The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-10-11
DEPARTMENT.
First Meeting Of Season Held
Yesterday In Hasbrouck
Institute.

The Literature Department of the
Woman's Club held its opening meeting
yesterday afternoon in Room 4, Hasbrouck
Institute, with very interesting pro-
gramme
This years study is to be ''In the Reign
OF the Tudors,'' and yesterdays meeting
was on the French drama. the only pro-
gramme in the calendar on France.
Miss Lillian E. Fuller gave talk on
the origin of French drama, reading ex-
tracts from various books or the subject
Mrs Dean had paper on the early
Drama of France" in which she said.-
The influence of the renaissance was
very marked in France as throughout all
the West. Issuing from Northern Italy,
1t affected profoundly literature, the arts
and sciences and religious thoughts. There
was, as the word implies, a liberal re-
birth of the classical tastes, and besides
that an original impulse given to all things
intellectual.
1T is the Seventeenth Century especially
that the full fruitage of this great revival
of thought displays itself in the French
drama. The golden age of French ntera-
ture was in reality the days of Richelieu
and the earlier period of the reign of
the tragic drama to a height never sur
passed. Both tragedy and comedy, says
Aristotle, originated in a rude and un-
premeditated manner. The first tragedy
was defined by Plato, as an imitation of
the noblest life. In this period Moliere,
perhaps the first of all names in French
imaginative literature, wrote his immortal
comedies. 1t would be of interest here to
give short sketch of this renowned
mans life. Louis XIV. when asked who
was first among the great men who had
adorned his reign, said Moliere. Two
centuries have confirmed the justice of
that answer, and the ages still to come
will ratify the history of the life, all too
short, of this celebrated man. We do not
need, in order to make it interesting, to
relate the frivolous details and gossping
stories which have hitherto disfigured it.
We shall relate as to his personal life
only such facts as have been shown up to
the present time to be true.
Jean Baptist Poquelin, who afterwards
took the name of Moliere, was born
January Is, 1922. His father, rich up
holsterer, was Valet de Chambre to the
King, his mother having filled that post
before him. Moliere lost his mother when
only ten years old, becoming the habitual
companion of his grandfather, who took
him frequently to the theatre. He began
early to long for knowledge at a time
when education was almost the exclusive
privilege of the nobility and clergy. His
father was at last prevailed upon to send
him to school. He went to the College De
Clarmont, kept by the Jesuits, the most
i,n Do
Prince De Cont as a school fellow, and
his intimate friends were Chapelle, Bernier
and Gassendi who all became men of
note. He studied theology and subse-
ouently the law Grimarest Zone of his
first biographers) says he became a bar
rister. However this may be, when
twenty-three, he left everything to take
the lead of small dramatic company;
it was composed chiefly of the sons OF the
wealthy bourgeois of Paris. Full of
a genius that spurred him on he became
both comedian and dramatic writer, and
at this time he changed his name (after
the fashion of authors and actors of the
time)
'4Their theatre bore a French name OF
Illustre Theatre. They met with little
success, owing to the civil wars and other
causes, and Moliere was imprisoned sew
eral times for debt. He then took part
of his company and went to the provinces,
wher he spent twelve years, subject to all
the vicisstudes which such a kind of life
could bring; at the same time he acquired
vast knowledge of men. If 1t were pos
sible to reform men by making them
blush for their follies, their defects and
vices. what a perfect society this splendid
legislator would have founded. He would
have banished from the bosom of his
nation falsehood, deception, Jealousy. dis
proportioned marriages and the pettiness
which make men aspire to be greater than
they are. These are the follies and vices
which Moliere attacked without ever
ceasing to be humorous and natural One
of the three great universal names in
modern literature, as Shakespeare and
Cervantes represent all that is greatest
in English and Spanish literature so
Moliere stands for France OF Moliere it
may justly be said that he deserves his
place. among the worlds immortals
Moliere created the French comic drama,
whether in the comedy of farce, as in
L'Eturdi,' or of the manners of his time,
as in LIE ,AIisantrope,' Moliere was great
III all, pul greatest III MS pnlloSopnlcdl
comedies
Miss Ada D. Fuller chairman, conducted
the. book review, giving a good list of
books from which to choose during the
winter. She spoke of studying the author
of a book with view to the good. his
writings would do the Individual. One
seldom sees a book condemned, she said,
and the criticisms are merely advertise
ments. Among the new books were men
toned "The Reign of Law, "The Gentle
man from Indiana, Redemption of David
Clausen,'' and 'sUnleavened Bread''
A Cheap Postal Service.