The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-06-17

forgot that Got was there. and Febvrs
and all the rest. I thought only OF my
piece, and l read on for myself alone. The
play was accepted. But then came three
years of waiting, during which I had nC
news whatever Of my piece. That IS @.
say, no good news, for did occasionally
hear Of it from my friends. and from act
ors at the Franchise, who told me that SO
was not a good play, and advised me to
withdraw 1t. During the last year 1 was
so tired Of it all that I gave up hoping,
and decided to write another play. In
the meanwhile, II I wrote little, burned
much.
81 have no method in my work, and no
regularity. That depends on my state
of health, and l am never very we'll
There are times when such neurasthenla
comes upon me that for weeks and
months together I never leave my room.
So there are long, long periods when I
write nothing. When I do write It IS
usually In the evenings.
while I was waiting for Les Roman
esques' to be produced. I began to write
La Princesse Lointaine. a somewhat
mystical and serious poem
After Les Romanesques' had been pro-
duced and proven a great success. I sub
mitted La Princesse Lointalne'
Both the players and critics had put
me down as a comic writer, and the Sc
lie was surprised that the play was not
merry one. sarcey had written Of me
as a modern Regnard. and Regnard crit
les and public wished me to remain so
throughout the whole Of my career The
failure Of La Princesse Lfontalne' dis
couraged me. I felt that I was doomed
to be comic. or not be recognized at
all as a playwright. revolted against
this tyranny. and I said to myself: I
must m work 10 rrnF vfe~h
to be comic when It does not suit me 70
be So. So l determined to write re-
lgious play, and that IS how La Samari-
tame came to written.
Then came the success Of La Sa-
maritaine.' 1 allowed It TO be played dur
ong Holy Week, and though the prices
of seats were raised, Il earned rela-
lively speaking, more money than even
Cyrano' does. But what offered me the
most delight in It's success was that had
shown the public and the critics and had
convinced myself, that I was not fore
ed always to write comedies.
"All this time had been carrying Cy-
rano de Bergerac in my head. Ever since
I was at school had felt that there was
a play to be written on the life of Cyra-
no de Bergerac, duelist. warrior and au-
thor. Even before Les Romanesques'
was written I had the Intention of writ
ing a play about him. But had no ac-
ton for the piece. I thought OF him al
ways. and I read all that had been writ
ten about hlm-Bibiiophile Jacobs book
upon him, Nodier's eulogy. and. Of course.
every line of his own works. I filled my
head with historical notes concerning
him.
Now and then I would write a few
verses, a TRADE or two, and put them
in my drawers. So that when I had
found the plot of the action in which he
was to move, I had much of the play
ready. I wrote Cyrano simultaneously
with La Samaritaine. When I was nj
! the midst Of the piece It occurred TO me
that the only man in France who could
play the part was Coquelin. 'CyranO'
could not be played at the Franca.s. for
there was no one there who could act
such a part or rather, who could look
the part like Coquelin. 1 felt so con-
WINGED Of this that I would not listen 20
my friend Feraudy when he urged me
to give It TO the Coincide Franchise I
had believed that it would take with the
public, but I never dreamed that Il
would succeed az It has done. It Is an
unheard Of thing on the stage for play
written in rhyme to run for more than
300 nights"
Then the conversation took another turn
TO the purely personal. II rarely ever
go out" he said. IT never take any
exercise. never go out for the mere
sake Of walking, only when I have o.
definite object In view. I am told that L
ought to take exercise, and I think T
| shall begin fencing once more. I hardly
ever see anybody-my wife and children
suffice me for company-and L have only
| one or two friends. l. wish to be alone I
am quite without the pale of the Paris
world Of letters. I belong TO no school
or literary coterie. and I have never
written in any Of the magazines in which
| these coteries defend their special views
on art. I do not know what Is said OF
me among my brother authors. L can
not mix with people I must be alone"
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