, 1871-06-20
Dslsarss and Dramatic Art.

TIE May number Of the Atlantic con,
tains = most interesting article on Fran,
co.'s Delsarte, hereafter to be known as the
founder Of the science of Dramatic Art.
He was born At Solesmes, in the northern
part of France, is now sixty years Of age,
and has leo life full Of strange vicissi-
tudeS aud romantic episodes, His father
was physician aud his mother a woman
Of rare abilities.
Shortly after the battle of Waterloo
detachment of the allied troops were pass
ing through SOlssmes, in the midst of
dead and sullen silence, when the COM
mandants quick ear caught the sound of
a childish voice crying Nive Z En- pe-rexr
VIre Na-pOele. Every Oae smiled at
the juvenile speakers audacity except the
stern officer, whose name has unfortunate
ly escaped the infamous celebrity it de-
served. By his orders a platoon of SOL
diers sought ouk the child's home and
burned it 10 the ground and thus little
Francois Deisarts became the innocent
cause of.he ruin of his family.
Thenceforward the family was in
most deplorable condition. One reverse
lOnOHGu duOluGTg bilA tuC ulOeHCI duu ucI
children were on the verge of starvation.
She soon died, and at the age Of nine
years the boy Francois began life on his
own account. His fret service was as
drudge in a shop kept by an old woman,
but fate seemed against him in every way,
and one cold night he was picked up in
the streets in half-frozen state by cliff
tonier. "And so the future artist COM
menced his professional career as Partisan
rag-picker." The story continues:
While wandering about the great city
in the interest of his employer, his only
solace was to listrn 10 the songs of timer
ant vocalists and the occasional music of a
military band. Music became his passion.
| From some of the gan1iRs he learned the
seven notes of the scale, and, 10 preserve
the melodies that delighted him, he in
vented a system of musical notation. On
a certain holiday, when he was twelve
years old, while listening to the delight
ful music in the garden of the Tuiilrriess
the little chifonier busted himself with
drawing figures in the dust An old man
Of eccentric appearance, noticing his ear
nest diligence, accosted him.
"What are you doing there, boy :" he
asked.
Terrified at first. but reassured By the
kind manner of the stranger, Dslsarte re-
piled "Writing down the music, sir"
"Do you mean to say those marks have
any significance ? That you can lead
them -
Certainly, sir"
"Let me hear you."
Encouraged by the interest manifested
in him., the lad sang in sweet and pure
but sad voice the strains just played by the
military band. The old man was amazed.
.''Who taught you this process?' p
Nobody, sin; found it out myself
Bambini---for it was the then disiin-
guished. but now almost forgotten, pro-
iessor-ofered to take the boy home with
him; and he who had entered the garden
of the Tuilleries a rag-picker left it rec
ogniEed musician. In the dust of Paris
were fist written the elements OF a sys-
TEN destined TO regenera.e art. Bambini
taught his Protege all he kew, bat the
pupil soon surpassed the master and be-
came his instructor in turn; for if the
one had talent, the other possessed genius.
Bambini predicted the future Of Del
sarie, aud seems to have recognized hs
merit in an eminent degree. His death
left the boy poor and frisndless. At four
teen, however, Delsarte managed to get
admitted into the Conservatory, where,
though he labored hard, he met with
harsh treatment ard Encouragement.
Thrown upon his own resources, he soon
developed, by careful observation of ma
ture and a constant study of cause and ef-
feet, system and a style radically differ
ing from those of the professors and their
servile imiiators.
The praises Of Malibran and Nourrit
gave him courage, and decided him to fol-
low implicitly the prOmptings of his own
genius. His extreme poverty compelled
him at last, when eighteen years of age,
TO apply to the Conservatory for diploma
which would enable him to secure silua-
tion at one of the lyric theatres. 1t was
refused,
The autumn Of 1929 found him shah.
BY, almost ragged applicant at the alag,
door of the Opera COmique. Repeated
rebuffs failed to battle his desperate per-
tinacity.
One day the director. hearing of the
J annoy Gnee to which his subordinates