, 1875-12-27
Dnnlnss Now American ks1nys

| Dnn,ns' Ne,v American E1ny.
| Corrts,oHdensr .Htr Ur'rana If.agune.
Pants, November, lH75,. -Tl,o witltnr season
announces itself III a brilliant manner. We
,y9 sseaay h.p 1'T r. asy ana BY ssns rse9oro so
and Mo'!s. Alexander dumas has read to the
arturn Of tho French t,on,ody vi I4Etraugyre." Il
sive-act comedy: Lot me- begin with thts 1aat,
which tns already heRnn TO make grant 'lo|so
here. 1t il aons. Dumas first original play ut
tho Freneh Comedy, and 3c ia naturally very
noryous. Agnin, despite hi. reputation. his
successfuf phys arc rare. When ia Dame
Dcmi- Monde havo beon mentioned, you hayo
| named nli ILLS successcs. though ho has
| written some twenty or moro plays. 1lo
| has from the outset received tho support OF
nosrly oil Tho newspapers. and Of groat many
Of the non-profcssloual npplauoora-men who
| hang around theatres ann newspapers, inefg-
nlticant hingly and yet no noiay altogether M 10
t!ecoivo tho public into believing tbcm intluen-
tist and otacles Of tue general opinion. have L
| II. Dumna' popularity with these people. lie Is
! not etinRy, but then ho Ia very far from being
| psoG,gal, md no has no parasites. lie outer
| talns nobody, except fo1 Intimate friouds. s1
or ucvon At most. lio goos out little. Some
mon are born lucky. IIo is one Of tnou.
| lie makos aImost al much and great
| deal moro reputation by pieco which
| fails aH other men 10 BY play which,
worst pays fall from tho bill rather by tho non
attendance OF tho public than In consequence Of
lloatto criticism. AIona. Dumas Is slow wfisor,
| or rather he IL allow worker. llo never begins
| to write play until ho has thought y out
| from beginning to oud; but ho commonly finds
| lie llas to ehailgo great deal Of it when he
comes to rut it upon yapar. Dcfccta. which
had eteapet! attention while tho picco doated on
| the mind, bccnnln apparent wfien the eyo iH
abo to run over tho whole conposi.ion. IIo
aayB. in speaking Of tho trouble ho frequently
haA in writing tho rieces ho has trained, NJ he
Ind hopo1 comrlosnly. in hiH mind: "Good
| graciousi how right my father WAS to begin his
| pieces at tho emil. l1a always Baid that tho
end il thu mil 10 which they mny DO hutil, with
| rurtect satoty, aGd I llavo novcr Witnessed
| tho performance Of ono OF 1is p!ays without
being convinced :hak his waa tho right Inethol"
| 1lo vas long engaged on this comedy for throe
years lie kept it notore his mind, and on tho 18th
! Of August ha began to write 1t. ue writos all
| i,,s manuscript for tho PRESS I'LL hts copy, on
expressly for ths nurposo. rho 9TH Of October lle
wrote, ''1l0 Ind" OIL tho last line of the laet
p1ge OF tho manuscript; bus 10 confeasos he
mover had as much trouble III gettug play into
detnittve shape M this play Rayo him. 4 new
| l,o wroto to the managag Of the French Comody
during tlliH period Of travail. You wtll noto
the iltial respect Which Induces him 70 sign
his name with tile addition "Jr." Though
1t camo. You viii obucryc tho ditforeucn bc-
tweou father and son tho former eocnl-
cd to tlcligh. in writing under pressure from
| publishers and editors or managens. You will
remark, too, tho ovldo1t inutility OF all Ills Mt
trmrtn to work when tho muse was III no hulnor
| to labor.
"pAEts. sopt. 3, 187C.-sly DEan pEnn1s:
Anve received your lottur. aud nH tho iettor-car-
1ior Ia waiting. mud desire you to receive my
allswor to-day, I roply boforo having road your
letter to tho end Whom dnw Layoi1 (lIantt
Laroi1. well-knowh literary man horfs). aatl
to him: Toll Perrin distinctly that 10 must not
! tu x&t,fn a,,in
I F1snch Colnody-lot him know that refuse to
| hare the responsibility resting on mo Of q fnt-
nre OF the wsntor ueaBon At llis theatfe-lot por-
| rim conBider inc NJ not in existence, and lot
inc mo from tho account When 1 charged
Layoix viii, tho message, the play presented it.
aolf badly, despite oil my efforts. III VAIN I
| turned t., come It would BY the shoulder or by
| tho feet. Had I f0lt that you wero waiting for
mo. could not possibly havo worked quickly,
| na mn accustomed to Io and as 1t IL ncceasury
| for mo TO do to work at alt when once my mind
was freed from oil thought Of you tho play camo
evening, and II Tho others Gov a. vol au TINT
toca tho olrect ID certain. shall rit down to
tho second after closing this letter. Tho
Nha!o piny will bc written botween tho
havo wortod during the last ion wears, and
hope II will not betray me thia timo. Conso-
Qucnty you will hare tho manuscripts, at latest,
towards the closo Of tho month: i II AXE allow
&IlCG IuE 1htlhuG AAA f1elt3. LOU Will fGAU Tic
piece and form your opinion about it. Ills play
Ing for heavy stalos, especially 80 far as am
concerned, You therefore can readily undet-
stand that an dostrous to enter upou tho gamo
with good baud ct cards. As get on with tho
piece, l will, ii necessary. writo you a. lougth.
At nll eynnts. you hhhll soon hear from mo again.
YOU cannot Imagine, my dear Perrin, the pain It
gives nla to inlet pain upon you, and how do
s!rous haye s!nca been to give you surprise.
Youru, A, DUMAS, Jr."
"PuYs. Sept. 22-1n good truth, my dear
Perrin. + am hard at work-anl az Tho child
msle good presentation. told Donsyrouza
anoter literary man hosa to givo you tiuinga Of
II. deslro succens, less for myself than for
you, assure you. You give evidence Of SO
much dolcacy. 30 uuoh sennibility, 80 much
good focllng In all this matter. that really
should like to be sncceasful. In fine, tho SEQ
ontl act ~ completed. This WEB tho hardeat to
write. begin tho third aftor closing this fattor.
l hopo to bo able to give YOU the whole play to
rcH,i between now aud the 9th OF October. Tsue
enough 1t will 30 revised aftarwards4 but thin
Will be llka the iinlahing touches Rtvon to a now
house: nothing will remain to be. done but to
hanE tho paper and to placo mirrors and thoir
gllded fFan.es In proper position. The flag will
float from tho chimney tops. and passengers will
know thas it will soon DO hauitablo. Wholly
yours, A. DUMAS, JR."
"ruvs, Oct. l, 1672.-3fr DEsn Fn1Exp, I
write you on my handsome copy papor, be-
cause hayc nouo othor to boar YOU tidlogs.
havs Jnat completed tho third act. am sono-
what alarmed for tho French Comedy bv the
roud l bnye travelled. aud by the destination to
which I GO. have remained Ill alouo hsse,
whero l AN very far from 1lndlhg amusement, III
order 70 co!nrleto thu pieco ~ soon a. possible,
---tIlat ie III aomo five or ak days from now.
1tlo worst Of the buHnnss ia oyer. The play
viii iuteEoss you personally, but II IL question:
ab!o whetl.or tho modern tradition of the
old tradition. tolow It fully and no more mlnco
ms.sc1H than EG.she and Ozesta do. Yours
trnly, A. DUMAS, Jr."
rnys If village near Dieppe, Where Nous.
Dumas lns long made his home. His father
died thcro In 1Hio. Ths Jlsy coat him innuits
pains, III, | liayo saiu. A, nonyaraation Of tho
trcoud act coht h,,n ton tlaTs of iucusuant work.
lie rswrot4 tho fourth act five times, aud II was
only Oh tho ifth tinle tAat he brought 1t to =
satisfactory coucIuHlou. ns Introduces the