Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-10-29
"BAB" ON THE FRENCH DRAMA.
A Graphic Pen Picture of Sardou's
Thermidor."


new York, Oct. 2S.-There is but one
eramatist. living, and great is his glory,
uven IN his own country-and his name is
tsrdou. He knows how to take the miscr-
hbie puppets, that we call men and women,
she men and women of to-day and make
Them move to the tune Of majestic music,
- did men and women when they marched
1rnyely TO death rather than deny their
Aing and their God. He knows how to
snake the hearts of an audience beat until
thcy w0fld have done Just such great
ueedsf themselves, and he knows how to
snrrfre his people so that they utter words
Eat are not soon forgotten. OF course,
f1thls is apropos of the great French pley
Mat was brought out last week--the long
tooked-for 'Thermidor"
1t is a marvellous play this "Thermi-
Sor," and the story is such 4 pitiful one.
Just imagine It'll There is young girl
who is bctrothed before the awful DAYS
bad come when Marie Antoinette bowed
her head under that cruel knife, and, in
Sll the confusion and excitement of war
her parents dead, her betrothed far off, she
Knew not where, this child sought refuge
with some nuns who were in hiding
However, it was necessary for her to 70
out into the world and earn her living, not
only because they needed bread, bat so
they might not be suspected of being aris-
tocrats and Italians. One day, when she
was, pursued by u party Of Infatuated
washerwomen, who claimed that She was
All aristocrat she falls into the arms of
her betrotheu, who has been searching all
Paris for her. Full of joy at seeing him,
made happier by his determination to save
her, she goes with him and his good friend,
who Is in this case an actor, to the house
OF some actors where it is certain that She
can be hidden for at least little while.
Can you imagine her joy at meeting her
betrothed? Can you imagine the sweet.
pure, innocent love that her eyes tell us
she looks at him? This is there, but, to
his horror, he finds something lacking;
she does not return his kiss; She draws
away when he touches her, and at last lie
induces her to tell him what she is hiding
from, and the reason of her curious
behavior.
1t is this To make her security greater
she has while with the nuns, and beliey-
ang him dead, taken the VOWS of chastity,
and the lifelong devotion to religion.
THERE SHE STANDS, YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL,
and havingt to choose between two great de-
sires, her love and her church. Shall the
nun triumph over the woman The most
beautiful words of love are used to per-
suade her that, as this vow was taken in
Ignorance, it is not binding. For n long
time the nun was triumphant but sud
denly the woman threw herself into the
arms OF her betrothed, and again it seemed
as Ii love ruled the world. Away goes the
happy man to get the orders permitting
Them TO leave Paris, and while he is gone
her kind hostess lends her q dress to wear,
SO that she may not be recognized. Snd-
denly the bells begin to ring, the mob be-
gins to scream, and above il all rings out
as one voice, the mass being sung BY the
Sisters, who have been captured and are
led to execution. You hear the wells and
howls OF these Infatuated men and women,
and then you hear the sweet, clear tones
ct the ,women. who, having lived well, can
die well. Fabienne cannot withstand this;
she makes rush for the window throws
back the shutters. displaying herself to
the populace, and within very few
minutes she is arrested. Later on her
lover tries to get her out of prison by
inducing his friend to change the death
warrants, and this is probably the
strongest scene in the play; as paper after
paper is read out, it is dropped, because
who will dare kill women who are widows
with children, and who can dare to send
TO face her God q woman whose life has
been all sin? Nobody can take her place,
but the fertile brain OF the actor has
thought of an expedient. Even the guillo.
tine respects the mother who is about ia
bear babe, and lets her pass by unframed
The actor writes paper and asks that
Fabienne shall sign it; she will not do it
until she reads it, and when she has read
II she tears It into, pieces, declaring she will
die before she will permit her purity to be
sullied. Then her lover, driven to desper
alton, calls out to the mob, as If he were
jeering at her. that she is not telling the
truth; that she is denying her future
maternity becai sc she docs not wish to let
the women around her make a laughing
stock OF her but Fabienne standing uuitC
alone, calls on her God to witness her per.
feet purity, and her desire to die to prove
It. An awful silence follows this, ever
the rough mob bowling as she passes by
them on her way to her death. Her love-
lsfrgI.a 60. H.. L.
soldiers who surround her, but he Gle.
pressing to his lips a little religion,
blood.
OF all the plays that Sardou has written
TINS is the strongest. The people are real
the surroundings are absolutely true to tia
time, and every detail is carried out to per
lection. One scene shows a room III hi,
Iuilleries, where the beautiful Queen hat
danced and sung when lovely women an,
gallant men We're about her. The wall
still showed their elaborate decoration o.
roses and lilies and plump cherubs, Will,
against them We're built common hin,
shelves. upon which restcd--what ?-duatl
warrants my friend The play is a stor,
that delights ones eye; that makes one re-
member people who suffered and lived an,
died in those dreadful days, and vet it 4
one as perfectly and as clearly nut tol.ethe
as those screens that the Japanese artisan
work over, and which consist of Small
Rs0cts of wood, each carefullv fitted in
until the perfect piece is obtained and no
o nail has been used to mar the surface
The play, besides teaching tx all bit o
French history, shows us how, when
woman has to choose between
HER Gop AND HER LOVE
she seldom hesitates, 1t is q good nay {,
see, well constructed and Full oi tha
something that we cali heart because ther
are So. many emotions that we have II,
name for
n 6,y the by, when this play was produce,
7 IN Lyons, an actor was repeating his lines
lines that denounced Robespcr'e when
man got up in the audience andcaiedout
My friend, you oushtut "a insult tina
good man; he was the hrst one Ia 1ii,.h
You men, This was quite true, l;ahei
pierre having been the first one 10 lAAk
the actors citizens.
BLACK ALI THE RAGE.
You would thinS to look at Il that nj
New York was in mourning; That is ia say
il you looked at its frocsg Fheye IL i
sudden fad for Black, and espclialiv f.
black cloth aud camel s.hair Ii Is ber0n
ing, makes the figure look more slender
brings on the round line uf the hip4 tia
Henner delights ia painting, and give
pleasure because IL is quiet and retnca
looking 20 the average man. Men do ~
hkeloud things; they do not like The frs
hat of the season to be worn bpa wona
who is with them. They don't Ike 10 cs
plot the latest special color US walking b.
heir side, ana they would much rattle
that she had on pretty, well-iitiug Lluc
trock ana coquettish little bonnpl, tina
all the bright c0lors that ever einanalc
from the rainbow. The average ina
hasn't half the courage of the averae