns to the dark caves that open up inseveral surrounding places. In Languedoc, the explora-tion o the Demoiselles cave b Marsolier des Vivetires(1785) had contributed to the tourist ame o the area.Well, the caves in Cevennes are shining with decorationsand, entering them, Martel immediatel senses their po-tential in terms o tourism development. Tereore heimmediatel starts planning this.

Te Dargilan cave is one o the rst ones he exploresmethodicall in 1888. What he sees there makes himmost enthusiastic. Martels own reputation contributes tothe ame o the Cvennes. Te whole area soon becomes aavourite or the larger public. Te rench ouring Club,inspired b E.A. Martels writings, organizes there its rstccling trip. A ew ears later it remarks that the wholearea had beneted rom a growing tourist success.

Martels work begins with the discover o the Cev-ennes in the earl 1880s and stops onl at his death. In-deed his last book, Causses et Cvennes, an updating o therst one, is published at a time when his health is alreaddeclining. Te man is responsible or revealing the mostpopular tourist sites o the region. His unceasing workwas consecrated b man trophies. But his enduring loveor that place also pulled him into another adventure, onewhich he had aspired to since earl childhood.

Martels interest or natural sites and tourism is mixedwith a desire to understand the world in which he lives.Since an earl age, as an inheritor o A. Comtes positivistphilosoph, he has been especiall sensitive to scienticprogress and the understanding o natural phenomena.Tis is the reason wh he reads so much. He reads mag-azines like la Nature, which inorms him o the latestdiscoveries, as well as man scientic publications romscholarl societies. Tus, though a sel-taught man, he

is perectl aware o the latest acquisitions o knowl-edge in man scientic elds. or Martel this interestor science does not simpl refect a strong attraction;it is perceived as a path that will help him realize hisull potential and deepest ambitions. He wants to ac-quire knowledge, but he also and mostl wants to beacknowledged or his work. However, whereas moun-tain tourism suits his social position, can his excessivescientic ambition which we shall now stud in detail

A GREA DISCOVERy?

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adjust to the Parisian lawers hard working lie he hasinherited?

Te whole adventure starts in a Cvennes cave theNabrigas cave that Martel has heard o rom his guide, H.Causse. Causse was enthusiastic about the potential scientic interest o the prehistoric vestiges he had ound there.

As a matter o act, since the beginning o the centur, thecave had regularl been visited b amous palaeontologists and historians like N. Jol, M. de Serres, P. Cazalis deondouce and E. Cartailhac (Andr, 1999), but this doesnot deter Martel. He is extremel keen on this new sciencethat keeps revealing inormation relative to the histor omankind. Martel, oung, curious and ambitious, sees herean opportunit to bring his own contribution to science.Tis is how he starts working at excavations with the helpo his brotherinlaw, the geologist Louis de Launa. Telatter nds part o a human jaw in a cave where man vestiges oURSUS speleus had alread been discovered, thus

conrming that the cave had been inhabited b men inthe Palaeolithic era. Martel is enthused b this rst discover and throws himsel into the work with redoubled

vigour until he nds pieces o potter. rom then on, hesenses that this is his opportunit to contribute meaningull to scientic progress. His aim is to demonstratethrough his ndings that men in the Palaeolithic era mastered the art o potter. Prehistor had been especiallashionable since the earl 1860s (Groenen, 1994). Eventhough palaeontolog had been legitimized b G. Cuvier,at the end o the 18th centur, the religious taboo linked to

the existence o a orm o evolving mankind kept pushingo urther ofcial stud in Prehistor or hal a centur.Consequentl, in the last third o the 19 th centur, discoveries are man, contributing to the celebrit o the greatcharacters standing or it.

Soon Martel gets in touch with the most amous

proessors in order to present his work, conrm his hpotheses and get their support. When his work is done,his rst report to the Academ o Science is read out bA. de Quatreages. During the sitting ollowing this presentation, E. Cartailhac answers E.A. Martel and L. deLauna, reuting their conclusions. Martel lashes back bpublishing several articles answering the experts pointsone b one. Onl academic customs manage to put anend to the debate. Martels penetration o the prehistorians circle is now compromised. Aware o it, he turns hisback on that science, but several people in that eld willkeep a grudge against him.

Tis episode is evidence both o Martels pugnacitand o his will to become amous through scientic discoveries. It also shows how difcult such a task was to be.Well, i Prehistor, which had ascinated him so much uptill then, rejected him, never mind! Tis was not goingto dishearten him. Tere were man other sciences andhe would nd his own somehow. Tis sudden change ocourse shows not onl how interested he was in sciencein general, but also how much he craved or acknowledgement rom the highest scientic circles.

Soon Martel nds interest in something else: cave stud.His journes in the Cvennes and the excavation workin Nabrigas had taken him into a dark world that wasonl waiting or the lights o science to be shed on to it.Earlier on, as he was touring through the Causses, hehad wondered about one o the man msteries o theunderground world: hdrogeolog. In 1884 E.A. Martelhad written: How man mine explosives should be used,how man dangers should be aced, in order to discoverthe capillaries and reservoirs o the Causses and solvethe mster o the communication between the swallowholes and the valle caves? Who knows i some da, abrave explorer will extract rom these limestone plateauxthe secrets o their hdrograph. (Martel, 1884). Littledid he know then that he himsel would be that braveexplorer a ew ears later.

Martels new vocation can be understood on variouslevels. One thing is sure: this new path was all the more

attractive to him as it snthesized his deepest aspirations.Since earl childhood he had been a dedicated travellerand this interest was conrmed in the context o the ClubAlpin ranais. Also as a tourist alwas on the lookout orpicturesque landscapes, he nds under ground level thechange o scener and the natural beauties that have alwas ascinated him and that make this region so lovableto him. Lastl, as a potential scientist, he is acing uncovered msteries in a eld which has hardl been touchedupon in Austria, but which seems to be starting to interestrench science too. Indeed, in a book published in 1887,the eminent geologist, A. Daubre, had opened the wato hdrogeolog b showing the relationship between thelocalisation o water, its movements and the geologicalstructures.

In the summer 1888, Martel starts on his rst underground campaign. His objectives then are to cross theBramabiau abss and explore the Dargilan cave (Martel,

CAVE SUDy

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1888). Tis plan testies again to the perect mixture ohis man interests in one and the same activit: as hedraws a precise map o the cave and lists all its beauties,the tting out o the cave can be set into motion or thegreatest benet o the Cvennes. As or the Bramabiauabss, it is a hdrological special eature as well as a re-

markabl picturesque site. Next to Mont Aigoual, a smallstream o water sinks underground and seems to reap-pear 440 meters urther and 90 meters deeper. Everbodassumes that these two streams are one and the same,but E.A. Martel demonstrates it irrevocabl b ollowingthe water upstream. In his report o this experiment, hemakes interesting remarks regarding underground watercirculation.

Te success met during this rst campaign encour-ages Martel to persevere along those lines. He soon getsin touch with A. Daubre in order to have his opinionconcerning his writings and also because the man is a

member o the Academ o Science and, as such, canpresent his notes to his ellow academicians in his name.Indeed thanks to the mans support, he can publish hisrst reports to the Academ o science and develops hisstud o the underground. At rst he concentrates on theCvennes and Causses region, but then considers doingthe same sort o work abroad. irst because this wouldallow him to make comparisons and thereore generalizehis results and then because it would keep him in touchwith his predecessors in underground stud, especiall inAustria.

His acquaintances make it possible or him to set up

a scientic project sponsored b the Ministr o PublicEducation. Trough this project he meets his Austriancounterparts in the Austrian Karst. Tus completing hisexperience, bibliograph and knowledge, E.A. Martelbecomes an authentic expert in limestone massi hdrol-og. Aer six search campaigns in rance and studies inthe caves o Belgium, Greece and Austria, Martel decides

to publish a snopsis o his work in a book entitled lesAbmes, in 1894. In this book, he does not just report theresults o six ears research, but tries to put orth the ba-sis o a new branch o natural sciences: speleolog or thescience o caves.

Te ver word speleolog is brand new. Mar-

tel claims it was created b prehistorian E. Rivire. TeGreek root spelaion meaning cave and logos, meaningdiscourse, give a scientic ring to the name o the prac-tice. Martel denes a vast program or this new science.Subjects appear according to his personal logic. He men-tions hdrolog, geolog and mineralog, meteorologand topograph, which are all elds in which he has al-read been distinguished. Next to these are a ew specicaspects which either interest him personall or have beenthe object o subsid requests to the Minister o PublicEducation, like agriculture and public hgiene. Martelsdenition also includes elds like auna, fora, prehistor

and palaeontolog which brings everone together bcommon consensus and through which he gets the sup-port o amous scientists who have alread worked in theunderworld, like botanists and archaeologists (Gauchon,1997).

Tis sense o compromise is based on a desire to seespeleolog obtain ull status as a science and more spe-cicall as a branch o natural sciences. Te whole pro-cess was quite a touch thing considering that the manwas standing alone and had met with a ew disappoint-ments in the past. However, he now eels condent thathe has ound his own true path. Having associated his

name to a specic eld o research, his personal ull-ment and acknowledgment b the highest scientic in-stitutions and especiall the Academ o Science hasto go through the legitimization o speleolog, a scienceo which he would orever remain the precursor. But thepoint then was: could a Parisian lawer, a tourist, createa science?

Te cultural atmosphere o the late 19 th centur is avour-able to the development o sciences. More than ever, sci-ence is snonmous with progress in the widest senseo the term. Nevertheless societ has its own was andMartel knows it. He uses this knowledge to get the meansto acquire the much coveted status. His strateg is devel-oped on several levels that build up progressivel. irst,aware o the act that he cannot achieve his aim alone,E.A. Martel, aer publishing les Abmes, decides to cre-

ate a Socit de Splologie. His book ensures boththe denition o speleolog and its promotion. Its suc-cess conrms Martels status as an expert in the eld andmakes it possible trustull to consider support or thenew Societ. So in the ear ollowing the publication ohis book, he starts recruiting the ounder members o theSociet.

On September 15, 1894, Martel sends o a mailing toindividuals and societies and publishes the same letter in

HE LEGIIMIZAION O SPELEOLOGy AND HE CONQUESO HE SCIENIIC WORLD



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several scholarl magazines like the Buein de a Socigooique de France and the Revue dAnhropooie. Inreturn Martel nds 121 ounder members read to support the creation o the Socit de Splologie on Januar1st, 1895. As a lawer living in Paris, he is a man o manconnections. Being supported b celebrities in the world

o science like Dr Blanchard, member o the Academo Medicine or G. Vallot, ounder o the Observator othe Mount Blanc and the riend o infuential politicians like the deput . Deloncle is assuredl a strongadvantage or this new scholarl societ. In the rst ewears, the number o its members increases regularl.

Martel does not limit membership to the renchterritor. Indeed, as opposed to man scholarl societies,the name o the Socit de Splologie does not implan geographical limitations. Martel has obviousl understood that science can onl be an international aair. rom the ver earl das, he attracts into his societ

oreign counterparts he had a chance to work with, likeGreek and Austrian researchers. Later his man missionsin England, Russia, the United States, Ital and Spain givehim opportunities to make useul contacts and attractmore members. Te wa he went about it has been calleda true international strateg (Shaw, 1988). As a mattero act, in 1895, one ourth o the Societ members comesrom oreign countries, numbers grow up to one thirdin 1904 and then remain in this proportion. Tis representation contributes to the credibilit o the Societin rance and to its recognition worldwide, thanks to awidespread diusion o its works.

rom the ver beginning o the Societ, E.A. Martel creates a review in which he publishes reports romits members research. Te Latin title o the review, Spe-unca, stresses its scientic character. It is entirel editedb E.A. Martel himsel. Speunca soon turns out to be themain part o the Societ activit, but this did not happenb chance. Martel is well aware that magazines are theperect vehicle in the intellectual spheres o the late 19thcentur. Te stress the legitimac o a group and maketheir publishers and writers amous (Prochasson, 1991).

Besides the publication o magazines, Martel takespart in man congresses in wich he eplains what speleolog is. Tese are perect communication places or aninterested public. Te are aimed at an audience rom various intellectual spheres, which contributes to the legitimization o sciences and groups. Tis is how, in 1893, Martel

had announced the publication o his bookles Abes, bpresenting a memoir on speloelog at a congress organized b the Association pour lAvancement des Sciencesin Besanon. Ever ear, rom 1896 onwards, speleolog isrepresented at the Congrs des socits savantes through acouple o members rom the Socit de Splologie.

However Martels battlelines would not be completewithout speleolog pushing open the doors o Universit.Indeed since its reormation, universit has become themost avoured place or developing scientic research. Inthose das, the Sorbonne was inaugurating new courses in new subjects. E.A. Martel takes advantage o this

opportunit. rom 1901 he teaches a class on Underground Geograph . Te recent appearance o phsicalgeograph and its development at universit ma appearto Martel as an entrance door to this world. Indeed bthen he was amous as a geographer, not onl or hiswork about the Cvennes, but also as a member o theSocit de Gographie. As a matter o eample, the amous geographer O. Reclus asked or his services to complete his major work, la grande goraphie, published in1911 and 1914.

With regard to these realizations added to the sheerhard work o its promoter, speleolog seems to acquire

some destination or at least be acknowledged. Its spokesman benets rom it and b the end o the centur he hasbecome a celebrit. Te Comit des ravau Historiqueset Scientiques invites him to give a talk on speleologat their congress in 1899. He speaks aer Mr Loude whotalks about x ras and beore Mr Lumire who presentshis stud on the photograph o colours. Honoured andacknowledged b his peers, Martel eels read to ask orthe consecration he has alwas aspired to: a seat at theAcadem o sciences.

Martel alwas attached a major importance to the Academ o Sciences (Chopp, 1999). Even though the leasto his eplorations is the object o several reports andpublications; even though he regularl writes columnsin la goraphie, a scientic journal, as well as morepopular magazines like la Naure and is published bseveral tourist magazines like the Annuaire du Cub A-

pin Franais, the Revue du tourin-cub de France, the

tour du monde or Causses e Cvennes, E.A. Martel has aspecial reverence or the old institution. Tis is where healwas sends the ver rst reports o his discoveries. Bthe time he applies or a seat there, he has sent 82 reports,66 o which have been published. Te Academ has honoured Martel with the Ga prize o phsical geographas a tribute to his work, les Abes in 1894 and with theGrand Pri des Sciences Phsiques in 1907.

HE ACADEMy

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Tis success leads him to believe that he can applyor the seat le vacant by the death o J. annery in 1910.o this eect he writes a letter to the Academy on Decem-ber 11 o that year, but his application is turned down.In 1911, in order to prepare his next application, Martelwrites out a document in which he presents a detailed

account o his work and publications. He applies or avacant seat in the ree academicians section in ebruary1913, but there again, he is turned down. Tat same yearin May he applies or the seat le vacant by the death o E.Cailletet, only to be reused again. Aer this third ailure,E.A. Martel has to ace the truth: the Academy will neveraccept him. Tis is all the more obvious when he learnsthat he never got a single vote at any o his applications,not even rom his own brother-in-law, L. de Launay. As amatter o act, this was to become a matter o contentionbetween them in the uture.

Martel explains his ailure by the absence o the peo-

ple who had supported him in his early days. A. Daubre,or example, with whom he shared many views on hy-drogeology and whom he wished to emulate, had died in1896. A. Gaudry, who had presented his prized works aswell as thirty ve o his reports to the Academy, had diedin 1908. In the absence o these men, he could still hopethat L. de Launay, his childhood riend and brother-in-law, would support him. Te act that he did not was asore point or E.A. Martel. Getting a seat at the Academyhad become a matter o personal importance to him. Hewished to be at least equal to his brother-in-law in thisrespect. L. de Launay had oen explored caves with him

and shared his views on geology and other matters. As aproessor at the Ecole des Mines, he was also interested inthe richness o the underground and appreciated by theAcademy or his discoveries. Why would E.A. Martel beless?. Probably eeling bad when conronted with Martelsresentul disappointment, L. de Launay tried to make upor his disavowal by supporting him when the Academyawarded Martel the Joseph Labb Prize in 1921 or hiswork entitled Nouveau trait des eaux souterraines.

E.A. Martel desperately needed a consecration o hiswork on caves as a compensation or a dicult privatelie. Indeed Aline, his wie, had had a miscarriage in an

accident with a hot air balloon her husband had insistedshe few with him. Aer that she could no longer con-ceive babies and Martels in-laws never quite orgave himor that. As or his own parents, they resented the actthat he had dropped his attorney practice to dedicate hislie to the modest trade o an underground explorer. SoE.A. Martel did not get the longed-or recognition romthe scientic world, but the reasons may be ound in theambiguity o his position.

When he rst started on his scientic career, E.A.Martel was just a traveller but not in the manner o a

tourist. He travelled in the way geographers used to atthe beginning o the 19th century, bringing back rom histrips precise observations and maps, thus contributing tothe development o knowledge regarding known or un-known territories (Laboulais-Lesage, 2000). Tis way hadbeen supported by the Socit de Gographie since its

creation in 1821, but it diers rom that o physical geog-raphy which becomes an ocial institution entering theuniversity in the 1890s (Broc, 1994). Tis explicative ge-ography is totally dierent rom the previous descriptiveone. It is mainly based on a new concept coming romthe amous American geographer, Davis and supportedin rance by Margerie. Being deeply nationalistic, Martelreuses to accept the theory presented by the American.In the same narrow-minded way, he is soon taken over byprogress in geology, but keeps judging and criticizing thelatest theories. As a consequence, more and more oenhe quarrels with the scientists o his time, deending his

outdated views in his aggressive lawyers way as he him-sel puts it. Tis is why P. Renault (1999) said about him:Martel is a 19th century man who missed the 20th centurytransition or lack o a scientic mind.

His lack o scientic training appeared when E.A.Martel had to take position in a debate relative to dows-ing. Unlike his colleague, E. ournier, a geologist at Be-sanon University, who spent a long time studying thisdivinatory science to nally state it was scienticallynull, E.A. Martel could never quite make up his mindabout the subject and even once declared it o value.

Even his qualities as an observer were disparaged by

some scientists besides the prehistorians. Tus R. Jeannel,a biologist researching cave auna, went on a campaignwith E.A. Martel, aer which he reproached the speleolo-gist with the somewhat careless character o his observa-tions. It may not be a matter o chance that prehistorianH. Breuil collaborated with the biospeologists or manyyears, whereas no archaeologist or biologist took part inthe activities o the Socit de Splologie.

E.A. Martel tried to make up or his lack o scien-tic training by reading a lot. He thus acquired a vastknowledge which enabled him to popularize many eldso science. Tis quality made him a popular writer, but

discredited him with the scientic community. Indeedonly scientists beneting rom a well established positioncan aord to produce such works without prejudice totheir reputation.

In the end, E.A. Martels scientic career raises manycriticisms. Lack o scientic training and methodology,and diculty in participating constructively in the de-bates o his time, contribute to keeping him on the ringeo the scientic establishment.



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E.A. Martel was deepl wounded b the rejection o thescientic institutions. Also the irst World War, whichbreaks out the ear ollowing his double rejection b the

Academ o Sciences, weighs hard on him. Being too oldto ght at the age o 55, he volunteers as a nurse, but hisown health is weakened b arteriosclerosis. Tereore,aer the Armistice, he stops his eploration campaignsand does not do much to prevent the etinction o theSocit de Splologie. He orsakes ever ambition to enter the Academ o sciences, but keeps a scientic activitwithin the Socit de Gographie o which he becomespresident in 1928 and puts more eort into the development o tourism, especiall in the contet o the ouringclub de rance. Tere he nds himsel in a sphere wherehe is appreciated and praised. He receives man awards

and, when he is still alive, even has the privilege to havehis statue made in the Cvennes region he so much lovedand gloried. His last work, at the end o his lie, was tocomplete his action in avour o tourist development inthe Causses and Cvennes.

Tis lie stor demonstrates the capacit o a seltrained man to assert himsel in the late 19th centur in

tellectual spheres which were especiall open to scienticinitiatives. However integration has its limits: being allowed to epress onesel does not mean being accepted

and acknowledged b ones peers. Martels law trainingand his tourist inclinations contributed to limit the qualit o seriousness with which his works were evaluated.E.A. Martel elt he had not been well represented, butreall his theoretical refections were probabl not upto what can be epected rom an Academician. No matter how man caves he eplored and how man plans hedrew, a scientists qualit stas more with his analsis odata than with his collection o them.

However Martel certainl le his print in the discover o the underground. ollowing his tracks andeample, man speleologists went underground to dis

cover new networks, taking precise notes in the course otheir eplorations. His inheritance is still alive in the wapeople keep eploring caves: drawing surves and tringto understand the working o the water networks. Indeedsuch activities would otherwise be surprising on the parto people who are now considered as sportsmen.

Andr, D., Carlier, P., Gautier, A., 1999: La grotte deNabrigas, premire cavit lozrienne dEdouardAlred Martel in Andr, D. (Ed.), lhoe qui voy-ageait pour es goufres. Archives dpartementales dela Lozre, Mende, 8394.

Andr, D., Casteret, M., Carlier, P., Gautier, A., Kalliatakis, G., Renouard, C. & L., 1997: la Pue et es gou-

res. Association E.A. Martel, HelzasMerueis.Anonme, 1897: Voage vlocipdique dans la rgion du

arn Revue du ouringClub de rance, 218219.Boer, M., 1999: histoire du tourise de asse. Presses

Universitaires de rance, Paris.

Boer, M., 2000: listoire de invention du tourise. Editions de LAube, La ourdAgues.

Broc, N., 1994: Regards sur a gograpie ranaise de arenaissance nos jours. Presses Universitaire dePerpignan, Perpignan.

Casteret, N., 1943: E.A. marte exporateur du ondesouterrain. Gallimard, Paris

Chabert C., Courval, M. de, 1971: E.-A. marte 1859-1938 Bibiograpie. ravau scientiques du ClubAlpin ranais, Paris.

Chopp, J., 1999: EdouardAlred Martel et lAcadmiedes Sciences in Andr, D. (Ed.), lhoe qui voy-ageait pour es goufres. Archives dpartementales dela Lozre, Mende, 187194.

Daubre, A., 1887: les Eaux souterraines. Vve C. Dunod, Paris.

Gauchon, C., 1997: Des Cavernes et des oes. Karstologia Mmoires n7, ditions SAK.

Groenen, M., 1994: Pour une istoire de a pristoire. J.Million, Grenoble.

Hoibian, O., 2000: les Apinistes en France. LHarmattan,Paris.

L. de Launa dans la pue et es goufresLaboulaisLesage, I., 2000: Voager en gographe au

xIxe sicle in Chabaud, G., Cohen, E., Coquer,N., Penez, J. (Eds.), Les Guides imprims du xVIeau xxe sicle, Belin, Paris, 475485.

Lejeune, D., 1988: les Apinistes en France a n duXIXe et au dbut du XXe sice. Editions du CHS,Paris.

BIBLIOGRAPHy

PIERRE-OLA SCHU

CONCLUSION


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ACTA CARSOLOGICA 35/1 2006 157

Marsollier des Vivetires, B.-J., 1785: Description de aBaue ou grotte des Deoisees St-Bauzie prsde ganes dans es Cvennes.

Martel, E.-A., 1883: Le Caon du Tarn Annuaire duClub Alpin franais, 242-261.

Martel, E.-A., 1884: Le Causse Noir et Montpellier-le-

Vieux Annuaire du Club Alpin franais, 263-291.Martel, E.-A., 1888: Sous Terre Annuaire du Club Alpin

franais, 238-294.Martel, E.-A., 1890: les Cvennes. Delagrave, Paris.Martel, E.-A., 1894: les Abes. Delagrave, Paris.Martel, E.-A., 1921: Nouveau trait des eaux souterraines.

Doin, Paris.Martel, E.-A., 1936: les Causses ajeurs. Artires et

maury, miau.Renault P., 1999: Edouard-Alred Martel, explorateur ou

savant in Andr, D. (Ed.), lhoe qui voyaeaitpour es oufres. Archives dpartementales de la

Lozre, Mende, 391-403.

Poujol, O., 1999: Edouard-Alred Martel et linvention dutourisme en Lozre. in Andr, D. (Ed), lhoequi voyaeait pour es oufres. Archives dparte-mentales de la Lozre, Mende, 139-172.

Prochasson, C., 1991: les Annes ectriques 1890-1910. La Dcouverte, Paris.

Rauch, A., 1986: Naissance du Club Alpin franais LaConvivialit, la Nature et lEtat (1874-1880). inArnaud, P. & J. Camy (Eds), la Naissance du ouve-ent sporti associati en France, Presses Universita-ires de Lyon, Lyon, 275-285.

Martel, E.-A., 1911: france in la grande gorapie.Ed. by O. Reclus, t. 2, 77-196.

Shaw, T. R., 1988: Martels visit to Mendip in 1904: Part ohis international strategy ? U.B.S.S. Proceedings,18, 2, 278-291.

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