New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-01-03
Danlas Psre il Dumas FIJI.

From the Paris correspondence of tEa New Yore
Express ne extract the following sss
0f the comedies os DC. Dumas tls. the 4 PSrs
Prologue Is tfe sixth Yrhe Dame aux CanshIisSs,
Lysa in 1863; the . Deni Monde, III Isss tfs
Question d'argent'' in January, 1857; and the
Fils Aaturel' IN January, 1855, lie has rnyisc@
unently devoted nearly two years to the synrkw
whose first representation took place lest even
ing. S
A bo,i7nt0t Of young Dumas-~the Iatesf--is re-
lated as follows Some iudiscreet person. who had
heard the title ef the new piece asked the sutlor
upon his fathers life Not at ali = replied young
Dumas. a. If my father were the subject GY tll;s
play, instead cf The Pere Prologue, should hnys
called It the sPere pro -ige y z
Vow that anecdnse has at last broken its yvax
into this oa-pudrida of theatrco-literxry gossip.
suppose we charge the subject by reconistinu d
few more items toai0nrs about the Dumas father
and son. drol way Of E changing the subiest,'
isn'tit? Nfimporte: if what have already writ
ten has failed 10 anuse your readers co1scielti-
otlsly assure them that they viii find the end Of
this epistle no worse than the beginning. SONG
weeks after the first representation OF one III Tie
younger Dumas most brilliant successes -the
Demi-M Monde Of his friends called upon, tha
dramatist, and warmly congratulated him upon hs
recent fiiu'npl, 4 pleasant chat ensueds in the
course Of which the visitor suddenly remarked
| 2 Well. yoa are hard at work again, Of course
What is TO astonish US next? What are you de-
ing Il
i
Indeed. And ron don't ever readT' a
z. As little as possible
=. Are you fond Of history ~
No; detest il cordially, without knowing any
.sWhF don't yon write play in verse =, .s.#.
BECAUSE i j. absurd Think Of making q Eot-
ary talk in rhyme ~
tMoliere however, y
In his day, people wore spangies ard, to tell
You the tF1lth.I dint know much about him. i re-
read the !" Misanthrope,n some time ago which b.
not play. Moliere ends tive acts By masking
servant announce III Aleeste tiatsomebody wishes
How about Cornele z, M
Tiresome y
Montague ~
81 never read his works.
= Who them in the name of all that ii ire xpira--
bic are your literary gods?
!. shakespeare and Balzar Tread nothiiar Else
t9hhappily, do not know English; but have La
roehe's translation Of Shakespeare which sits,sYs
my purpose. Shakespeare, the man OF seui,ss
above all others He exhausted every yshiisr
vined every thing said everything. ANA never oyer
stepped nature. THERE'S my pnet!'s
And let me here interline The remark t,,a4 an os
Dumas Comedies, without slsceptihility 10 thc
charge Of Imitation. hcar8evidence Of ihslksperfan
study, Native OF country whose people love 10
think their own ors tic best and il u flIButaity
declare Shakespeare inferior 10 several French ;,pef
this independence IS worthy OF the highest nT;sisc
There are many ahsnrdities In French transiatusrs
q the Bird OF Avon. How much would the enthn-
could read his works In the original tongue.
sso,nehetly ance asked N. Dumas senior Ii he
had net had hand in producing The Dnn,c ssafr
LHs1stiIs. ssss1sss I$Ssga W. S55s 755
Hstter than that. replied he presiuaets
the author On this same subject it Ii at6rtned
TINT tile elder DuInas after reading she novel "
the Dame aux Caineliaz. declared that the story
tan!d not be dramatisei. Subseuuently M An
tony Berand, Parisian litterateur, undertook ia
task, and submitted To the anfhor sf the romance
=, pia.y made mp from is pages. Dumas, senior.
then determined to write the play whieA aftes-
ward met with such an IN ,recedented suecezz
Although he did not in any manner use BeTande
adaptation. It is generally believed that in reeelp-
pense for the idea. Dumas magnanimously shared
with hn his authors per eentage.
PREVIOUS TO the first representation Of the sDens
Monde, the we'll known publisher, Michel Leyy
hpd purchased the authors manuscript fnr three
thousand francs. The price WAS certainly con-
siderable for q work which might prove failurs
on the stage and upon whose theatrical success
the book would depend exclusively. Under fhese
, circumstances, when Dumas named his price, I4sxy
attempted to obtan a reduction.
Mind what you are about, Michels said the
dranatist . Before ID haa been played, tas Hisnn-
script is yours for three thousand francs. yau
don't buy itnow. and the piece should fail. ycz,
may have IL after for d hundred. Bnt should IL
succeed, shall not accept less than ten thonsan.',
Levy had 4 soft q pFesentilnent that the piax
would succeed, and he hit the right nail ON shs
head by purchasing Immediately, risking the resnis
and deriving a large sum from the immense s-les of
On the first night of the Demi-Monde the elder
Dumas, far more agitated than his son, was seen
running about IN the corridors Of ths theater en-
dearoring to find some kind Of seat having gisen
AWAY his own box, in accordance with his usaal
theughtless generosity. He was bare-h headed, 81,
hair flying about in al directions, and seemed
only to need dressing gown and pair Of clippers
to be quite Ut home. -
81 don't know syllable of the piece. y said he
to somahody. and haYant seen rehearsal B.it
it will sneceed. know 1t. Alexandre Is so full of
talent -
There Is little resemblance between this remark
able father and son. except their personal haA5an
gf temperance, Which IS only noticeable heclyse-
the contrary i the general rule among Frenaha
literary men. Though the pursuits Of both are fko
same. they adopt different means of attaining IN
desired end The father seeks his eharaesess =.
history and his own imagination; the son pains
h.s lrom real lse around him. The father eanneek@
his mama ii those 81 numerous cpilaboraters ~
son labofs alone, The high reputation ef lie ia
tiler has been largely augmented 81 lilo soma
ps,e and Dumas .Fis- - sss !