The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-27


umes. He had the heart OF Scott. or OF
Shakespeare. the almost divine tolerance
fer, and love of, the creatures of his own
creation. He had the wit OF France. and
| the humor of England. and the most daz-
cling gift Of rapid narrative. and that alb
solute lack Of speculation about things
inscrutable, of interest in things abonina-
bic, which r.aSes nina iiii;;:sle liked by per-
sons OF culture. He did not break his
heart over daintiness Of style; he cared
for preciosity no more than Moliere did;
prigs for Dumas did not so much as exist
lis eyes overlooked them. Ethical and
I sociological problems did not concern
him; he never peered with a dark lantern
into the slums OF human hearts. His
heart was in the woods, on the battlefield
IN the broad highway, where the adven-
rurers gallop, and the heavy wagons
creak. and the fair masked ladies ride,
and the hosts at the inn doors welcome
them all indiferentiy. He lived on the
further side of that railway cutting
hich, as Thackeray says is the true
dividing line between the old world and
the new. Science did not affiict him, with
Ler neOrons, microscopes, cells, conserva-
ton of energy and everything that is the
burden Of Durers picture of Melancholia-
He contemplated the vast spectacle Of the
world, as he said. and applauded with
both hands. His works, for some inscru-
table reason. are on the index. and he
was no orthodox Catholic; but he had re-
ligion enough TO keep his soul sweet. and
il he was deficient in certain virtues. he
rever lacked the greatest of these. char
ir,- II
his books there is hardly a page from
which the weakest OF weak brethren
could take any harm His philosophy Is
that of Pantagruel: no whining and peev-
ish pesimism. In courage. loyalty, gayety
and charity his heroes so On their peril
Gus ways and conquer the world.
Fouquet is the man for Dumas. not Col
bert. He radiates good fellowship and Is
so humorous and so tolerant that he per-
verts our historical judgments For ex-
ample Henri III. was undeniably very
unwholesome and improper person. There
is not much TO be said for the painted
devotee and murderer, with his tears. his
hair shirt, his skull and cross-bones, his
cup and ball, and poodles. and mignOns.
But we read Dumas, and we contract a
sneaking affection for the king. who. af-
ter all, appreciated Chicot. BY his friend
ship for Chicot he is redeemed in our
memories. Coconnas was a cruel scoun-
cre.; lie brave Busy verged on the ruff
fan; La Mole was not the soul Of honor
we all know that; but they are redeemed
for US by the charity of Dumas, by the
warm sunlight of this kind genius.
the blacklist palace intrigues of
Z ba al he
nation. Dumas walks without soiling his
shoes or the Imagination of his readers.
I hese devout Catholics and godly protest
ants were the most perfidious and cruel of |
men; but they were men for all that, and
Dumas makes the best of them by kind
Of sunny realism, the reverse of the mod /
ern article. Like Scott, he shines in his |
Ill, Henri of Navarro at the I
81 eye of Cahors; Louis Kill. and lie Ro: /
soliel; Marguerite. and Madame ara I
Catherine.
The cycle of the Valois and the cycle Of /
he Musketeers are his masterpieces and I
are immortal. We know how he con- I
structed them out of L Estoile, Bran /
-ome,. Madame de Motteville. and the 4
memoirs attributed to D'Artagnan. a I
hint sufflced for him: tie dry old bones
# history were clothed with flesh and I
blood. Persona es rather dim, or rather
dubious, became the dearest of our
friends, Porthos, Athos, Aramos
lieutenant of the bastile, the actual Ara
mis- appears to have been a Huguenot.
rot the commander of the Jesuits; of the
rue Comte de la Fere we know very
little. BY an extraordinary good fortune
hese people, little considered in their
ives. became more real than living men
hey and their Wallets and their mis-
resses. They and their companions and
nemies live with the life OF Dalgetty and
Dundee. of Pistol and Nym. of Trunnion
md Trulliber. The world wanted them
much more than the world wanted the
haracters of Boyle or Fiaugert, or any
hid of gloom and literary travail and
nasterly analysis. 1t is not essentially
90 gay a world, nor too young, nor too
airing, wherefore it desires creatures Of
ourage and wit and youth; Sam Weller
nd Mr. Pickwick. Catherine Seton and
Diana Vernon on one side of the channel;
he Musketeers and Chicot on the other.
uch are the simple tastes of the literary
masses and of George sand and Thack-
ray.
The literary classes who have q tenden-
v to snin at Dumas, Dickens and Scott,
hight remember that the world is wide,
nd that there is room for gay and gen
rous natures as well as for persons dis
ngihshed by culture and remarked for
he depth and dismal gloom Of their re
ections. We do not want every novel
Il TO be a Dickens or Dumas. but we
lay claim a place for these authors.
nd may even assert that they have
iven more sterling enjoyment 10 man.
ind than even Count Tolstoi and Mr..
orky. who seems al present to reckon .
5 the most .tenebriferous star las Par
celsius hath it, in the dawn Of the TWEEN
eth century Dumas did not live and
rite for the sake Of dragging out the .
Ioomiest deposits OF human nature. but ,
the end OF gladdening his fellow crea-
res by the exhibition Of the most ra- .
Iaut Of the virtues. An hour with the q
-usketeers in the Bastion Saint Gervais !
undenisbly much more agreeable. and ?
e may even say more improving A.,
ian a year with an hysterical Russian q
psomauiac on board a Volga steamboat
umas IS content enough 70 fight under
le serviette that did duty for q flag 7
1ove the bastion. and under that flag Z
.e majority OF readers would gladly c
arch through Coventry. one reads ?
AT famous chapter FOR the tenth time Z
.rhaps. decies repetits plaeebit. and one s
IDS it hard 70 put down the book. The a
gal Of Dumas. French. English. al peo- d
IS. viii ever stand by hin. shoulder 20 !.