New-York tribune., 1899-02-12

| such bill as that Voteu yestoi"o!
stroy tie authority of the Criminai See''o" y.
! the Court OF Cessation, and would nave D'o"s"'
the entire judiciary into contempt. This how
aver ia by no means the case in France WheIe
n,huc oninIon this morning halls the decision OF
/ the Chamber the beginning OF the emu u ''''
Drevfus affair" and as bringing the whole mat
/ ter before the supreme tribunal recoe'iHeu
by all parties as absolutely unimpeachapie'
The Republican leaders who favor reN's'oi
like MN. Ribot, Leon Bourgeois and Poncarre
abstained from taking part in yesterday ue
hate because they saw that the whole country
regarded the Dupuy measure as the quicAeS'
and only practical way of disposing OF the
rrevfus case and as NJ Rbot himself states
'it would only have caused still further delay
in ending the Dreyfus affair had we raised oo-
,ections to the Dupuy bill on matters OF prin-
ciple II was far wiser TO do as we did-accePt
the situation and avoid a split among kepunh-
cans at a time when the Republic is threatened
bv n clerical reaction and CesarCan dema-
gogues.'
The sensational stories about the BRUSH anu
| German cruisers Porpoise and Faike hdNl"e
been on the verge of fighting each other al
Apia are reproduced in the Paris papers pu.
are regarded as pure fabrications at the Quai
/ q II
munications received there from the highest au-
thority in Berlin that Germany VIII close 'ne
incident by disavowing any acts of her officials
/ contrary to the Berlin Treaty, and VIII recdl
Consul Rose and Or. Raffel.
NJ Edmond R0stand author Of "Cyrano de
Bergerac" appeared this afternoon before MI
/ Oliver Bodington. United States Commissioner
70 take evidence in the case Of Gross against
Palmer and Mansfield. NJ Rostand stated that
he had never heard Of or seen Mr. Grosss Mer-
chant Prince Of Corneville" until the present
action was brought and moreover that as early
as 1896 he had related to NJ. Coquelin full out
line Of his play of "Cyrano de Berserac' 10
this NJ COquelin prepared to testly' an"
this was before The Merchant Prince OF Corhe-
vile" had been written. Besides, added NJ
Rostand "Cyrano is an historical character
and all the episodes in his career are recorueu
in history" VI. Rostand submitted very eoou-
naturedly to cross examination. He stated lhat
the charge of plagiarism was absolutely false
and ridiculed any idea Of resemblance Wheh
passages of The Merchant Prince of Corne-
vile" were translated - him. NJ. Rostand mas
lust recovered from attack Of neuralgia and
looked pale and emaciated. He gave his evil
dence voluntarily. and as his counsel, NJ. Henry
Cachard announced there no law which
could compel NJ Rostand 10 give il. but he ala
so merely out Of good will to American actor
who was impersonatng Cyrano in the United
States.
NJ. Edmond Rostand, in interview with
The Tribune correspondent this evening. said
Seldom in my life have l had such a fatiguing
day as this. 1t is my first eXl erlence OF amer
can legal procedure l was especially struck
with the system Of American cross-eNaHiha-
ton. was examined and cross-eXamined from
10 o'clock this morning until this evening, win
/ oily one hours rest for luncheon The lawyers
went into my whole life | feel as II had peeh
subjected to Viyisection. NJ. Sardou told me last
night that 1t Of the first Importance not TO
lose my temper. and hope | followed his ad-
vice; but ii was hard work II was, however,
most interesting performance TO me. and II
gave me some new ideas that might be utilized
professionally.
It appears that NJ. Rostand's testimony was
delightful literary treat. Under cross-examina-
tlor he related his entire career as a dramatist;
how he formed "Cyrano' library and how as
early as August, 1885, at Luchon, he wrote the
famous fencing ballade and also the presenta'
ton OF the cadets Of Gascony. He said 1t was
during a rehearsal Of the "PrinCesse Lointaine,"
at Nine. Sarah Bernhardt's theatre, that NJ
/ CoqUelin, who was present, asked him to write
similar play for him. NJ. Rostand replied: Il
have a character already for YOU 1t is Cyrano
and will At you like a glove" NJ. Rostand be
gan writing the play pecemeal, and NJ. Coque!in
learned 1t by heart as 1t proceeded until IT was
produced in December. 1897 When asked If he
saw no resemblance between the balcony scene
in "Cyrano" and the balcony scene in The
Merchant Prince OF Corneville." he said: NO.
not at all no more than between It and the
balcony scene in Romeo hundreds Of others
that have been used by playwrights since Shake
speare and even before. What is original in the
balcony scene of 'Cyrano' IS that the man who
is substituted for the real sutor is himself in
love with the woman
NJ Rostand's testimony was so full Of wit and
rcpartee and overhowing with sparkling humor
that Commissioner Bodington and all the law
yers with difficulty repressed their merriment
during the whole proceedings. which ended at I
o'clock this evening thus forming little Paris
ian cause celebra
Pouvon and dArtos. the dramatists who
made such a political hit with lie Roi De
Rome" at the Nouveau Theatre have written
another play called Les Antibel" produced on
Thursday at the Odeon. which Partisan critics
pronounce more truthful picture OF the home
life Of the French peasantry than either George
Sands Claudio or Alphonse Daudets 'L'Ar-
lesienne." Les Antibel' presents in vivid con
trast the love and hatred OF which French peas
ants capable. 1t turns upon the love Of q
young for his stepmother; the vindictive
cupdty OF aged peasant is drawn with q
strong hand. but the dramatic carpentry is
faulty in not sufficiently preparing the public
for the theatrical situations. The play is wei
received at the Odeon. and is remarkably acted
Mile. Cecile Sorel, who until now has been re
garded merely as a stage beauty, revealed un
mistakabe talent. which is likely 10 secure he
admission to the Theatre Francaise The Ouch
ess dues has come forward as censor Of th
stage and has protested against the scene II
Feydeaus La Dame de Chez Maxim" wher
7 an innocent old able makes ingenious comment
on the music hail. The protest was made by III