New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-30

| 1t was at this time that General Hugo was per
| suaded to rclinQuish his cherished purpose OIL man
ing soldiers of his sons, and Victor leit schoo io'
ever and entered definitely upon his literary o"'oi
| With his brothers he started a perion'c"i '"0
| Conserrateur Litterdire: and presently began 10
| publish divers lyrical pieces in pamphie' lui
pieces which have become rarest of the rare nen
| ne refused 70 enter the military profession MS
| fothcr withdraw his allowance; in 1871 Madame
! Uugo died. and now the youth became soieIy ne
| nendent on his own exertionS. lie went through
| the most grevous struggles oil povcrty-ah orucai
snch "a he has described in the early years oil MS
. Moriosn For n whole year he lived OH 700 francs
| the proceeds of his pamphlets and the articles IN
| the ConsGrateur Then acting on his brothers
| advice he collected and published his Odes et
| Ballades"
| He conceived that by placing the movement OF
the verses rather in the ideas than in the dctoh ny
having one fundamental subject as the OASIS vi az
and by substituting for the staid Old coiors OF tiic
heather mythology the newer tints Oh F h
| the ode might be invested with something OF Ora
| matte interest and so he constructed 10 ntIe1 IAN
| guage that though It might be stern snouiu Se'
| Heye, then. was the first declaration of war
against The style of poetry designated the cisscal
the prelude OF nuinberess battles; au ii1 t
| that day forward we may recoenZc 1ho so!l VI
| ward which the poet advances with steady reau'
| resolved to rear flag of liberty for art
The first edition of the Odes having prouSht IN
| n nroit of 700 francs second edition Immediately
| SoIIowcd and. as ait never rains but # pours,"
| Louis XVIII conceived the idea of allowing tne
poet "A pension of 900 francs from his priVy pnlsc.
! The pension came at timely hour; tosetnGI WIN
| his improved resources. it enabled victor hugo TO
pIoce from the house of ~ Foucher the brides
father. who still resided III the hotel ol tho w a.
| Once There 1t was that hospitality was llrst pro
vided for the young couple whose nliieu HeeS
were under two score and who started III HE WITH
| ont a d,wrv The bridegroom, whose entire tor-
| tune consisted of 500 francs. had pTeSenleu us
| bride with wedding dress OF fTench cashmere
| The cashmere had been purchased from the pro
! cceds of the Odes ct Balades W!
Now began for the poet a new life of opinion as
| well "a of anectlvn Romances. lyrics and dramas
| followed each other from his pen i'll quick success
SION: and in 1876. in preface to new edition Oh
| the Codes" he avowed his principles OF liberty IN
| the world of literature. lie made formal declara-
t,on of the birth of Roman tlcsm and III response 10
| his prudent and moderate statements arose yelis oil
wrath from the partsans of the respectable classical
school. In proportion as their productions were
| feeble and inspd, their scOrn OF wit ana en-
| thusiasm was great: and as they saw the How OF
| vital and original genius that came to annlhlIate
the natness OF their literature they struggled
| with the desperation of the dying. II the ro-
| nantes had been thieves murdercfs and monsters
| of crime they could not have boon exposed to
sevcrer obiurgations. With 'the completion OF
| Marion DelOrme" came llugos first disseminating
| experience with the much revcrencci throne. Inc
censors opposed the representation of the play at
| the Coincide Franchise on the grounds that III the
| fourth act Louis XIII. represented as rdcu-
louslv weak prince as cruel rs lie superstitous
| and that they considered such n character might
| provoke public maevolence and lead to dispar-
| agemcnt of his Majesty Charles Y. The King made
an effort to be gracious; he apologzed Tor what ne
was dong and proposed to raise llugos pension
| The poet promptly refused the o1er-a refusal
| which was as loudly condemned by the classics as
| il was applauded by the romantics On the l|th OF
! September, 1929, the indignant Hugo began his
| Hermann" and on the 1st of October the com
pleted Ms. was in the hands of the company OF the
| Theatre Francois Amid many interierences from
the censors, insults from the Academicians and in
sciences on the part of Mile. Mars. who found Dona
Sol being very unlike the heroines of the classical
dramas the rehearsals went on. and in February
| the play was produced. All the ardent young
writer's of the day rushed to TIE support of their
chief on the important evening Tbeophile Gautier'
| in his memorable red walstcoat. at the head.
| Gautier was then but nineteen years of age; but
| having made up his mind to be champion and a
warrior in the cause he concluded that 1t wOnld be
ont of character for him to appear in the ordinary
costume of a citizen, and felt that 1t behooved hn
| to adopt special uniform. For some time he
had visions of fancIfu dOublets and leu lal amor
but at last decided upon wearing red waistcoat
lie declared that he had special prediction for
ored bv political strife, but the type OF blood and
| lite and heat : a hue that blends with eqnal perfect
ness with marble or with gold, and winch he de-
plored as having vanished 50 entirely from modern
! life and modern art. He diSccrned as he thought
| a fitting occasion whereof red might he brought
from Oblivion, and rclnstated IN an honor that II
! should hencetOrth yer lose
| Having thus made up his mind about the dress he
should wear. he sent for Gaulos, his tan or
| Gaulois made good many objections; 1t seemed TO
him a proceeding out OF an reason loT Il Waste
not only to be red. but that 1t should be made to
button behind. One by one the tailors objections
were overrnled: tiautlcr first gave him "A pattern
which be had himself cut out of a piece OF gray
| cloth and although he was looked upon as little
short Of ravIng mad when he selected some scarlet
satin for the material he held to his order firmly
that resistance useless and the waistcoat was
| made. So >.
| In his " Legende du Giet Rouge Gautler himself
Anyone who has the least acquaintance with
| French character will own that to present one :
| self with hair as long as Albert Dnrers, and a
| waistcOat as red an AndauSlan bull-hghters, IN
place of amusement where all Iarls IS asseihui
REQUIRES a sort oil courage very different from that
which inspires a man TO storm IA Ie oubt that is
| brIstlng with cannon Never haS there Dc"n war
but there has ALWAYS been the heroic band. the for
lorn hone volunteering TO accomplish the daring
deed but hitherto there has been found only soil
tary Fn,nchman ventnrng to Haunt upon ms breast
piece OF stun oil so rare so daAIhs 30 aggressive
And now we must wear it bravely: no good for
us to try tear it oil it must cling to us like the
coat of Ncssus. 1t is the haucnation of the hour
gcoisie that they never can sec us without 1t we
NAV rut on garments of olive of chestnut, OF ochTe,
of London SCOT of pickle color, any other of the
neutral tns that a sober civilization may approve
but nevertheless shall never be recognized as
otherwise than wearing tho red waistcoat
" Precisely so also with the hair. Cut II as short
as we will WE shall always he presumed 10 he wear
lug it long: so that were TO present our
selves to the orchestra with our polls polished as
ivory or as smooth ana shiny as Ostrch-cggs, the
whole artillery of opera glasses would aSsuredly
reveal that perfect cascade OF Merovlngian locks
was falling around our shoulders
Many other of the " Hermann partSans appeared
in costume scarcely less eccentric.
throughout the performance, everything that
night served prcteXt for an uprnar and whtn,
at he end OF the first act, eInan uttered his cry Of