, 1877-10-21
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
A Fragment Of Autobiography by
Alexandra Dumas.
Suleiman Pasha, the New Turkish
Commander.iu-Chief,
Apochryphal Titles in France---Yictoria's
1utor.--An Italian Romance.


Paris Correspondence Se,o 1ork truphfc.
The dranatlst, novelist, essayist, moralist,
and Acadelnician, whose name is Alexandra
Dumas, bears worthily the crushing heritage Of
a natronymic made so ilustrious BY It's former
posscssor. Amid the somewhat revolving but
always powerful and brilliant pages Of his new
volume Of plays come upon this fragment of
autobiography, dropped carelessly amid the
lucubrAtions Of one Of his prefaces, and which
possesses certain interest for the public, inas-
much as it gives the lie to sundry romantic sto-
ries which have been told about his childhood
aud his relations with Ills celebrated father.
One OF these stories described him as only
learning that father's nane when he Was boy
Of Is OF Ii, aud Us forcing his way into the pres
cncc Of the great Dumas, and s;ornlily claim
ing recognition as his child. Nothing OF the sort
occurred. ue SAYS:
My mother was good, courageous woman, who
workcd 10 rear me; MY father, Government em-
ployc with salary Of i, 200 francs year ts2l0>,
it 80 happened TINT my father, though impulsise.
was kind hearted. When, after his first successes
as u dramaiist, be thought ne could rely upon the
intu1e, be recognized MT und gave me his name.
That was much The law did not force MIN to do 20,
ana have tecn SO grateful thut have Iorne that
name as we'll us could. Yet it appeared that his
whose position was perfectly regular before the
law. and in the midst of whom | was placed very
early in great boarding schoo: kcpl by oao OF the
best Of men, IT, Prosper Goutnu1. These children
insuted me from morning till night. delighted prob
nbly to abuse in me the celebrated name of my
fathcr bccauee my mother had the misfortune not
to bear it. There WIS not day that did nut have
tight with unc or another Of my comrades. and
sometimes with several together, for their coward
ice wis not solely moral. Those who were not
thus. said nothing and looked on. MT suffering,
WHICH 1 have described in' Afaire Clemencean, -
and Of which never epoke to my mother 80 us not
to distress her, lasted live or slx years.
Acharmng picture, is it not, of the generosity
Of nature, the moral courage, tho l'igh-fuinde0-
ness of the average French school-boys Taken
from this pt1rgatory finally, and placed in Il
private school. the young Dumas soon gained
full health and STRENGTH, and at the age Of 20
his relations with bis father ut that epoch, will
let him speak for himself:
fon have known my father; 9ou can recall that
Eood humof, TINT inalterabc and potential
sayetr, that pEodi.aity wherewtt he lavishcd his
noIcy, hts talent. iia strength his life. His
heart completed Whatever was legally wanting to
his fraternity, and l became hls most intimate
friend. Tint maIs elous nun had the gift Of rest
Ing himself from one fatigue by another fatigue,
and when he had worked beyond a}i 'bonnas he
hunted for three or four days, danced for three
OF four nights, sleeping IN the carriage that con-
vcycd him to the meerng Ut thu nunt or in the
cab that was bringing him home from bail.
The father and sou started out to sec life to-
gether, and the younger of the tWo in thought,
in feeling 10 avidity tor pleasure, WAS certainly
uOk A1AIEli lAol!sA LIZ bly,
Wcaried Of sadness. wanted to realize life, and
thought should always lind money IN the drawer
OF the tanlc which my dearest friend wrote for
fifteen honrs out Of the twenty yfour.
Out Of this experience Of life came wearincss,
disgust, bad habits, and fifty DEBTS to the amount
Of $4,000 francs. More scrupuluus in money
matters than WAS that born Bohemian, his
father, the younger Dumas ardently desired to
pay his debts. It was the Iong-Iclayvd SUCCESS
o1 j" LII Dame aux Cameias " that finally fur
nishcd him with he means Of doing so.
1t is well known that he repaid his fathers
affection with tender devotion that ceased
unlv with the life OF the wonderful old man.
The elder Dumas died beneath his sons roof,
surrounded By all tkial care and tenderness.
Or his last illness characteristic anccdote is
told. When he was brought home stricken
down with the 1nalady that WAS soon to prove
fatal, his sou aided him to undress so that he
might 30 TO the bed that hc was destined never
to leave. As lis clothes were being laid aside,
u single gold piece fell from the pocket of his
waistcoat, and rolled upon the floor. ''Tbere"
cried Dumas, with fash Of his oiden Enyety,
i" l began life with twenty francs in my pocket,
and am about to die without having dmi'i-
ished my capital. Who will dare call me ex-
traragant after that!"