New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-20
DU MAURIER.
"REMINISCENCES BY HIS SON.
THE NOVELIST HATED THE rHEArRE-rHE cos.
TUNES IN HIS DRAwINGs-How HIS DAUGH-
TIERS WATCHED HIS RELATIONSHIPS
STAGE FRIGHT AS A LECTURER

STAGE FRIGHT AS A LECTURER
1t seems peculiarly appropriate. and Is a salts.
faction 10 ones of the fitness OF things that
one of the parts in "Trilby" should be played by
a son OF It's author And Gerald du Maurier. the
Zouzou Of Mr. Trees production, the Knck-
erbocker is exactly the kind OF frank genial young
fellow that would expect 10 find in his fathers
He has most attractive way OF speaking.
and quiet. keen sense OF humor which strongly
suggests the happy little touches in his fathers
writings 1t is only few years since young Mr..
du Maurier first went upon the stage, but he had
played many other parts before he joined the forces
of "rrby." In speaking of the way In which he
to do this. he said last week:
II really under an agreement at that time
with Arthur Bourchier and expected to play with
his company for some time One day met Mr..
Tree at the Gar.ick, In London. and he said at
once:
"'Oh. Du Maurier want you to play with me In
"Trby," will you? SO in a short time | got my
release from Bourchier. and II settled that I
should take the part Of Dodor in Mr.. Trees COM
pany He wanted me to play Little Biee at hrst
hut | am much too tall for that part; 1t would
have been absurd Besides, I liked the part Of
Dodor for personal reasons and so did father Hs
was very anxious that should play It for awhile.
at any rate. You know, Dodor was drawn from
life. pretty faithfully, from an uncle Of mine who
was in the French Dragons. Afterward changed
Father never thought that 'Triby would be q
success az "A play when he first told that II
was going TO be dramatized However he said
he didn't care what was done with II, so long as
he was not obliged to It. He always hated the
theatre. anyway, and never went unless he had
TO, for the sake Of else. But he rather
changed his mind later about 'Tr:lby' That il. he
thought it awfully clever to be able TO make
a play of IL ALL and quite pleased at
the way in which several of the scenes were re-
produced He went TO the dress rehearsal and
several times after that.
las for the book 'Trby.' my father grew very
tired of the Juror which that created Everything
I'm the shops was 'Trilby' for time-gloves. boots,
shoe-Iaces-it WAS ridiculous. and the very name
grew wearisomc to him. Personally, like Peter
Ibbetson' much better than 'Trilby,' and think
father also thought II the better book OF tho
two He was very much interested in the new book
The Marian. and preferred it to either OF the
others"
Mr. du Maurier spoke with afectionate remnis-
cence OF some amusing peculiarities OF his father
upon which the other members OF the family found
IL advisable to keep strict watch. one or these
was the matter of costumes for his Punch" draw
ings and for the illustrations to his books
"He had not the slightest idea OF fashion. or
what was the correct thing in dress. People sup.
posed that he noticed those things. of course. and
girls used to call upon my mother and
sisters got up beautifully. and expecting that
father would want put them into his drawings.
or would at least get some ideas from them. But
dear me, he hadn't the least notion OF what they
had on, My sisters looked it that he got ths
right things in his pictures. He would come home
sometimes and sketch something which had at
tracted him In a passerby the street Often II
would be some impossiby queer arrangement. and
my sisters would protest: Why. father you
mustn't that in Punch" Nobody wears
those things now: they're dreadfully ldfashioned'
and he would give in Immediately TO what he recog.
nized their superior judgment.
He even putting poor Trilby IN those Latin
Quarter scenes OF forty years into modern
garments and had to be brought before the family
tribunal for thai. Ny sisters had 10 hunt up some
od-style clothes for him 10 use. He did have
models you know for the pastures and the clothes.
and so on though the face OF Trby was purely
ideal Little Bces sister. by-the-way. and Sweet
Alice. both taken from photographs. forget
now OF whom. which had In the house
1T was such a standing Joke In the family about
fathers ignorance on the subject OF dress that
tried one day 10 just now FAR he could be de-
ceyed ! put on d dress suit. white wais;coat q
dark -colored four-in-hand tie and high brown boots
in fact got myself up in as homogeneous a fashion
| could He had wanted me 10 pose FOR smart
young man IN OF his Punch 'iety sketches
lie looked at me- when ca ne in and hesita,ed just
a moment he took in the details Of my costume
lis that right" he asked. little puzzled. but
him tina; all the fashionable Young men in London
were wearing that OF evening dress; that was
the latest and the only proper thing. lie was en-
tirely satisfied. and was drawing away diligently
when | couldn't keep in any longer. and told him
the joke. Otherwise, he would most certainly have
sent that sketch Punch"
1T must have been tremendous tax TO supply
Punch regularly with jokes and caricaures for 30
many years" remarked the writer. though,fuly.
All indeed. you may well lay So" returned Nj
du Maurier with animation. It's true. people USED
TO send him jokes from all over England. but ne
didn't use 30 very many OF them. AT least three
fourths OF ali those which appeared were his own
II was a tax Sometimes IL worried him not a liti!e
and to see him walking up and down the room try
Ing to think of Il Joke" added the son. smiling IN
spite OF himself al the recollection, ION, X was
awful.
After his hooks became popular ne was quite
overwhelmed with letters from all parts OF Tire
world. A good many from admring women.
especially American women, and sc me OF them were
vastly amusing. | have no doub, many OF them
thought he young man. Well rereciiNely.
he used to let his grandchildren answer most OF
those fancy the writer's werex gather disappointed
Then there were numbers of letters relating 10 the
dream part of Peter Ibbetson. My father didn't be-
lieve in any Of that of course. though he wrote II
perhaps as IL he did. But so many people took u
absolutely seriously. don't know how many in
aulres he had about Il. have tried sleeping on my
back one would write. with my feet crossed as YOU
describe and my hands clasped under my head. hut
/ can't succeed in dreaming true Such COM
plants used to amuse him very much. He seemed
to consider hypnotism interesting subject.
though he investigated 1t particularly nor
believed much in It,"
Most OF the personal characteristics OF Peter
Ibbctson were actually those OF your father, were
they not. Mr.. du Maurer?'
Yes; he put himself into all his books perhaps
more directly into that than the Others The dlslks
OF cruelty TO dumb animals which he mentions IN
several places characteristic of his He never
would shoot hunt In any way when he was
young man. He didn't mind boxing. any sort OK
reasonable encounter between men. but the idea Ok