The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-23
THEIR BEGINNINGS.
Odd Causes That Started Three
French Writers on Their Careers.

=
French Writers Oh Their Careers.
From the New York Sun.
A French investigator has devoted
some of his time to the methods by
which French authors first got them
selves talked about.
Jean Richepin supplied one example
of curious method of getting oneself
talked about. He used to year a very
large >Tyrolese hat trimmed with two
red pompons in the streets to the as
constituent of the passersby.
who is the man in the large hat?"
| used to ask the strangers in Paris who
| did not know who he was.
"Oh, that's Richepin, one of the COM
ing poets" was the answer of the in
itiated. They say great things of the
poems he's going to write"
But fame came too slowly even with
the big hat and the pompons, so Richie
pin tried the scheme OF acting in his
own plays. Nowadays when so many
of the poets are also comedians, the
occurrence would not attract so much
| attention; but in 1883. before the glori-
| fication of reclame, 1t was thought to
| be remarkable.
A play of Richepin called "Nen-Sa
| hig'' had been acted for a week at the
| Porte st. Martin Theater, and created
no unusual comments. One night the
| stage manager came before the cur
| tain. To the listening public he made
this announcement to the establishment
of the small audience:
| las M. Marais, the actor of the lead
| ing role, is i'll tonight. that part will
be acted by M. Richepin, the author of
the play"
From that time Richepin has been
| famous He could afford to dispense
with the large hat and the pompons
and only few occasional Opponents
| have varied the monotony of his life
| He usually returns home repentent aft
| er these little episodes. so his career
since he succeeded in attracting atten-
| ton has been comparatively quiet for
| a French poet
Vicitorien Sardou emerged from OBJ
| security in almost as curious way In
| 1858 he sent his play, La Taverne des
Etudiants,p to the Odeon with little
hope that 1t would be accepted. IL
happened that 1T arrived on the day
| that two new directors had begun their
work. Alphonse Roger and Gustave
Baez were the new men.
At the close of the first day of their
term Baez had an armful of manu-
SCliPto Lidb dlIiNEu uuIlnR Tie
day. He was sitting with Mile, Beren-
gere, one of the principal actresses of
the theater. He picked up the manu-
script on the top of the pile and she,
leaning over his desk. took up the sec
ond.
The handwriting pleased her and she
started to read further than the first
page. She was so delighted to see that
the play was laid among the students
and that IL contained one attractive
mans part that would be exactly
suited to her.
She insisted that the ipiece must be
acted at the Odeon, and when the man
ager looked at the manuscript he was
prejudiced in its favor by the fact that
he had studied In the university town
in which the action passed. Thus was
Sardou made a dramatist of renown.
1t has sometimes happened that au-
thors have been made against their
wills. This occurred in the case of
Pierre Lott
He sent some photographs taken by
him while on cruise in China to an
illustrated newspaper. The editor
wrote him in reply asking that he also
furnish some description of the scenes
He declined. as he did not care TO
see himself in print. To a second re-
quest he consented. The descriptions
attracted attention, and before he knew
it Pierre Lott was started on literary
career.