Kansas City journal., 1898-01-16
though he has written more books in
Erannh fhafn in rli.h ~ -----

though he has written more books in
French than in English. @
Sharp was born in Minnesota, and re-
mained there, says his French biographer
Until 1873. when an epidemic of typhus de-
Fastated the country, and Ernestville. COM
| posed of portable houses, emigrated zen
nasse.'' the church at the head to Mich
! lgan, and since then Mr.. Sharp has come
from Michigan" After failing in several
| directions. he succeeded in reporting tic
titious interviews with some wit and a
! semblance of reality-and, his ingenious
devices having come to the notice of d
French editor, Sharp was sent for.
Sharp Becomes n Humorist.
What humorist you could be if you
| wanted to-" said the editor.
nnon 40 n wan, 10; answered ,s Blil, and fhere I
began his career as a French humorist. 1t
| has not been brilliant one altogether
for his confreres outdo him, and his sense
| OF humor does not stand the test it is put
tc in foreign country. While Allais.
Bernard, and the rest are In constant de-
| nand. even at the national library. where
readers are generally serious. Bill Sharp 5
best book, Dams les Coins had short
life on the bookstails and was then re-
turned to the editors. It is, however.
amusing to an American; it makes fun of
French matches, of the omnibus system,
and number of things that have no funny
side for people who never see anything
else.
He devotes one chapter to ridiculing the
omnibus which runs between the Pantheon
and the Place Courcelles. There is no such
place, he says as Place Courcelles-there
Il Place Pereire, where the omnibus stops
but Place CourcelleS exists not on the map
nor IN the city. nor anywhere save on the
omnibus placard. People are consequently
departing every hour, and several times
curing the hour. for this undiscovered
place; the number of Frenchmen, he calcu-
lates, who have disappeared in Il year on
this vain pursuit exceeds 4O0, coo, and It
behooves the authorities. he declares to
take some decided step before the whole
French nation has vanished in the direc-
ton OF the mythical Place Courceles.
Resort to Bufoonery.
Lord Chesterfield in his letter particular
ly warned his son against laughter as
True wit or sense he says, never yet
made anybody laugh; they are above it;
they please Inc mind and give a cheerful
cry and silly accidents that always excite
laughter" And to these it is that the
Auteurs Gals most often resort. sorts
mothers and daughters, mother-in-law ana
whole Families, who ruin each others do
mestic peace and happiness by constant
full houses at the theaters. when the
..Auteurs Gals turn their hand to dramat-
ic writing. So many plots have they con-
structed around the question of divorce
that when the laws were changed Il num-
ber of their farces had to be remodeled.
The abundant resources of wit, more of
the KIM tndl pledSeS the mlnd ana gives
a cheerfulness to the countenance." are the
law and the government. They are made
the handmaids of protection. the guard
ians of Individual safety. who restrict all
personal liberty. under pretense of
thoughtful supervision, and make it i'm
possible for man TO get started at any
thing before his energy is bound up in red
tape. According TO these wits. they for
bid Il man, even at his own risk to ride
a bicycle in the city. to walk on the rail-
road track to enter a train on the side he
pleases. without permission from the gov
ernment. The humorists have written
many stories about the gentleman who is
arrested and searched at the police station,
where he goes innocently to deposit n
watch he has found in the street; about
the country policemen who agitate their
shoulders in disgust when theft is re-
too late With the administration one
should report these robberies before thev
are committed; about the man with the
small dog, who is first arrested because
the dog is loose. and on the following day
rearrested because the laws have been
changed and the god Is still leashed
Write Novel in Collaboration.
Bill Sharp. Alphonse Allais. and Cristan
Bernard write regularly for the journal
Alfred Capus publishes several times
week in the Firago amusing dialogue
between n deputy and his son, a senator
servant which. with master-stroke of
wit and wisdom. bring the shortcomings of
the government and the administration
clearly to mind.
About two years ago five of the humor-
lists determined to write novel in col
Ia bora ton. The first on the list. which was
arranged by lot. was to give the story a
mo- nj -hn 1f all