The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-28

FNTTFITIFA y TEE sTslIaFe y - III
icizns and friends had become convinced
that his case Nas hopeless and death only
n question % time. * was not expected
that the end would come so soon. a busie-
tin issued at s O'Clock stated that the
slight Improvement ia the condition OF the
patient which was manifested yesterday
was found 20 be maintained To-Day. soon
after this Dumas fell asleep and awoke at
60. He feebly uttered d few words 20
those about his bedside. and teD sank
back and died. President Faure and ex-
Empress Eugene have made frequent n
quiries regarding the condition OF the dis
finguished patient since his serious illness
was FIRST made known.
Alexander Dumas vas born in Paris,
July Is. 1924. lie vas the illegitinate
son OF Alexander Dumas. the novelist and
dramatIst. who died tn lsf9. In his boynood
the elder Dumas recognized his son and
gave him the legal right 70 bear his faith
ers name The younger Dumas was
brought up partly by his mother and
partly at a school kept by Gogbaux, one
of the authors OF Thirty Years. or 4
Gamblers Life" and Of other plays less
known 10 the American public. When
he left chool he mingled at once RI the
very mixed society which surrounded his
prodigaI father. At II he wrote a volume
OF poems, published in 1877 as "Peches lie
Jeunesse.' they are Of slight importance
He went with his father to Spain and
Africa, and on his return he began TO
write novels in imitation of his fathers;
they are OF almost as little Importance
as the early poems. He soon saw that
ne had not the inexhaustible imagination
which made his fathers success posi-
bic, and he gave up fantasy FOR fact. and
thereafter relied on his observation 10
furnish forth his netions. lie studied the
questionable life around him. and in 1873
published a novel called the Ii Dame
aux Camelias." partly founded on per-
sonal experience. II was the story. slight
~ embellished. Of a woman of the town,
Marie Duplessis, with whom he had been
ON intimate terms. and who had lately
died Of consumption. This story succeed
ed at once. and was followed by others.
This popularity OF Dame aux Camelias'
as a novel suggested its drarnatization,
and by a few days OF hard labor the au-
thor turned II into a play. only TO find
its performance forbidden by the censOrs.
When the Duke OF Morny came into pow
er under Napoleon III. In fS52, IL was act
ed at the Vaudeville theater, and was
instantly successful: after forty-thgee
years n sim holds its popularity, and Is
frequently seen on the French stage. IL
has been used as the basis OF the horetto
OF Verdrs ~''Traviata," and a deodor-
ICED English adaptation WAS prepared by
Miss Jean Davenport under the name of
Camille and In a modification OF this
a~nodyned adoption the late Matilda Her
non made her first great hit. since which
time the play has been a favorite with
American actresses. The Dame aux Ca
melias'' Is not n wholesome piece, and
its artistic quality is not OF the highest
order, but II is vigorous and affecting.
II was followed on the stage by another
hasty dramatization OF a novel, Diane
de Lys. tho Lady With tho Pearls" acted
at the Gymnase theater I'm 1853. Like the
a. WrAN 49, II -
at least the result OF a personal expe-
rience. fortunately not so fatal in life
as that which befell the hero OF the stage.
1t was not as strong a play as Camille"
and its attraction has not endured. Yet
by these two plays NJ. Dumas had made
money to pay off all the debts he had con-
tracted In the reckless life or his youth.
and so was enabled TO take time and
pains with his third piece. The Demi-
Monde acted two years later, In lSSA
This is a comedy OF manners I'm five acts.
and Is not only the best play OF its
author, but one OF the best French
comedies OF this century. 1t depicted a
stratum OF society which NJ. Dumas was
the first 10 discover. By the phrase DENT
monde he meant not the class Of courte-
sans. TO whom Il Is now generally applied,
but the class OF eXiles from society. The
half-world he discovered t. peopied not by
those who ave always been outcasts and
sinners. but by those that have fallen from
grace. II II for the most part an a~ssocla-
ton OF repudiated wives. who have adj
mitted 20 fellowship II few brevet widows
and wives by courtesy only. There IS a
distinct boundary line between these
women once ia society. but now fallen
from II while stin keeping mp n semhlance
OF its usages-there IS a sharp line between
these and the venal courtesaus VITO now
call themselves members or the deml-
monde. The play In which these people
-A~- st a aa NAA wHa-. q 80 ~F4.
gether pleasing. but Il - powerful and
brilliant beyond al question. Il IS now IN
the repertory OF the Coincide Franchise.
In 1851 NJ. Dumas brought ont tho Cues
ton d'Argent" In iSS the "FI,s Naturel.-
and IN 1879 the 'Pcre Prologue" three
serious comedies in which he studied social
questions. There is no denying the dis
tinct want of taste shown in his choice ~
such titles as the Natural Son" ana The
"prodigal Father" but n. Dumas was not
greatly gifted with good taste: and no FUR
Their evidence o. this deficiency could hc
asked than his next may. the Ami des
Pennies" acted n lisa the subject OF
witch Is singularlv indclicate. In Is6s he
brought out the "idees de Madame A1-
bray" an exceedingly clever plea for fhe
rehabilitation % the woman who has fallen
once ami throuEa ignorance. In ISL he
produced the "Etsjte DE NoceS." A psv-No-
Logical and physiologlc study ia one act-a
repulslve p'ay. and YET probably not un-
fF0e 20 manure. IN k1e same year De put
on the STAKE the "PrtncpSHe GEORGES "A
comedy drama in three acts. In these lat
ter plays q could be seen that the dra-
matist MAS slowly yielding place 10 The
theorlst. and that the comedy Was becaw-
ing a sermon. In the next play. tho
Femme lie Claude" this tendency WIS
even more marked. and. though greatly
talked about. the play f1i,ed 20 attract.
In TIE same year. however. he bro4Eat
oat Monsieur AlpbouSe.' one Of MS sine
picat and strongest plays. acted i'm Amer
"a with much success. Ia 1875 MS "Etraa-
Eere" MAS performed NJ the Theatre Fran
Gals fer many nights. and 81 1851 hs
"Pr.ncesse De EaEdad" was acted there for
= very few nights Besides these pieces
signed w3th NJ Dumas uams he has a
hand "a writing haif "a 3ozen others
Among them were the ~"S1pniee t'f-ae
Femme" CNSA. with Eu'i1a 81 q ~arf.n.
'Hclosse P~srauqutt NS90. with " Ar
uant plraHt.n. AMI the "naa5-heTs
CS,0. WttA u. Cove.u- lie has rex So
wtta success h's fathers "Je1uesse la
LOUIS IN" UHsN. and tsout su- ess
his fathers Joseph ralsamo CS->3
va tried oan p,av anonymously. trs
MAS The "Frlcul Sc Fomr rna- Tie
began 20 COLES: his p,ays .n,o a theatre
comp'et ip l>N pcrnxiuE 20 each peeo
a preface !u which re discussed esther
ire 6~za5e itselt o. the theories q, s.rr-
ses.ed. SN volumes % shss collected s5-
tson appeared Having begun - v~5te
critically ard GidarttcaNy Ga IlEsc n~reflcnz
~ Dumas Developed a great Conlaezs
for prvact ,oE. In IS2 he Published
II Hommc-Feuue a Discussion 81 the
Women Qlestsoo. tn ~ a plea Ter 5-
vorce ga }>>1. Les FeHawss Cas Tsert