New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-23
ALPH0MSE DAUDETS EARLY YEARS.

I bOCIGTY COUNTY, TWTUpr,
| who, as even NJ lola himself allows has been the
most fruitful and permanent force in French lIteIa-
| ture, pure and simple, since BalZac and George
| Sand. Lucky this knowledge promises TO b. made
attanable and that by a rare chance, in the lite
| time OF Daudet himself His brother Ernest
| Daudet, himself we'll known man Of letters ha:
commenced study of his brothers life and literary
achievement, of which the first parts have Just
appeared in the Noucsite herae He is the elder of
| the two brothers, recognizable by more than one
pleasant trait rs the elder brother IN lie Petit
Chose y; and the close intimacy IN .whr h the two
have lived from their earliest ena les him to
give picture of his more famous brother which,
as he says, is inspired not only by "a great ira
ernal tenderness" but by not less great admira-
ton"
but all the different branches OF the family can he
traced back to the mountain valleys OF the Ce-
venues. The branch TO which Alphonse and Ernest
belong was settled for generations at COucOues,
little village IN the Lozere, some miles from Vile
fort ill their grandfather left his mountains in the
first years OF the Revolution and settled at Nishes
as a silk weaver. There, after while, he started
shop, made a small fortune, and II arrled lie had
live children, of whom the fonrth Vincent Daudet,
was the father of Alphonse and Ernest Vincent
Daulet settled down TO continue his tithers busl-
ness in Nismes, but owing perhaps to his too SAN
guine and somewhat choerlc temperament, lie
failed as man of business and, under the pressure
of two or three bad years. sank INTO absolute pow
erty. However, it took some time to ruin pros
porous business and II the irst lew years OF the
lives. not only Of Ernest born in 1887, but Of
AphOnse (born in lS40l tine Dandet household was
comfortable enough. The children filled the sOmnrs
banished from the lower regions by stern look
from their father who dislked being disturbed at
his work. would mount TO the upper rooms to seek
their mother, whom they l0und Invariably plunged
deep in some favorite book. She devoted to
reading aud Ernest Daudet declares that A" 1t is
undeniabe that It is from her We yet the vocation
which later on has made both OF us men OF letters
The elder brother continues: hen, questioning
my memory | recall what | can remember of my
baby brother, see pretty little boy OF thee or
four W It'll big brown eyes, chestnut har, "A dark
complexion, ana features of an exquisite dellcacy.
| remember, too the childs terrible RACES and his
tragicUnic rebeOns against the punlshment5
they provoked. He Inherited from his grand
mothers / 9th sides, and still more from his
father, this tendency to passion, which later on,
wien he tecame a man, he mastered by fine effort
of will. But when child 1t was the salient tTut
of his character. lie was thus not an easy child TO
brng up. lie was the most singular MIX uie OF
dOclEty and the contrary, OF sweetness ana oOstl-
nacy, and was characterized wltha 10y an incXtln-
guIshabIe thirst for adventures and the unknown,
the danger OF which wa, increased by shUrtSlght-
edness winch grew worse as tie years went on"
THIS shOrtsghiedncss, Ernest goes on TO explain,
has played his brother many an Ill turn, but nj the
time it has rendered him a signal service: 1t
has Obliged him TO live an inner lie; It has en-
lowed hun with a rare and most precious faculty,
which no one possesses Ike hun. sort OF lnneI
sight or II sou prefer the phFase an EXTRAORDINARY
power of intuition thanks to which, II he cannot
with his eyes the features of his nterlOcutor he
can yet divine not only them Int his thoughts as
well. This intensity OF vision in man with such
eyes rs his Is something extraordinary. lie goes
through life almost like a blind man, and yet each
81 DIS DOCKS - Il masterpiece OF minute attentive,
almost microscopic observation" The two children
were the most devoted friends and companion
4" All! le bon can arade que Javas la. cries Ernest
he recalls those early hSeaTs. lheS Toasted to-
gcther IN the Old orchard, were taken long eNcur-
SONS together to visit their osterbrothers in the
country. read and worked together even PLAYED "a
little play with puppets OF their own manufacture
together. Ernest had made and dressed one of
these puppets as page and TO utilize this MASTER
piece AphOnse wrote little play. (which
| lament not TO have kept. 1t WAS his debut
as a dramsdist." 1t was a great event in these
childish lives. when their father. coming hours
from the great tair at beauclalre brought
them Robinson CmsOe," "SwIss Family
Robinson and the complete series OF the Jow nal
dCs LntdRt big volumes full of stories signed by
such names as jules Jauln, Frederic SOue, LOUIS
DcSnOycrs, Ernest Founet and Eugene Foa.
There they read many famous history, some Of
them masterpieces in their way which have left
an lnettaceable mark on our memories, and exer-
cised throughout childhood an influence SO
strong that to thus day, when an odd volume OF the
collection falls into our hands FROM the thumbed,
torn pages rises thIong OF memories from the dis
Great changes were soon to come in this happy.
childish life. Already in 1916 Vincent DaudcPs
affairs were seriously embarras, ed. and by 1918 lbs
ruin complete. The failure OF several large
clients was followed by the general dslOCatIOn of
trade caused by The Revolution OF 10 ~ aud the
GROWING blow was given by the death of his wiies
Ia her, leaving nothing behind INN. The legacy
which should have come IN due course to Nine
Daudet had been counted Oh to set everything
straight and when it revealed that her brothers
had 80 mSmanagcd their fathers business ~ 70
Vincent Daudets parOXyslns Ot rage were unayaI-
ng 10 avert the complete collapse Of his affairs. lt
v rs necessary t. economic IN every possible way
,nd an obvious way Oi dong 80 was by siniing the
education of his children. This course strongly
PRESSED upon hun 10y rich relation VINO was also
lis creditor. and who denounced what he called tine
absurd pride OF poor man IN giving his children
classical education His advice was to apprentice
hem To q good haudicraft. If ais advice had been
Oilowed,' says Ernest Daudet, " | should probably
be at this moment a lOcksmith and A phOnSe a
arpcnter." The children, however. continued
heir researches into the Latin grammar aud then
ather sought to econOmze IN other way. The inst
tep was to leave the line house in which the chill
II en- had been BON ana INT up looms iOI The family
n the now silent and deserted factory. The chill.
lien liked the change well enough. They had un-
United space at theiT command, and played hide
md -seeE amid the disused machinery and rusty
,oieIs with infinite satisfaction. 1t Is this ,tYauge
Ne this contrast between bright youth and ruiBous
ecay which has inspired the first touching chapter
II Aiphonse DaudctS felt Chose the story IN
Which. according to his brother. he has put the
argest amount Of purely personal experiences.
When their father finally abandoned the idea of
the factory. and sold il To a community
rOthers said adicu 10 their beloved playground with
ching hearts. They continued However lar
ONE little time to live at Nlsmes, " lille their
her was away seeking mis- fortune az Lyons. But
n 1919 their father succeeded in finding regular
Employment at the latter place, and thther accord
ngly the family migrated. The next few years
we're melancholy ones in The childrcn's lives The
epression under which their parents labored COM
lunicated itself 10 them, and the damp muggy
Innate OF the great city on the river weighed on
heir spirits after the clear air and bright sunshine
Nlsmes. Little AlphOnse took strong religious
urn, and the two boys talked of nothing but the
OF the saints, of their notifications and their
irtues and passed hours before the illustrated
OOks, the medals the cruciXes, and other objets
e piete" displayed in the windows OF the shops
evOted tO this branch of business. AlphOnse alb
lred Ernest TO become monk, and Ernest was
ute ready to | stem to him. Perhaps 1t was moth
lg but their awkwardness which saved them from
IAIng up the religious life in good earnest and
assiug through the seminary to the priesthood.
hey had entered a church school, where in return
Dr their service rs choir boys, they were allowed 10
ttend the Greek and Latin CLASSES for nothing
mi Ernest COuld never learn to sing the right chant
the right place, and Alphonse, who was a little
GLOW, had terrible tall day on the Very steps
the altar as he was bringing round the heavy
bio of the Gospels, and broke the desk 10 atoms
he mlss WIS inlerImplel. and the scnnlnI ~