The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-08
ALEXANDRA DUMAS ATII0ME
THE RESIDENCE IN THE ArENUE DE
VILLTERS AND ITS TREASURES.
Filled From Hall to Gsrret with Rare works
OF Art-The Bibie the Bcok Most Read by
the Author OF La Dame Aux Cnmeiias."


tho circular railway.
The house in the Avenue de vlliers is lust
such ono as Thackeray might have chosen II
he had settled in the foreign capital he seems
to have loved 50 well. It's rcd brick. faccd with
white stone AZ the angles, gives 1t an old world
look. though. like most Of the dwellings in the
quarter, II WIS built but yesterday. II Ia well
fenced in from the curious, and its door IL
only to be reached from tho eardcn-a rnre &C.
curity for privacy in this city of pories cochcres
open TO all the world. Another circumstance.
perhaps almost equally rare. Ia that Dumas has
II all to himself 10 that he Is never disturbed.
ma are 40 many Of the wealthiest people in Paris.
10y the vagarics 81 another free and independ-
ent tenant overhead.
1t is something more than house: I'll gal
lcry Of art. 1t is filled with paintings statuary.
engraving from hall to garrct-furnshed with
them. in word There are pictures in the
very vestihule n few moro purchases, YOU
would say. and they must hc hung outside for
sheer want Of space within. The dinng-room
walls are covered with them and 40 are those
OF the draw ng-room they run all W the stair
case. rather, one would suppose, FOR mere sior-
gethcr distorted by the light from the stained
glass windows. And they are all good ONES
CONS of Iortuny, COrot Rcgnault MOrot.
TroyOn.tn water color or in oil. III the author
were a Manchester merchant. he could not hnvc
made more profitable investment for theya
WORKS whose value must Increase IN an cltf-
nous ratio with time. a tiny Moissonicr alone
would have to be covered with many layers ~
bank notes before it changed hands.
The secret of this painters habit 81 work ing
IN miniature il revealed 10y a casual observation
Of VI. Dumas. Mcssonior has popularity "
vision which very narrowly limits the area cov-
cred 10y his glance Where others would sec by
fect he secs only by inches and he has 20 re-
ducc his canvascs I'm order TINT. In tho most
literal scnse. he may keep AN eye upon what he
Il doing In composition say Of four feet hy
three he would lnd 1t totally Impossible 70 Oh
tain any clear perception II the relation ~ tho
centre To- the outlying parts. because be- could
not take them all IN one comp Nuu. He lately
tainted q heai oi dumas. about hali NE Sz,.
~" management - giant proportions IN fact,
thepicture Is his statue OF Hermann or Colossus
Hi library is small ono-a nero bookcase.
IN fact. aud "n!ythe mightiest penmen shakes.
n place on It's shelves. one hook the Bible. il
rehd moro than all the rest by the author Os the
pamcaux Camelias and the DENT; Monde.
II II constantly In his writings and. what IL of
iar more signiii Ance rs an evidence Of the sin
certify ~ his appreciation. I'm his talk and II Is
not too much To say that many Frenchmen de-
rive their sole knowledge 81 its texts from his
works. They are tolerant people, and Hupa.
lining IN It's place-namcly. in play. Tho coll
lection has It's stamp oi individually IN Ia
works OF science. The writers on physiolo ey,
Tor instance. are far more numerous than those
In any other branch.
The room in which he works is tho house in
miniature. a perfect nest 81 hric-A-brac. Here
j. n cahuet Of oak like most frenchmen, lac
cannot abide mahogany filed with rare china
there picture or ;"rra-cotta group Some II
III" statuary is too large for mere chamber dec
grafton. In the house In which he formerly
lived he used TO work in the shadow q a com;
position by Frauceschi which dwarfed him and
every object in the place and even In this one
he has contrived TO nnd corner for large
! sgInl. the name of the solder-artist Regnaut.
killed in the last war.
The iarge table IN ne middle Is seen r.
piece II furniture cpntrived q triple debt 10
pay-a writing desE N pigeon -holed bureau. and
n row of drawers In one. He has himself pub
to friend. 1t is stored" 10 says " with
paper Of every form and Of varied tints which
spread In profusion about me 20 give me- the
taste for work for. as take II nothing T. more
nppotzing 10 a writer than fine paper. II is tho
kittens saucer 81 milk; IL u Irresistible. Be-
low are my letters. Keen every on"
And how many dead ones already They arr.
! in an Immense receptacle with partitions
which call tho common. grave. Don't te
with ha, H. S" Win ' h ANY ,RonsRt ont u
/ play. take twenty Sheets OF paper Tor "a'h act
t Sg Ee la" cs 9qa "T Rp A. me nr1 n es
! the net Tho Jas, o., j. limited 20 seventeen
sheets 1t oueht to b" shorter than the rc-i.
! have hAed the quantity Of matter Toy long expo
/ ricnrc; the publ won't digest more
/ In the SMALLER % n the larger surrouniincs.
! he shows himself fully sensible Of the influence
| OF the association; his paper weights are
] models in bronze or marble of tho hand- vt his
friends-it need not be- said that his choice is rig
| orOusly confined 10 one sex. Every hand IS n
and nysaFg S as Sv wS ii T al but thu owner u
on the 18th Of April" and here the history
breaks on. ilne crayon portrait that he used
| 10 have constantly before him is that Of tho
Jennnine Of Les Idtes lie Madame AuJrdy: no
| has lived all his works.
Like most Frenchmen no gets his day s task
! done in the morning, In order 10 have his oven
| lngs free for society. His methods of diversion
have sometimee been extraordinary. When
| the Chinese knife throwcrs came 10 Paris some
| years ago he used occasionally 10 initiate their
performance as sort q private exercise in
gymnastics for the relief Of body and mind:
! difficulty in dissualing Madame Dumas from
becomng his target. George sand heard OF his
| things she was not to be beaten by man she
was soon NJ work with the knives day by day.
70 her KerSn ana
The fay9rite RELAXATION OF his maturer years
is the tidying up Of his own room, When his
ideas are not 50 clear ~ he could wish, on goes
| his coat, and Tor day or two he combines tho
functions Of Molly and q furniture porter in his
| own person. until NJ the trainers might say,
! he feels himself fl for dramatic philosophy
| once more. His father was not without his mis-
givngs in regard to this passion for order. this
power OF Occasi onal attention 10 material details.
| He will never succeed in literature" he muir
INJURED he has twelve pairs Of bools-all IN
| line" The son, for his part knew how 10 reply.
and some Of the brightest specimens Of the cur
rent coin OF Partisan wit were minted by his
brain in friendly contests provoked hy his sire )
complaints. In these heir relationship seemed
to be reversed; the elder man figured rs the
| tudurdts slyH the younger as me monitor ana
guide My father is a big baby that had
when was very little one Alexandra used
| To say
His conversation combines matter md man
ner in the happicst way. You would hardly re-
| quire to be aware 81 his high repute to perceive
that you are in the presence Of a profound
thinker. who Is also a writer for the stage, He
| has one Of the rarest gtts-that Of making n
| monOogue interesting. His topic is thesis
| but you never suspect as much until you find
| that the final epigram is also logical conclu-
sion. He personl0es his argument. develops II
| by dialogue between maginary characters, and
| the rapt listener seems to be under the spell OF
| scenic representation.
| He Is OF something more than med um height,
| robust in make. and with so little OF the typical
author in his appearance that he might pass
anywhere Tor maj, who had never boon guilty
of printed line. The difference between the
| two. indeed. Is not SO marked in this age as II
! was in the past. when bookmen stopped as
| though they were obliged TO carry all they
| wrote and when in every wasted feature they
| seemed To bear the regimental brand OF their
| service 10 tho Muse His eyes. somewhat
Geur- de tcte. like those OF Chief Justice Cock
| burn--himself half Frcnchman- would. how
| ever always serve 10 distinguish him from the
| common run as one OF the few keen observers
| Of their kind. When he is animated they Hight
| up the whole face. and then. unfortunately. he
| looks too much like genius 10 be for mo-
ment mstaken for perfect man OF the world.