New-York tribune., 1876-04-22
LIFE IN PA RS.
DUMAS AND AUGIER.

DUMAS AND AUGIER.
THERE Is NEITHER TRAGEDY NOR COMEDY NOW
UNPUBLISHED THOUGHTS OF VoLrIRE NJ.
TnIERs's IDEAS STILL RULE-THE KING OF THE
INDIEs-AN AUTOGRAPH OF VICTOR HUGo.
IFRuM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TII8 rRIBUNBl
PARIS, March s-Thcre is no lack Of comedy in
France, where every one wishes to play his role.
now that lawyers and physicians have found their
high-schoo in politics Very soon there will not be
spectators enough TO ill the theaters Yet we pos
sess some writer's Of dramatic genius such asAuger,
Dumas, sarlou, and Meihac-to speak only of those
who hold their places on the boards. The cultivated
Pari,ians who do not besmutch themselves with
politics are at present divided between Dumas and
Augier. uEtangcre is the work of n master who,
wishing to show himself. pcrforce, as universe!
dramatic genius, has neither produced drama nor
comedy; but it Is a lively piece, and abominably
clever.
la an arisocratic society Ike that OF the seven
teenth century the thcatcr addressed itself To but
single class and only illustrated that class-the no
bilty I'm this sense the gentle and poetic Racine is
the most realistic of dramatic authors; he masks
his characters with Greek or Roman names because
IN. fashion will have it 50. but they all live and
move at the court of LOUIS XIV. 1t was there that
he studied their speech, their passions, ana seht-
mcnts: and he has reproduced with truly photo
graphic exacines that speech, those passions, ana
s.ptruents. dchille and Niphdrds simply mar
onises, "A IphiGtHio and NoHime are duchesses As
for the simple citizen, ho has no right to be in
tragedy. For whomsocver is not noble, there Is
comedy. farce. ridcule, kicks. and blows of the
cndgcl The bourgeois George DaHdn. insulted by
his fathcr-in-law, foutcd by his servant woman
iccred nj by his wife, and obliged, the miserable
wretch to crv for pardon and fall upon his knees
os Comedy-bcforo ". De SOicAritle, that is to say
tragedy
Nowadays comedy and tragedy are fused together
in the drama which is the complete and universal
theatrical form.- Tie bourgeois is no longer the
ridiculous character who was once tied mp III "a sack
or knocked down with club. lie has his place III
the FORUM he demands IL also on the stage. Inc
Tiers-EtAt has made reality oil famous saying IL
was nothing. il is everything Thus dramatic ail no
ncr sueas 70 this or that class of society, but to
all classes This is why Alexandra Dumas, fis tries
his hand more and more at comedy: this IL why
criticism is wrong, when it rcproachcs him for not
koina ~ others do The characteristic of art Is
audacity. What il audacity lit is an innovatRg
snirit. Commonplace men may create works perfect
according 10 tie rules bat that Is the perfection OF
nullitv Formerly we had in France an Abbe
dAubignac, who gave absolute laws for tragedy: 50
far. il was well enough Then he wrote tragedy
10 prove that he was right but his tragedy con-
yinced every body that he was wrong
Neither Emile Angler nor Alexandra Dumas has
ever put in practice the rules of the Abb6 PAnbig-
nae and for 2 years past their names nave Deeh
signed to the strongest pieces on the contemporary
stage. One may say of these that they nave tue
talent which cuts through everything. Eaoh one OF
their scenes mpresses itself on the memory each
one Of their words has the true stamp. All lntelll-
GENT a. well as all curious minds arc enthusiastic
over PEhaag6re and Madame Com~tet.
Two years hence we are promised grand festival
in honor of Voltairc, who died in l77S. or HIM one
may say that the day of his death was the first ot his
immortality; he still remains the most hvlng mlhd
of our country. Votaire bcqueathed to Franco the
Revolution of 1889; to Europe, the hatred OF dark
ness; To Humanity, the eyangel Oi good; 10 the
world the current coin OF intelligence. All phlloSo
nhers from Plato to Descartes have built fairy cas-
Ties and fought with chmeras. Voltairc built the
temple Of the human mind and fought with mon
stcrs and supcrstitons" Ii has been SAID OF MN
that hc should have died without making a will. as
il was said of Jean Jacques Rousseau that he should
have died without making confession. Voltairc,
indeed wrote his will under the dictatiOn of his
niece on the last day Of his life, and he forgot tho
poor because Madame Denis was Unsuitable. But
was this really the will of Voltaire No: the legacy
of man of genius is his work.
A piece of good fortune has placed in my hands
the last manuscripts of Voltaire-thoughts written
from day to day. and often during the small hours of
the night-the last malice of that unrepentlng de-
mon the last truths fallen from that great soul.
have looked through all the pages of Votare without
finding these thoughts, except few III his fhiIo-
sophical Dictionary. give them in the admirable
disorder in winch | found them, as the engraVcr
who translates the sketch of master repeats the
faults of the original design. We recognize IN them
the universal Voltaire-religon, love, philosophy,
literature, fine arts, history; all tho capitals ana
provinces of that tyranncal monarch OF the human
mind
"a people must not be forced. Ii is river which
cuts its own channel and you cannot make 1t change
its course"
"Why does one always say, Mon DeuP and
'Noire DameP"
Even the most sublime author should seek col'n-
sci. Moses in spite of his cloud and pillar Of lire,
asked his way of Jethro."
INSCRIPTION for priut representing Oegsars
Ger Jecit."
"The poets. who have invented everything exceD'