The evening times., 1899-07-08
STORIES OF sARcEY.
The Great French Critics Method of
Work.

rIdHcioque Sarcey WAS, perhaps, Tue ucoe-
known man in Paris, and in spite OF his
age-he was seventy one-and his embon-
point preserved up to the last yigor and
activity really surprising. He wrote sew
eral articles every day, and went to the
theatre every night. In one Of his recent
articles, entitled "Vivre Vieux," he said
that in his opinion long life was not to
be desired unless it was employed in some
good work. The young authors called him
Familiarity Mon Oncle," and 1t was with
gay heart that he accepted the appella-
tion. But he was sometimes very severe
on them. If his pen was incisive it must
be added that the wounds he made were
not incurable. He himself would declare
that If he was occasionally brutal it was
because he was forced to be SO. With his
ironical smile he was won't to say of HIM
SELF in the language of the fabuIist: THAT
animal is vicious; when it is attacked it
defends ITSELF"
During a discussion one day he had the
opportunity Of explaining his method of
judgment. Emile Zola had accused him of
knocking OF his criticisms on the end of
table without taking the trouble to see
the pieces of which he wrote" Sarcey
replied: What! you. who know the val
ue OF labor; you who have accomplished
hard task, how is it that you affect to
treat in such a manner man. who, like
you. owes his influences to thirty years OF
study and labor? There is not a piece OF
any Importance that have not seen three
or four times. / examine at each per-
formance the manifestations of the au-
dience which sometimes confirm my first
impression and sometimes change it.
There is not an actor or an actress whose
parts 1 have not studied. j have devoted
my entire life to the theatre, where l am
to be found every evening. The public
knows this, and that is why 1t grants me
certain amount of authority in theatrical
matters; that is why it has the confidence
in the honesty and justice of my opinions
The public also knows that / am always
sincere and love the theatre with love so
absolute that / would sacrifice everything,
even my private friends, for the pleasure Of
directing the people to a piece which ap-
pears to me good. or Of drawing them away
from piece which l consider bad. And
when l have made a mistake l do my ut
most TO repair the wrongs which / may
have committed"
Sarcey's father kept school at Dour-
dan. and it was in that little town that he
was born. From his earliest years he lik-
ed the theatre. His father was passion
ately fond of music and wanted TO make
an artist of him. His mother preferred
that he should be painter or a sclptor.
Music, however, gained the day. He had
good voice; that was something. The
question then was to get a master. This
was not difficult. He was placed in the
hands OF a chprister of the local church.
Il must confess says Sarcey, that this
preliminary education has left little trace
In my "reminiscences. l had several pro-
fessors, of whom one was Father Durocq,
and who said to me one day, after hav-
ing studied my musical abilities II ever
you become musician it will be mira
Gle And the good old priest was in the
right. Music was thereon given up"
After having been professor in two or
three provincial colleges he made up his
mind TO leave the university and take to
| Journalism. 1t was at Grenoble where this
| change took place. He had met About in
one Of his journeys, and envied the glory
| which surrounded him. He wrote his first
article and took it TO About II was SO
embarrassed he said, "and opened my
manuscript with such a pitiful mien that
About could not help laughing. Give me
your packet, said About; L will read il,
and IN that way we shall soon get over it. >
After having finished ii About said to me-
1t is first class, but you have not signed
it I cannot myself sign my name. Sup
posing We sign it with an X? No re-
piled About, we must have name of some
sort, but what name? Shall we take BIZ
net? 1t smells of the provinces. Yes
Binet will do. But Binet alone would be
| too short, and We must have handle to
it About, on taking up the last page Of
MY copy, wrote with his own pen at the
| end OF the article the following name:
| Santane Binet Would you be kind enough
! to present the article to Villemessant and
| TO recommend it?' About answered, 1t is
not necessary; Eillemessant reads every
| thing. However, l will endorse it for you
! And thereon he wrote on the manuscript
| the following inscription: Please read
! this Signed, Edmond About And re-
! turned it to ME. Throw II into the edi-
! torial box of the Figaro he said, and
/ you will no doubt see il IN print The
article, to my great joy, appeared in the
paper mentioned the next day
! AS everybody knows, Sarcey turned lee
| turer. and had great success. His lee
lures were OF course, chiefly confined to
| theatrical matters. He amused himself as
we'll as his audience When he laughed
| everybody else laughed Never did an or
ator pay less attention to outward appear
| ance. He made few or no gestures. His
| eioquence was, perhaps, not very elevat-
| ed, but it always dealt with some new
| idea, which sufficed to draw a numerous
audience and give popularity to his con-
ferences He has been reproached with
| showing too much that he had been a
! professor. His pen was more like the
rod Of pedagogue,' said Auguste Vile
mot, the chronicler. He also fought for
the French language. Il confess" he said
that l have the deepest passion for the
| French tongue. l suffer when l see 1t at.
tackled or when 1t is not respected enough
Any notifications in it must be made with
the greatest care. 1t must be remembered
that it has given to the world the purest
the noblest and most complete chefs
d'oeuvre. That alone ought to oblige US
to venerate it, and not to lay foul hands
on it,
In conclusion, let me notice one OF his
works, Souvenirs de Jeunesse," which
sets forth the duty Of man. 1t is dedi.
Gated to his daughter, and runs thus.
There is l>-son which I hope you viii
gather from the reading of this work
have toiled great deal. my child, and
still work enormously. One must labor
in this life. There is nothing good o,
true in the world but work. Labor save.
me from many foolish things, and con.
soles me for those which I may have
done. Voltaire has expressed, in bool
which you will read later, the mot
wherein the secret of happiness Is to b,
found: We must cultivate our garden ,
RATHS TN PITRTIC ScH00rs