Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-02-07
DUMAS AND RossHNI.
A Letter From The Former About
Ihe Latter.

lhe Latter.
Alexauderder Dumas has written a
characteristics letter 10 the editor Of the
Paris Petite Press. After a few words
Of introduction, he proceeds
Ny letter is going to be all about
Rossini and a dish Of maearoni, for
which I am supposed to have fallen out
with him.
In the first place one cannot fall out
with those one is not bound to By some
tie or other; consequently, not with
those one has no sympathy for; aud my
situation with Rossini was such through
life that 1 never spoke to him more
than three times in forty years.
Our position in the literary aud
scientific world was such, however, that
we could not be absolute strangers to
each other so that some OF my Monte
CristO subscribers having asked me to
give them a good recipe for nacaroni--
a thing l do not like, and do not know
much of wrote TO Rossini, having
thus reasoned with myself: There is an
illustrious man in this world who is a
reputed gastronOmist, and he is an
Italian 1 will get a frstrate recipe
from him for this maearoni. and my
subscribers will think good deal of it.
The letter l wrote to the composer Of
Moses and The Barber was as
follows:
" Dear Great Han You have, it ap-
pears, splendid recipe for macaroni.
You who have done so much for the ears
of your eotemporaries should do some
thing for their stOmaehs, and after having
been blessed you viii be adored.
Yours, &C., A. DUMAS.
The following was Rossini's reply:
81 have, indeed, 4 marvellous recipe
for macaroni, but l keep it for myself
and friends. Come and eat some next
Tuesday, and you viii comprehend that
when man has such a treasure he does
not give it up to dilapidation-
Yours, ROssISI.
! | answered Immediately
q Dear Rossinii 1 shall dine with you
Tuesday, but not on your maearoni. 1t
/ is a sense l have less, but | shall come
to enjoy you and your Wit, and to see
Olympic (Rossinis wife) again. | have
still a vivid remembrance of her and her
beauty. DUMAS.
The following day / went to Rossini's.
We were about four or five together.
He was as delightful as ever, and the
maearoni came on instead of soup. 1t
had splendid success, though 1 ate
none, and was privileged not to do SO
on the faith Of my second note. As to
the rest of the dinner, it was, frankly,
very inferior, indeed. On ROssini's re-
fusal to give me the recipe, | thought
would go and try to get it from his bro
ther, who was cook to the Prince Of
Thourtfort for l knew that even if he
refused it, 1 should get it from the
Prince, who is a friend of mine. Mean
while, however, | met Madame Ristori
who also assumed that her macaroni
recipe is the best. She offered to give
me it. 1 accepted, and | submitted it
/ to nv readers with the above details.
! As soon as people knew | had dined
with Rossini, l was assailed with ques-
/ tons could not say anything against
/ man whose bread and salt [ had
shared, 50 l only replied, d" Rossini Is
not a real gourmOnd. Some time after,
I met him at the opera he had heard my
opinion of him, and felt hurt, saying
O. gave YOU family dinner, not think
ing that I ought to stand on ceremonies
with you.
True, [ answered, but thought
that when Rossini dined alone, he dined
like a Rossini.
This reply caused a wider breach be-
tween US. Rossini was selfish, stingy
and malicious-three faults | cannot en-
dure in my enemies, but which cannot
bear in my friends. He was, moreover,
at least he used to say so, very lazy. l
do not believe in laziness. | think it is
only an excuse for inoapaeity and,
strange to say, ROssini was never lazy
before Meyerbeer had so great sue
cess in % Robert lie Diable.' From that
time his struggle began-not struggle,
though. but a duel in which Rossini
kept back. His friends say that, Ike
Achilles, he kept under his tent; but it
is not true. Achilles got under his
tent to reaper stronger thsn before,
more vigorous and more valiant; he
reappeared to rout the TrojaHs, kill
Hector, and to drag him, bound to his
chariot, round the walls of the city.
If Rossini did withdraw under his
tent, it was never to come forth again, to
there make macaroai, far from all, to
write will in which he gives to and
then takes away from poor valet the
small stipend Of fifty francs a month, and
some old clothes, finally sold by him to
peddler and lastly, he daily uses an
ivory syringe in order to increase its
value on the day of its public sale.
You see, dear sir, that when person
has such an opinion Of a man, one con
not fall out with him, because he has
never been attached to him.
nr-xF4c