Delaware gazette and state journal., 1895-12-19
BpscIai cerrespdenonce Of Gazette and journal

Husband and Wife the climax oil Play.
Bpsciai csrespdenonce OF Gazette and journal
New York, Dec. 10. There is an
other black bordered card to be pasted
upon it the name of one of the greatest
writers of the day, but, better still. it
bears upon it these words: 'L'ami DIES |
femmesn-the friend OF womep-Alex-
andre Dumas A great man. great
writer. great reader of the human
heart,a great reader, that mos difficult
of all things, of the heart of woman.
And more than that. student, and
aSsuccesaful one, of the heart, brain
and body of women, for he well knew
the effect that the one had on the
other. He pictured woman as she is,
but always he was pitiful to her
Always he forgave, and always he
recognized that, when she committed
the sin which women look upon as the
sin of all sins, it was because she
loved too much, and he maintained
that, first Of all, the man should be
the one to forgive her. Every one of
his plays teaches that. Always there
is the friend who looks at things
clearly, and who says, in some way or
other, Forgive, my friend, forgive
this woman. Pardon is an attribute
of God; try to reach close to God.
DUMAS STRANGE LIFE.
And yet, if there ever was a strange
story, il was that OF Alexandre Dumas.
Until he was grown man he had no
name except that which had been given
TO him in baptism, for he was one
among the thousands Of children who
cannot say My mother" without
blushing The daycame when his father
recognized him and was proud Of him
was generous to him and assisted him
but always there hung over him this
dark cloud that enveloped him from
his birth. And even before his birth
De you believe in heredity? 1t seems
to me that, if you think. you must.
Years ago, in Paris, there was
young man, ambitious, imaginative,
magnificently strong physically, and
poor All hIs days were spent In the
'rsublic libraries, studying out the his
tories Of France finding out each little
tltory connected with the kings and
Elueens, and building romance about
Ut. Full of life, he soon spent the
lsmal amount of money he had. Oc-
lcasionally few francs were earned by
la story, or an essay sold to one OF the
Journals Of the day. This young man
igrew poorer and poorer. The pub
phers laughed at his novels and refused
VAN read them. The day came when
re was nothing left. Before him
seemed only starvation. That he
u not submit to. All of one long
he worked in the library, and
| home only because he knew there
IA Y a pistol there. Such a home! A
ret room at the top of miserable
"A use, tenanted by poor writer's like
"a ,mself. thieves and wretched women.
He entered his room. found a match,
THE last one struck ii to light the bit
Iof candle that was to show him how
ito aim correctly. The match went out.
III was fate. He laughed long and loudly.
just then he heard voice in the hall,
for he had not thought tc close his
door,
I "a woMAN's VOICE IT WAS THAT SPOKE.
She said: my neighbor, do you
wish light? Take one from my
CANDLE" little seamstress, trim
grisette, stood before him and pleased
his eyes He chatted with her he
found he could laugh, and laugh raer-
fily. He WAS still young. She followed |
him into his ROOM The door was
closed. Alexandra Dumas, pere, never
forgot that night, when all the world |
was reading the "Three Mousque-
taires, but can you blame Alexandra |
dumas, fls, for having in his nature |
much that was darK, since his father |
was thinking of killing himself and |
his mother was unhappy and half |
N starvedY
But always this child of a great |
author and poor seamstress plead for |
Z women; always his pity went out to |
hose little children against whom the |
gorld's hand is raised before they are
born; and surely no better words can |
he put upon the tombstone of Alexan- |
DIRE Dumas than those which formed |
the title OF great play" L'ami des |
IFemmes. "
1t seems strange that while we are |
all thinking and talking of this great |
writer his plays should be put upon the |
stage and the leading parts played by |
woman whose rendition of them would |
have pleased their creator. Can more |
than that be said? She is an interest
ting woman, almost as much of girl as
WAS Juliet and yet with Juliet's ability |
to read the human heart
LOVELY ENGLISH WOMAN.
You know who mean Olga Neither |
sole, She comes to us from England, |
and when you look at her, when you
ItdT utI SIItdh, anu bOIltB one SdyB |
English" you smile in lsdain. |
Then there is hint of the Spanish |
blood, but your smile comes Just the |
same Once, years ago, visited IN |
the North, and with the early spring |
time went out to look for arbutus. |
One in our search party came to me, |
awe-stricken, and held in his hand |
what was strange to him in this cold |
country, but which | knew as the
bloom of the South-the passion
flower How did it come there? Who |
can say? BY chance ON the wings Of |
Heaven, brought by balmy wind. |
That is Olga Nethersole.
& She is the best type of French |
woman, and she comes from England |
The voice is soft and sweet. without |
any accent. The eyes are pitiful. They |
look up to you and ask for your love and |
sympathy, and never word is spoken. |
They are wonderful eyes, pure eyes; |
eyes that tell their own story of good |
ness and of seeing goodness in other
people, which is SO much better than |
announcing one's own virtue. But |
''the PLAYS the thing" Last night it |
was ''Camille =" Before that it was
"Frou-F Frou," and before that it was |
"Dense. :" Such wonderful women I! |
And each SO unlike the other l say |
to this q zen of the world, for Eng
land G no more claim Olga Neither |
sole than can France or America, "How |
do you feel when you play part? Are |
you "Denise?"
There was no hesitancy-th the answer