The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-01
THE DUMAS FAMILY.
Alexander Learned Nelhing
Good From His Father.
HIS EARLY EFFORTS THE BEST.
How He Came 70 Write Ia Dame Aux
Camelias"-A Glance at His
Literary Workshop.

@AE %-a@-dLUl- U4 - SON hEUEE. TOO. y nan
the younger Alexander was ready 70 step
into life ne said 10 him: Go. nv son,
drink OF the cup of JOY 20 thy hearts con-
tent. and Re not afraid OF the future. Thou
dearest the name Of Dumas talssman-
and needest no savings. When. however.
thou art ready 10 marry. come 10 me-.
Thou Wilt receive 1900 francs down.
Thus admonished the son did as he was bid
den. but when one day the father was
asked to pay the deots OF his
son, Il was discovered tina he
himself had a minus OF so.0o
francs in his accounts. He had overdrawn
his own accounts. and was unable TO pay
the debts OF his son with his own. There
upon Alexander, the younger, was forced
TO hustle for himself. Then the same ener-
gy with which he had whilom plunged into
the vortex Of pleasure. he now plunged into
the ocean of labor. His first ambition was
TO pay off his debts-an enormous amount.
But reporter or assistant editor on the
Partisan papers-at a stipend OF > sous per
Lne-did not bring him in enough to even
live d~ecently for himself, let alone paying
his debts. 1t was at that j~uncture in his
Efe-tne turning point, as 70 were-that
young Dumas met Marie Duplessis and
fell in love With her. Her tragic fate soon
after inspired him TO his first great effort.
In a small hotel at st. German. invisible
and un3pproachabie for the rest Of the
-@@- ~ 1850 a~3 11 AAAAAC qua
Camelias'-without stopping. The first edi-
ton OF It he sold for the magnificent sum
of loo francs Cs9), II being stipulated
that for every new edition he was 10 get
another 90 francs $40. But after the sec
ond edition the publisher feared TO have
made too favorable a bargain, and posi-
lively refused to assume the risk OF a
third edition. Dumas was forced 10 take
his novel to another publisher CN.cheI
Levy, who paid him 10 louis GOO fvancs)
for il. The novel, then. had been anything
but a phenomenal success.
But young Dumas was far from discour-
aged. He went TO his papa and asked him
if it wouldn't be wise 10 try dramatic
treatment on his Camille The old man
shook his ambroSial curls at him and sad:
The drama. my boy, is something thol
dost not understand. Therefore don't try
it" The boy. however, did try II. wrote
his play and then read il 70 the author of
his being. The old man listened 10 II. and
then shed tears. He got up and pressed
his boy to his heart and promised him to
see 10 ii that the play should soon appear
on the boards of the Theater H~istorique.
Alas! At the decisive moment the manag-
er Of this theater became a bankrupt, and
Thalia had to leave the halls sacred 10 her.
hiding her diminished head. And now
young Dumas made the rounds of the
Paris theaters-the same pilgrimage which
has so. often been described by French au-
thors and which has broken so many of
their hearts-offerinS his play and getting
refusal after refusal. When he at last
found a d,rector-the one of the Naude-
~ville-oecause the ~latter's wife thought the
part would earn her fresh lauTels-there
was another failure, and the new manager
would not hear OF the play. The famous
actress. Nirginie DejaZet. il IS rue, took
great interest in the play and its author.
and she, too, wept from pure emotion at
a reading Of it. But she. understand,
couldn't play the part of a moribund wou-
an; il wasn't il her line. and poor Ca
mile had to continue her search for an
asylum. At last. too. the government got
hold OF the play. read Il, and then issued
a mandate forbiddsng its production. The
government. be IL said, had discovered 4
"garhey'' favor in the piece, an element
of disorder and Of cnmity Ia the eSt3ol SIT
ed author!ty-that of the emperor. And
the strangest part of Il is that this imperial
iuterdict has really never been removed.
Camille" IS even today officially FORBID
den. But the order was disregarded and
nuliifed by somebody who was higher than
the government officials at that time
the all-powerful f~avorite of Napoleon III,
the Duke de Morny. half-brother TO the
emperor. This man. in his role OF Maecen-
as. found the play tolhis liking and permit
ted its production.
Eugene Davis recently wrote of Dumas:
a tall, broad-chested man. as l saw Alex
ander Dumas a few years ago in Paris. he
was evidently gifted with physical, as
well as mental strength. His face is OF a
swarthy color, owing 10 the fact that his
mother was a Creole and his father A null
alto. A high. arched, intellectual fore
head. bordered by a dense and curly crop
of silver hair-it was blonde a decade ago
overshadows eyes Of luminous thought
and pensive reflection. 4 mustache "a Ia
militaire' extends over the lips to either
side Of his face. its ends elevated IN a curl.
He has massive shoulders. Dumas IS 2
Partisan 10 his very hnger-1ails. as the
French prover5 has It. II was he wn1
named the Bohemia Of beautiful and gay
adventuresses af Paris the 'dem-monde"
In his early career ne collected much in
formation in regard 10 that haif-world,
which he used afterward in his drama.
L Demi-Nonde." when he won the lau-
raIs az literary fame the salons" OF the
fashionable and aristccratic world opened
their gilded doors 70 the liastr.ous drama
tist. one day at a reception he met 4
mar1uise. who asked why he never de-
voted his attention 70 virtuous women in
his writings.
u have. madame" he replied. My next
play is devoted to them"
And where have you studied them"
"At home he answered.
Dumas wife and one Of his Two dauEh-
ters are sculptors Of more than average
merit. Nine. Dumas rarely takes part in
fashionable society. She loves her home.
and so does Dumas himself. I visited his
residence. situated in the Avenue de VII
Hers. occasionally. u secure some infoT-
nation regarding his future play. At the
eni Of the-hau is the smiling face Of Alex
auder Dumas. ''pere.' II IS that - r bust
bv Chapu. The walls 81 the nall are orna-
mented with admirable marbles by Car
peaux. initiated by Nine. and Mile. Dumas:
ICES tosles' Of Folion. the landscapes OF
Corot. the sunsets Of Jules Dunre, several
paintings OF Meissorirr and others by Mil
Let and Tr0yon- The hall impresscs the
visitor with the .dea Of a museum. Du-
mas "c4b- net-de-travaI"-his literary
workshop. or denis 50 encountered
with letters. magazines. hooks and news
papers thai It's occupant has to restore
order out Of chaos twice every month. In
the most entertaining portion OF z play he
IS writing. when be Efts h.s gaze To the
walls o. his study. he discovers a bust
or a painting out Of harmony En- c1lors and
lines. He filings his co1se-qu.N on the
desk and effects the necessary change Il
IS q mania 90 his. hut IL lend him a spirit
= rep-se in his literary labors. ON the
coosc-QuUls OF yellow gold, encssed il a
vase II silver IN Tire capacity of "presse-
Dapier" is a strong. iron and y mis- father.
~ hose stat8etre by Clodion stands on q
pedestal situated in one 81 the angles Of
his workshop Through the felirately
stained windows 2 garden appears 20
view. where in the late spTinEtlde the
flowers are budding. the trees are DOMINIC
their coats Of foliage and the birds are
singing. \ cage or E0id. with golden
W Tres. containing a canary. the sweetest