The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-10

Obituary.
UGENE sCRmH, DRAMATIsT, MKxBRR OF THE AGA
DENY FRANcAlss, sFyacn OF THE LEGION OF
HONOR, ETC., ETC.
Informed Of the death Of n Scribe the most fruitful,
successful and agreeable dramatic author OF the day.
NJ Scribe commenced to write plays when he twen-
tyone years Of age-.hat II, nfty years ago-and has
been constantly ut work ever since. He was
q manufactures OF phys rather than an author,
and no dramatic writer except Lope de Vega who pro-
duced above i've hundred comedies equaed Scribe
In the number Of his works. One account Of his life puts
the total Of his plays at four hundred and teenname-
ly, i've act comedies, q two and three act comedies 90
vaudevies $50 books for grand operas 40 for comic
operas, 103 As we can, without research, recall the
fact that Scribe appsars a. the author of more
than half dozen five act comedies, we
satisfied that this estimate is quite moderate Very
little is known Of scribe's early nfe He was born in
Paris Rue St. Denis and his father silk mercer, gave
him good education intending II is said, that he should
be a notary. The youth had however, intense pas
sion for theatres and preferred writing plays to study
ing law Like Congreve he began early before be was
twenty and wrote four five plays which the managers
with distressing unaniny declined Not at all abash-
ed, the young author persevered, and hnaly
had the happiness TO assist at the performance 81 one OF
his own yaudeves at the Gymnase altogether the best
theatre Paris He afterwards wrote for the Theatre
Francais and the Varieties He supplied the famous De
yet with plays and assisted not little In the success OF
Celeste, (hs plays being regularly appropriated Dy tne
English authors For Rachel he wrote with Legouve)
"Adrienne lie Couvreur" aud "Ia Czlrne." For Auoer
he furnished sparkling noS%Dg 0r %sny HIS
sMasanielo,n ezra Diavolo" and "Ie Domino Noir."
Haevy indebted to Scribe for the plot of "La Jaive
Neyerbeer may thank him for "Robert lie Dabe," lies
Huguer os and 81 Etoile du Nord" Lemaitre and Wal
lack TO him the capital creation, "Don Cesar de Ba-
zan and Burtons Amnidab Sleek appeared first on the
of SCribeS Day0 ale Mari udmpaR0e. ~
The English play -Bourcicaalt, Charles Dance,
Stirling Coyne and others-appropriated scrbes material
without the slightest ceremony. One OF MS earliest
works, She Marriage Sous tPEmpire, has been thrice
rendered into English and each time presented as an en-
1t must DO stated however, that NJ Scribe was himself
slightly addicted TO hbuserug He took the character
Of " Don Caesar de Bazan'' from Spanish drama,
(tXarifa), and the original OF the "serous Family
may be found in German comedy 1t Is also true OF
Scribe, as Of Moiere that he stole anything which
NJ. Scribe worked great deal with coudIorateurs.
When boung author he had been snubbed by the mana
and he did not forget the IN the hour
of his success Many tyro has TO thank the veteran
author for aid in polishing ideas in themselves good,
but they handled, entirely for the stage
without Scribe aid wide ale Batae dcs Danes and
other pays and yet in purely literary point OF view
Legouve was infinitely the superior Of Scribe.
Scribe was writer for the theatre only; be under
stood his artists and his public perfecy-hc satisfied TIE
and bored the other. His dialogue is clear,
sharp, terse epgrammatic, always illustrative Of
splendid in construction and utterly regardless Of facts
He would readily put Peter the Great In the place of
the Nena Sahb 1t suited his purpose as to have left
him upon his own proper throne. He was always at
work always planning pieces, and had sometimes
dozen assistants. His domain extended far
beyond France. AS We have said above, the English
dramatists found In him sort OK mich COW, and OF
theatres followed the British example. Far
away in the Rocky Mountains, the western slope Of
the Sierra Nevada to the sandwich Islands, and
beyond to Hong Kong and Melbourne peripatetic stars
have carried the plays not the fame Of Eugene Scribe
w the modern drama what Verdi modern
Italian Opera. Had N. Scribe received his drois
daaeur from all the managers who produced
his plays he could have lived like Eastern Prince and
died rs rich Rothschid.
France where they order these things better than any
where else, rewarded lis avorte authors we'll he
pied Of the immortal forty chairs In the Academy
distinction which crowned princes sigh for in vain;
officer OF tho Legion Of Honor and enjoyed income
OF some 500 600 per arnum. He resided lattery, 10
beautiful country house a. Mcndon Paris and
his gateway placed inscription the effect that he
owed his little property to the public, who had kindly
sisted in the Of his works. IL always TO
their inspecton-a graceful acknowledgement which
one but Frenchman would think to make.