New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-19

literature-asked me to have some SCENES "a
Esther" played by Mile. bartes, . 9, 81 Ger
yais I had some difficulty in making MN co,,
prehend that the tragedy OF Esther W .n"ro1
to-day be perilously propos, 81 low Have YOU
considered that at this epoch OF anti-oenii.is n
the playing of Esther would resemple a p ho
Jewish manifestation The milo RACINE,
was an equitable man, never thought, no dount,
of such a strange Interpretation when ne WI"'e
his tragedy and the demoiseles or 81. Cyf VIZ
played II had no conception that they Wele
working for the glorifcation of the JEWISH race'
and that one day they could be accused OF nav
ing "manifested' in favor OF the israentes. oi SUI;
II is fact; and If conceived rgntyL'I,,Ilh VI
OF that "rightly"-the Dreyfus affair Is the NOR
decai affair and one could give quite modern
name to Hannah. the terrible Han an AS 10
Esther herself suppose she is Justice personi-
fled. and the court martial at Rennes plays the
role of Ahasuerus in all his power. The COM
PARSONS would be easy to make
NJ C1aretie reminds us that the Comedie
FRANCHISE will give in the autumn perform
ance for the benefit OF the statue of Aexandre
Dumas fills. and that Duse will doubtless APP
pear therein Upon the Dumas statue the
sculptor st. Marceaux is now at work. ana 49,
as NJ. C1aretie says. feeling his way lie de-
sires to give us a statue at once living anu
symbolic a Dumas who is really the drama'urge
Of woman. the moralist and feminist OF the
stage This figure of the son viii be placed OPP
posite the statue Of the father by Gustave Dore'
on the Place Malesherbes, and whatever may DE
NJ. st. Marceaux's final conception. we are sure
IN have a monument worthy of Paris. and OF
Dumas fils, that great Parisian''
Ernest Barrias's statue of Victor Hugo Is TO
ha cot in nlaco on the centenary Of his birth.
February %. 1902 The statue will show Hugo
standing between four female figures represent
ing the four winds of the spirit.
Writing still of poets NJ. Caretie ADDS:
Alfred de Vigny. who had put portion or
his sorrows into the drama Of "Chatterton' hao
the idea Of emphasizing them still more IN an
other play Of which the hero was to ne another
poet and again one Of your poets-kooerl
Rurns This IA a highly interesting revelation
ond have had the good fortune TO be able,
thanks to the kindness Of friend. TO assure
myself that the fact IL exact ms Isopei.
Burns" will never, no doubt he puphsneu' ~.
II was commenced, and it is worth Wishlng ',,at
the BURNS" of Vigny had shared win MS
brother in conception and spirit ChatteI'oIi..
the admiration of men OF letters AIas: the ia,e
~ "Robert Burns" is that Of the Route de
Thebes' of Alexandra Dumas Neither drama anna
nor comedy will see the light. Literature thus
loses two unpublished works or consluerapie
value
II is matter for wonderment that the British
critic has not vet discovered that the United
States have managed to produce goodly num-
her of authors who could really write excellent
English. Within a fortnight two London COM
mentators on books have expressed surprised
and condescending approval OF Mrs. Edith
Wharton and Mr. F. ]. Stimson, on the ground
that they have actually written good English
"The Athenaum" languidly says Of Mrs. Whar-
ton that, though presumably an American her-
self and writing Of American men and women
she yet has a command of good English
Mr.. Clement Shorter resents an opinion re-
Gently expressed that any new edition or MIS-
Gaskelps biography Of Charlotte Bronte should
contain the full text Of the unpublished manu-
script written by Charlotte in her chhdhood'
Mr. Shorter writing in "The Atheneum,' ADDS:
Some ninety Of these little books have passed
through my hands, and have been described ny
me in detail in Charlotte Bronte ana her olr
Gle" The whole of them were seen by Mts'
Gasker and in my judgment she did the fuli-
est Justice to them in her memoir OF her frlend'
Mrs. Gaskell returned the collection 10 MI.
Nichols, Charlotte Brontes husband, and iorty
years later Mr.. Nichols handed the puIk VI
them TO me- He could not let me have them
all as some had In the mean time passed out
Of his hands into those of Martha Brown. the
old servant at HawOrth Parsonage. AT Martina
Browns death they were distributed; some or
them are in the Haworth Museum. one-'Ihe
SPELLS in the British Museum and others are
in private hands in England and America.
While there seemed no objection to catalogue
ing these childish efforts they are not In the
least worth printing. Mrs Gaskel selected the
most interesting and the most coherent one OF
them has, however. been printed privately, ana
twenty-five copies distributed. 1t is sincerely to
be hoped that no more will he similarly treated.
. In these Bronte manuscripts II may be
emphatically stated that there is no sign Of de-
velopment, and that not one Of them Is in any
degree superior to the kind of thing that hun
dreds Of intelligent children are in the habit of
writing from their seventh to their seventeenth
year