New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-16
ANDERSEN.
-. NAN WITH A CHILD's VANITY.

Sc.
.. ss,,r pet theory Of the late Dr. Jowett
oaucation In the future would be through
.n'b IL would he interesting to know what
.,.r,s- lesson he would extract from the story
~. Andersen's lfe. Certainly even his pene
u .,., mind would fail to detect anything more
-,scant than the fact that authors are prone
-,,.,udrc the bent OF their genius. and to per-
% their own detriment and annoyance, with
,,,ro Philistine tenacity, In trying to be some
thev arc not, even TO the end Of the chap
r, this edifying deduction might be added
Yer, THAT in rare cases where the author was par
.,.r,v clever. and was provided with sufficient
D,r ne might be led. through the adulation of
,-.ss and other great ones Of the earth into
,slef that the qualities which he in his ideal
" ..ckoned defects were really virtues. and
'" become, as did Andersen classic In his
W" usetn,e. IN spite Of his best endeavors TO the
contrary ,,-
s,.h IS as we have defined It, and as MT Balm
-. ,ndrectly sought 20 show. the fundamental
,ox Of Andersen's career. This poet of child
-, cherished during his entire life an inordi-
"a fondness for the theatre. and died convinced
A.. M, for the professional jealousy of his coun-
.-,.,,sn he would have been proclaimed the great
-, PLAYWRIGHT Of his day. But for all his per
,,aI confidence his dramatic ventures were out
o,r things carelessy constructed and conceived
:, a vein absolutely foreign either to his sur
,,undings or temperament, although one OF MS
,,ovs The Mulatto." actually had run OF
.wertv-one nights at the Royal Theatre OF
ronanhacen. The spirit in which this play was
rri;ten was characteristic. Between 1888 ana 1859
Andersen had spent mis- time bomonrding the
doors T the theatre with the trashes' sort oi
saaptatons from the French, German ana ltal-
IAN Most Of his productions in this kind Were
,sudevncs. and as they appeared were ruin
psslv massacred by the critics. who 1t may IN
crest Mr. Howels TO learn. Were counted men
ri influence In the Danish capital in 1870 MOI
tAch made and unmade dramatic regulations
With the same decisive authority that Franclsqne
ssr,ev does. or did until quite recently. in Paris
and Molbech laid the lash on Andersens "hac'
work" with the vigor il deserved.
However, Andersen. then. as always given 10
.vnlaining effects by any but the right or OBVIOUS
.,uses promptly discovered that he was the VIC
,lr, NJ a plot whose handspring was. as usual
,ealousy. and was spurred 10 new endeaVors Il
volhech crushed his plays. he would III MS tufn
,r,sh Nolbech and 10 this end he invented the
%, ~ The MuIatto" lie had made hit
abort time before with his exotic romance Inc
Imnroyisatore." and arguing doubtless, that the
Id
nr9xirrltv Of IT'S plot TO his native country. went
70 The West Indies for his characters and scenery
.rbs~e Is not" he exciaims. "a trace Of Ander-
.sn about IT. and the hero will be portrayed with
, for, energy which more than makes up Tor the
uo,as Aabhinees of the heroes of my best nov
.,s " The man who. a. one Of his friends mas re-
,,,4.d ~ him conceived God as benevolent old
man with q long beard Gust as he was depicted
e. ola DR. Iuther's Catechisn). who sat up IN the
.,;os and snent his time chiefly in managing the
affairs NJ Hans Christian Andersen and VINO
,oul5 write 10 a friend apropos Of forthcoming
hooL an which he was then engaged, III the
lord will take as good care Of the remainder d.
he has Of the first chapters, you Will ike Il -
sucb a man naturally the hand or the Al
mighty guiding his pen in the composition OF the
tremendous drama which was 10 seal MoIoech
Inns for evermOre. lie read a whole library VI
hooks about America and Africa TO get up the
prurer amount Of local color. and lived IN ieNei
>. delightful anticipation. Yet how much nearer
oil his studies brought him 10 the actuahty Is
sn,s-eut from MIR. Bains statement that ne Jupi-
iartlv informed his friends that he was no"
mite Al home among nigsers and ostrlches' anu
drearot every night Of Shiny anacondas Wrlss'I"s
IN the rank grass. and or transparent SKIES i"
=. ,,s,eors" Allowance must of course, be made
for the romantic tastes Of the day; put even VIZ"
s,cb aflovances II must be conceded that Amer
gems fancy got the better OF MS locai c0ioi'
,icula-,v IS the action Of his drama was to take
place IN Martinique
TIL MAY was finally written and accepted,
,fter considerable delay. by the directorate u
the Poval Theatre. ir April. 1899 and in Deoeih-
-, - .shos~sals began Andersen assisted az
.ho e,al dress rehearsal and was delighted al
,bA way io which the actors played their parts
- ~ ,r,,,,o,,,v That night Ander-
49, o.as absolutely feverish with excitement ana
I'D ~, siecn wink He was haunted, besides
=, .ho o-,-,-ahension that the old King Woud uis
,ae,rA ~ niece was fairly launched. for his
Majesty had long been ailing. and the latest re-
-. ,,es that a change for the worse might De
sv,oc.ed II e1v moment. However he was up
scs.o AZ dawn. although il was mid-wihter' al"
,os,aa nj his window watching the mechailcs
carving the palm trees. the mulattos Oeu anu
The hooths for the slave-market scene INTO inc
theatre until late In the day. Inc peOpAe' - Wv
peonle as Andersen saw them, were 'sos WIZ,
expectation-and at that very moment nv 0'N
King died and the premiere was pos'Poi'N to'
month The old King" says MT BAN "'N
been en- beloved that his death was iooNeu uP'"
as a bubble calamity In his bitter ara
rent however, Andersen forgot FOR the NOM,
TIA, Frederick VI had been his beneiao'oi az .
,,a o,,,os+ took II as a personal grievance 'ha'
\. s,o,,d have died at such inopportune mo-
r.r," When THE MulattO" was at Iength p'o-
tuced r. achieved a temporary success WHICH, do
Andersen might have easily OWNED had ne poS-
s..vad the rudiments of critical sense was uue
bu, In small part to his OWE share IN inc u''uei-
taking but primarily to the admiraOie "o'''' .
and he gorgeous stage setting Ho"e'ei' -
brougbt him what he had long been seeking
saulatlon. especially from the new King Cni'.-
tan VIII i brought him what was sun more ~
bis liking a place in the Court sta1s Ds .no',
oehlenschsger and Thorwaldsen' for 1t naa org'l
Sc ,hor, IN his eash that through lack OF pun
lie recognition he he'd been denied seat Dy ms
roo-s o,s,,rg,ished countrymen. He made no ar
gdse Of his plque on this score ana as was ~