Evening star., 1895-01-12

have seen q dozen Of their genus come and
go In Just as many years; and OF their
hordes there are packs not yet known.
Whero do all these squabbling, sobbing
and hair-pulling poets of the gay French
capital come from? / have said that 1t Is
easier to read about them than to get to
see them; though it is easier to get to see
the great majority than find their poems in
the shops. where the booksellers regularly
have never heard of them. Each year
some young man who appeared to be like
all the others shoots up into fame or no
toriety, as Catulle Mendes and Jean Richie
pin shot up years ago, true poets. But the
great majority content themselves with
book and absinthe and appearing in Re-
views. Here the true secret lies of their
fertility and barrenness at once, the habit
of establishing Reviews.
How They Get Into Print.
The French are, above all other peoples,
lovers of literature for its own sake. 1t is
one of the happinesses OF their language
that 1t is at once so narrow and so cultl-
waited that common and uneducated people
speak well. write we'll; that Is to say, they
cannot help It, And 80 they cannot help
but feel the charm of style. The average
French youth cannot help but have taste
for literature. And his beginning Is. as 1t
must always be, In poetry. which Is easier
to write than prose.
Inc next tnlnS IS TO get MS verses pup
lished. The regulation way Is for half a
dozen of his kind to put their cash together
and bring out a new Review, which never
pays. But each can see himself In print.
The avowed object Of these Reviews OF
"the young" is to reform literature. The
little leaflets appear and disappear, beneath
the arcades of the Odeon Theater, where the
book stalls are.
The poets of each Review adopt a name.
They recruit their ranks. They hire q hall
in the Boulevard quarter, where they de-
claim or sing their works, or they inaugu-
rate new artistic tavern, selling beer
at a good price and giving recitations of
their poems free. OF all these the Chat
Noir' was the most celebrated; and 1t still
exists. These poets wear tall hats of pc
culiar shape, with broad, straight brims, or
felt hats, depending on the nature OF their
poetry. They wear long hair.
They Are So Young.
AS soon as ever group becomes noto-
rIous the papers take them up-the daily
papers. Then real poet is found among
them. In default of this they attach them
selves to some celebrity already known
And so you have the succession Of
schools which attract the amazed atten-
ton of the world. The late lamented Renan
summed them up as "Ce sont des enfants
qui Sc sucant lie pouce." Crhey are children,
sucking their thumbs). But all of them are
nice. good-natured fellows, who in any
would be looked on with reverence.
1 have for an acquaintance one of these
young poets, and meet him weekly. He
recites his poems-weekly. But We like 1t.
There is charming American family In
Paris. with two of the prettiest daughters!
two girls so pretty that you feel like wav-
ing the American flag each time you see
them. They are both devoted to the
a German friend of theirs has pictur-
esquely put 1t in his struggling English.
they are indeed "highly distinguished
dabs." Their music brought to their salon
a young composer. The composer brought
the poet. What was the JOY of that art
loving family when 1t was made known
that the composer of music and the poet
were working in collaboration on a Lyric
comedy" but of a special type, whose like
has never yet been known. 1t Is under
stood that this poet Is not at all de
cadent." He Is poet of psychological
analysis. But he Is not tainted with 1b-
Lyric comedy is to move upon the stage
with triple unity.
Spoken words are to be accompanied by
the singing voice. and both are fixed to in
of great orchestra Both composer and
poet smile at the affectation of those sym
bolists'' who sought to find a tive-fold
unity, of words pronounced words sung,
the orchestra. and colored lights and per-
fumes SQuirted at the audience, all going
on together like a circus with five rings.
The triple unity of singing. speech and or
chestration is sufficient for them. They
are so young. you wonder how they do it,
The poet Is but twenty-four and the COM
poser is but twenty-three But there the
fact is-they have done 1t. / have heard
the lyric comedy dozen times-at the
piano, understand-for 1t has never been
produced yet In public.
School of Symbolism.
My friend Is not 'symbolist." although
a suspicion of symbolism might attach
itself to his three-fold unity, when 1t is
looked at by mere careless. thoughtless
people. The dramatic portion of his COM