The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-30

ms style and methods brought down unor
nm, Tor many years, the bitter. caustic 70.
proofs and even revilings of certain critics
Miidest among these was the CHARGE that
ne was sacrificing his art and styIe IN suit
the indifferent. ignorant tastes of n second
OF tnird rate public. Still, the young man
imperyious to all attacks, wrote on usiny
"hen ne deigned to make answer the most
material argument of his success. .sThe
pieces you criticise so adversely. - he would
say, have many of them enjoved 100
or even LOO representations and the nublic
nave appiauded theml'' One criticism of
ms work is perhaps worth, in a condensed
form, repetition. 1t was from the clever
pen OF nj. Florentino. and appeared in the
Constitutional during 1860. "Iet us state
the case definitely and once for all It
SAID. Ten well-written lines, clothing in
worthy form some true and real idea-no
matter what the subject-constitute a
more important, a more useful. and a
more difficult production, than 100
pieces of the blood and thunder
style, even though the latter be
played 200 times successfully and bring
to their author an income of 100. 600 franc.
yearl Themselves We respect, be it un-
derstood, it is their work only which we
discuss; but when we see certain authors
so vain-glorious in their success. so dis.
dainful of the aims and efforts of Others.
when we hear them accuse these of envy
or inability. we feel justified in making
answer: Your machines have nothing
In common with literature: call YOUR
selves, if you will, makers of PLAYS. stage
carpenters, upholsterers and masons of
melodrama and mimodrama-it is an in
dustry like any other, and in no way Illicit
or subservine-but do not call Yourselves
men of letters; you are not, nor will you
ever be y"
Monsieur d'Ennery," said another.
speaking still more severely, seldom, if
ever, works al lone on his own undivided
responsibility. As a rule he can be
hkened to mason mixing his mortar
with that of the fellow-laborer next him,
nor above borrowing the latter's trowel
should he have need of it. This fellow
workman, himself an honest fellow, today
Is called Victor Hugo, tomorrow Balzac;
another time jules Janin or Eugene Sue,
while, on occasions, the services of some
foreigner, a Richardson or a Beecher-
Stowe are borrowed" In 1s47 Theophile
Gautier wrote of him: an. d'Ennery is
an expert in the art of appropriating
others goods-witness the "Don Caesar de
Bazan" and the "Gastibelza," taken from
NJ. Hugo. And yet he is a robber of good
taste and determinations. nor, to his
credit be 1t said, does he ever rifle any but
well furnished pockets"
Despite all such attacks, well-founded or
the reverse, d'Ennery has been successful
beyond all comparison. If it be true that
his achievements have been those of a me-
chanlc only. he has perfected his skill I'M
til 1t has become worthy of the title of art.
Not only did success come to him at an
early date, but fortune also, and the first
use that he made of the wealth he so
easily acquired was worthy of the man.
he at once contributed largely towards
the reorganization of the Soclete Thermae
de Cabourg-Dines, society principally
composed of the capitalists Of literature
and the theater, of those men of letters
and true artists whose character and
worth can only be expressed by the French
designation of fdiseurs. 1t was by such
men as this that young d'Ennery was ap-
pointed hrst general secretary. and later
managing director of their little common
wealth. In December, 1s49 the decoration
of the Legion of Honor was conferred
upon him, and ten years later he was Gre
ated an officer of that order In Novem-
Der of the year 1850 d'Ennery was ap-
pointed by the government director of the
Theater- Historique. but, for some reason
which has never been clearly ex-
planned, his tenure of the post was
short, as at the end of fifteen DAYS
he suddenly resigned it. In the latter
part of 1885 he entered with his customary
enthusiasm into the one scheme of his life,