The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-08-18
ALEXANpRR DUMAS Ar HOME.

ALEXANDRA DUMAS Ar HOME,
How 10 Lives una What HO Does ut Marty.
'Le'ROi-HiS Deep Interest In Science.
The most prominent citizen Of Marty
le-Roi, where President Garnet, Of
France, has been staying this summer,
is Alexandra Dumas. The author, in
fact, was among those who welcomed
the head OF the great republic to the
quiet village, According to writer in
La Revue INuSiree, Dumas leads an ideal
life in his lovely home, and has no cause
to regret the distance OF the capital,
"Alexandre Dumas ills, says the journal,
gets up at o'clock in the morning,
winter as well as summer, takes long
walk, and returns to attend to his mail.
Neither cold nor bad weather prevents
him from carrying out this plan. lie
sleeps the year round with the windows
and doors Of the room adjoining his
6ed.chamber open. His meals are ex-
Ceedingly frugal for man so active,
He never drinks liquor, seldom touches
wine and never smokes, At 10 o'clock
at night he Is in bed. In the preface TO
the Dame aux Camelias, written in
1867, Dumas describes his own rules OF
life, both physical and moral, in the
form of advice to his readers. The pas
sage characterizes the nun so perfectly
that it is worthy OF repetition in part
here;
"Walk two hours day; sleep seven
hours every night; go TO he'd when you
feel tho need Of sleep; get up when you
awaken; work when you get up. Do
not eat except when you are hungry;
do not drink except when you are
thirsty, and always slowly. Do not
speak except when ii 10 necessary, and
do not say but the half OF what you
think; write nothing that you could not
sign, do nothing that you could not
tell.
"'Do not forget that others depend
upon you, and that you should not do.
pend upon them. Do not estimate
money ut more or less than it is worth ;
it is q good servant, a bad master,
Think OF death every morning on see-
ing the light, and every night when the
darkness returns. When you suffer
much. look grief in the face; she will
condole you and tell you something.
Force yourself to be simple, to be use.
ful, to remain free; and before denying
God, be sure that it is proved to you
that He does not exist.'
"Thing Of death every morning. etc.
1t Is perhaps with these words that
mono can explain the tendency OF Du-
mas to isolate himsolf-a tendency that
is certain.
Recently only scientific questions
seem to attract tho attention OF the lit.
erary philosopher. you see, he said
ono day, in reality, science alone is
eternal. Literary works very rarely
survive their author; and aSsuredly the
greatest artistic work is far from having
80 great an effect or influence Us the
least scientific discovery
"Pasteur and Berthelot excite especi-
ally his admiration. His table and the
shelves OF his library are filled with
scientific reviews and books ON science
His works OF art are almost the only
distraction at Marty. Despite the mum.
orous sales which no has conducted, or
rather because OF them, the collection
is valuable. Ii the number Of works is
less, the value OF those remaining is
greater because OF the sorting.
SIN room on the ground floor con-
tanning the bust OF Dumas, the father,
by Chapu, subject for artistic admi-
ration aud the object Of filial admira-
ton, is superb billiard table, on
which Dumas plays for hours with his
grandson, eleven years old.
!. "Yisitors seldom, very seldom, go to
Marty. Literary men there are in the
minors. Zone cannot always talk
shop.) There the qualities Of the heart
and spirit are priced, and little interest
is taken in the literary aud political
opinions OF the people. The following
anecdote will show the position of Du.
mas on these points:
Brightly or wrongly, among certain
classes Dumas is supposed to have
rather old.iashioned political opinions.
At the time OF tho commune a person
very well known in the Parisian world
called on Dumas and begged him to aid
in tho escape OF u famous communist by
procuring false passport for him. A
iaise passport, that wns too much. Tho
author, however, curiously and ingeni.
ously proposed to accompany the man
to NJ. Theirs and induce the President
10 lend them his aid. The surprise Of
NJ. Theirs may be imagined when 70.
coiving such an application. But
Dumas was so eloquent that the request
was granted.
"Vory we'll; so be it, said the presi.
dent. lie shall be allowed to escape.
And, since wo are discussing the sub
iect, have you any others whom you
wish to see escape also?
mo came Dumas reply, there IS
no other.
I"Montion him; don't DO backward
"With the assurances OF Dumas on
this point the audience came to an
end. The communist, armed with
genuine passport, easily crossed the
frontier.
"Be what may, this anecdotc helps to
show the largeness OF spirit and conse.
quontly tho goodness OF Alexander
Dumas heart. How could a man OF
this breadth OF character DO accessible
TO tho low, narrow sentiments which
tradition has attributed to him"
-4o-
WAGON COMPANY FAILS.
Tt,o Mic Stnndnrd ConcCrn In Cincinnati