The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-28
INCIDENTS OF HIS CAREER.

illness was first made known.
INCIDENTS OF HIS CAREER.
Boyhood Days, and Later Successes
as N Writer of Dramas.
BY the death OF Alexandra Dumas fills. the
world has lost famous playwright. for IL
was as a dramatist that Dumas. fills. made
his mark In the world. His greatest powers
all smack OF the theatrical; he had not
tithe OF the creative gifts OF his father.
Alexandra Dumas, pere, whom he himself
ever regarded as a greater man. The Won
der is that he was the second i'm the family
10 win a name in art. In all of his works
Dumas, fills, regarded society from the path
illogical point OF view; he was always on
the lookout for some moral malady. the
more extraordinary the better, and I'm all he
worked out his theories with cold precision
and remorseless logic. The world 10 him
was hospital. which he entered scalpcl In
in hand, for his style was hard. keen and
polished as any blade ever welded by an
anatomist. But while all must admire the
skill and courage with which he attacked
moral problems. the results OF his study re-
main open to discussion. and the public, not
only in our country, but in France Itself.
has seldom been outspoken in its censure-
In defense of his method he, when publish
ing his dramas. added prefaces In which ne
argued In his own behalf. These and his
other brochures are daring. brilliant and
highly suggestive; such are the famous PAM
phlets, ''L'Homme Femme" "Tue-la." Les
Femmes qui tuent te les Femmes qui vo-
lent" his letters on divorce, and his letters
TO NJ. Naguet Like his novels, like his
dramas, these discussions OF home life and
the domestic relations had deseryedly
powerful effect on French public opinion
III. Dumas always avoided politics. He loved
art. and spent his money freely in the col
lection OF pictures. of which he was always
a discriminating judge. His enemies ac-
cused him OF excessive thrift and love OF
money, and undoubtedly he was far from
being a mad prodigal like his father. In
him. "le pere prodigueY OF his drama, ne
had warning how generosity can be
abused, and how thankless the recipients OF
thoughtless bounty are. He avoided many
OF the errors OF his father; he took life
seriously, and. although his youth was not
puritanical. in his later years he was
all that is understood by the word respect
able.
HIS ScHOOLBOY DAYS.
The Journal on Tuesday printed a sketch
of his career. but there are many details
VI MS ilAt lidl are VI more ludn pdSrlflk
interest. Alexandra Dumas. fls, son OF the
gifted Observation-Disclosures Dumas, whose
name as author was on the title page OF
over twelve hundred volumes. was born in
Paris on July q, 1924. He was a natural
plays, published in 1877, is found this frxg-
ment OF autobiography, which is a charnl-
ing picture OF the generosity Of nature. tae
average French schoolbcy: My mother was
good courageous woman. who worked 10
with viii ans salary s % of i.ace francs yesr PsSy 9sS;
having his mother to support. BY a lucky
chance IL so happened that my fathsr.
though impulsive, was kind-nearted. Wntis.
after his first successes as a dramatist. he
thought he could rely upon the future. he
recognized me and gave me his name. That
was much; the law did not force him 10 40
so, and I-have been grateful that have
borne that name well as / could. Yet 10
appeared that his name was no enough in
the eyes OF the children whose position was
perfectly regular before the law. and I'm the
midst OF whom was placed very early in
a great boarding school kept by one OF the
best OF men. NJ Prosper Goubaux. These
children insuted me from morning tn
night. delighted, probably TO abuse IN me
the celebrated name OF my father because
my mother had the misfortune not 20 bear
Ii. There was not a day that did not have
a fight with one or another OF my comrades.
and sometimes with several. FOR their cow
ardice not solely moral. Those who
were not thus said nothing and looked on.
My suffering, which ! have described in
"L'Affairc Clemenceau." and or which I
never spoke to my rlother. so as not 10 dis
tress her, lasted five or six years.
placed in the Goubaux Institution, where
land also at the Bourbon college) he made
brilliant progress. -. Accustosned from his
soon evinced strong and positive likes and
dislikes on the subjects that were dis
friends. At the age OF seventeen he wrote
a number OF poems, which were published.
as stated above. in 1871 entitled Les Peches
lost sight OF. and possesses little literary
merit. although there are, some pleasing
lines, and the motive is evidently sincere in
its naivette; Il Is OF youth youthful. After
having accompanied his father on a jour-
ney 10 Spain and Africa he wrote a fan
Femrnes et dun Perroquet" Then in fssS
he wrote and published Ia Dame aux
camellias." whose success was noted above.
AN ANALYZER IN OBSERVATION.
Alexander Dumas. fils. was. above all. an
analyzer in observation IL not In expression;
he studied from without inward. but when
he came 10 give literary form 10 his ideas
the action was reversed; reality then be-
came the medium and not the end. the
end was dramatic and artistic effect. He
applied himself 10 the study OF society. and
sought by verisimilitude and artistic de-
linenation 10 make good the deficiency %
actual and practical fact His works treat
mostly OF the relations between vice and
morals, but always viewed from his posi-
ton I'm that peculiar. phase OF society. le
demi-monde. From HIS point or view he
was supreme; when he tried 10 regard hu-
manity from another. as he did In some OF
his last plays, he si2nally failed. From his
viewpoint. then. he saw that behind the
complete abandonment 90 vice which char
acterizes that certain phase OF Partisan lie
the human heart was still beating It's nat
ural throb. smarting under all the misery
10 which vice Is father. He saw that vice
was often the natural and necessary conse-
quent OF the narrow and higoted fuorais or
society. and he made these truths heard
But. later. he failed utterly TO apprccioeo