The New York herald., 1874-09-21
The Newest Productions from the Pens
Of the Playwrights.
MORALISTS VS.. SATIRISTS.
ssLa Chute'' and ''L'Enfant" Criti.
cally Described.
The Crime Of Adultery and the
Moral.

theatres; all the world. as described by the anus
ing French phrase for couple OF thousand people,
have lett Paris, and as Paris is Of course, the Gen.
tire OF the earth. no author OF acknowledged repu-
tation ever dreams OF bringing out new piece till
the world mas come home. Now and then new
dramatist who would have no chance IN the season
| catches wornout director on the Boulevard just
! as he is setting on for Trouville or Cauterets,
which Is Just now the fashionable watering place,
and holds MIN oy the buttonhole till he gets
manuscript accepted on condition that the man
agement shall be put to no expense. 1t Is then
played to an empty house by third rate actors and
actresses or by young people who have been wait
ing all the year Tor an opportunity OF coming De-
lore the footlights but never had chance OF ap-
pearng before q Partisan audience while the great
stars OF their profession were shining. Among the
most remarkable OF the new pieces by new au.
thors which have been acted during the present
month is one which has been performed at the
Gymnase Dramatque, called
"LA CHUrE,n BY N. LOUIS LEROY.
! Adultery is, OF course, the subject OF 1t; for
Partisan public would be content with nothing
less. For this religious and social crime still con-
tinues to exercise sort OF fascination upon the
whole French nation; and II 1t be really true that
the popular plays OF a country reject the age and
body Of the time, one might well think that all re-
gard ior the sacred Institution of marriage has
!
Out OF ten plays or ten novels one Is certain to
find an average OF at least eight which are solely
. concerned with the question OF adultery in Its
! newest aspect; and the extraordinary number of
| manners in which the subject Is always being con.
! sidered surpasses the widest flights OF imagina-
tion in other countries. 1t seems as II the most
| inventive and delightful OF writers had become
absolutely incapable OF creating any other
ideas than those which are connected with
the fracture OF the seventh commandment.
Yet they are such consummate artists that
they always cOntrive to give birth to something
new and interesting, and there Is notable differ
ence about the manner in which adultery
treated by Moere and that IN which 1t is made to
serve the purposes OF NJ Louis Leroy. The theatres
OF the Bourbons, down to the reign OF Louis XVIII.
and the dawn OF the great genius OF Victor Hugo,
was chiefly occupied by the comic elements which
were analyzed and brought out in the representa-
ton Of conjugal mlsortunes.
Mollere, whose personal experience could hardly
have been pleasing to him. was constantly show
ing husbands who richly deserved to be laughed
at. and infaibly obtained the reward due to their
merits. The French dramatists OF the present day
all aspire, however, to be moralists. The out.
ragged husband Is no longer dismissed with laugh
and funny coupet His misery Is such as Is ex.
pressly designed to make our nesh creep; his
agony Is piled up so high as TO make us gasp for
breath, and then his anger is terrible. He IS
enjolned solemply to Kill his unfaithiui
wife or her lover; and, in any case, TO do
I justice upon both OF them. He goes about with a
revolver in his pocket or rife within reach, and
Is not at all person to be mocked Now this Is
assuredly progress In one direction, but never.
theless II caught French author who had not
been taking absinthe, quite sober, and could per-
| suade him TO take a quiet afternoons walk with
me in q secluded spot, ! think l might submit to
! him an inquiry whether It might not be a new and
/ pleasing thing to look at adultery as degrading
and even impossible form Of guilt, which might be
left altogether unrepresented upon the stage with
complete safety to public morality. NJ. Louis
Leroy, however, Is fully entitled to the credit or
having produced something more or less new out
! OF such very Old materials. He Is one OF the most
vgorousand entertaining writers In the ChdriCdri,
and his improper stories, which form a regular iea-
| ture in that paper, are composed with such
extraordinary skill and wit so brilliant that they
! have created quite a separate school in French
| literature. He Is unrivaled as q master Of anna
tory dialogue and Is certainly one OF the gayest,
most original writers now living His originality,
indeed, is circumscribed by an extremely small
! circle. and he never goes out Of 1t. His wit con.
sists rather IN marvellous felicity Of words than
in fertility OF ideas; but in describing certain
1 phases Of the inner life OF the French middle
]
An Englishman or An American who should un-
dertake to write as he does would shock and
offend his readers beyond forgiveness. NJ. Louis
Leroy never ofiends them, and when he shocks q
modest reader as he often does, the shock Is like
brisk dash OF eau de cologne upon the face upon
a hot day-t makes one laugh it does not make
one angry.
AT THE GYMNAsE.
| Under these circumstances NJ Louis Leroy's first
good deal OF attention and some curiosity, and 1t
! was no small advantage to him that his piece had
been accepted by NJ. Montigny, the manager of the
| Gymnase, VINO Is known to be fastidious critic,
prOiOu ndly versed in the study OF public opinion,
/ and that any piece which he had approved would
/ be played by the best company OF actors in the
world. Everybody therefore, who was still In
Paris and cared for theatrical entertainments was
! pres ent on the first night when la Chute" was
played.
The curtain rose upon the lodgings OF q rich
young French bachelor named NJ. Leon de Mon.
: treux, VINO is somewhat abrupt OF speech and
I stern OF manner. He asks his valet In sharp
voice whether a lady has called on him that morn
! ing, and the servant makes a negative reply to
this momentous question. At that moment
the bell rings aud the servant announces
young man who is the BOSOM friend OF N. de Mon
treux and an exquisite o.. the first class, certain
Baron de hal0outy, an innocent reprooate, VINO is
mocKed, duped ana tossed IN q blanket through
out the piece He is KIND Of tame monkey, and
a character never before produced upon the stage.
Mabouty Is IN ove with Mile. Fhrasle perruchet,
a chorist al the comic opera and daughter OF
porteress, who mas assumed the poetlcal name OF
Carmlna. Carmna, by means OF some dramatic
comDlnation Of when NJ Leroy has not revealed
the secret, calls also upon VI. de Montreux. and in
| q scene whicb has often been produced and repro
duced IN comedies, Out wllcn IS stlll amusing, she
insists that her lover MaboutY shall elope with
her: and, cnanglng the usual parts IN life made
~
virtue and ne VINO .esists her Inpor unies AT last
the lady carries her position in epic sentence
my MOTHER KNOWS EvERYTHING.N
This she says In commanding tones, and then
the bell rings again. The ha ny pair disappear at
this sound, and the lady VINO mas been waited Ior
! young, beautiful a woman Of Digh rank and mar
| RED. According 10 NJ. Leroy's easy morality sue
Is the IDEAL Of q young mans mistress, the whlte
! hlackhrd of a lady Killer. NeXerfheess Nine. de