Evening star., 1902-08-15
HOW MEN FIND FAME
CAUSES THAT STARTED THREE
WRITER'S ON THEIR CAREER.
Ability and Luck Of Victorien Sardou
and Pierre Loti-Richepin's
Conceits.

From the New York Sun.
A French Investigator has devoted some
of his time to the methods by which French
authors first got themselves talked about.
Jean Richepin supplied one example of a
curious method of getting oneself talked
about. he used to wear a very large Ty
rolese hat trimmed with two red pompons
In the streets to the astonishment Of the
passersby.
| Who is the man in the large hat?" used
to ask the strangers in Paris who did not
know who be was
oh, that's Richepn, one Of the coming
poets, was the answer of the initiated
They say great things of the poems he's
going to write
Richepin's Plays.
But fame came too slowly even with the
Dig hat and the pompons, so Richepin 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 1888, be-
iore the glorification of reclame IL was
thought to be remarkable. A play of Richie
pm called Nen-sahig' had been acted for
a week at the Porte St Martin Theater
and created no unusual comments. One
hlght the stage manager came before the
curtain, To the listening public he made
this announcement to the astonishment of
the small audience:
AS NJ. Marais, the actor of the leading
role, is Ill tonight, that part will be acted
Dy M Richepin, the author of the play"
FROM that time Richepin has been IA
nous He could afford to dispense with the
large nat and the pompons and only a
few occasional elopements have varied the
monotony of his life. He usually returns
nome repentant after these little episodes,
so his career since he succeeded in attract
Ing attention has been comparatively quiet
for French poet.
- Sardou's Start.
Victorien Sardou emerged from obscurity
In almost as curious way In 1853 he sent
his play, LA Taverne des Etudiants." to
the Odeon with little hope that it would be
accepted. 1t happened that it arrived on
the day that two new directors had begun
their work. AIphonse Royer and Gustave
Baez were the new men
AT the close of the first day of their term
Baez mad an armful Of manuscripts that
had arrived during the day He was SIT
ting with Mile. Berengere, one of the prjn-
cipal actresses of the theater He picked
up the manuscript on the top of the pile
ana she, leaning over his desk. took up the
second The handwriting pleased her nd
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
II contained one attractive mans part that
would be exactly suited to her
Pierre Lofts Fame.
She insisted that the piece must be acted
at the Odeon. and when the manager looked
at the manuscript he was prejudiced in its
favor by the fact that he had studied I'm
the university town in which the action
passed. Thus was Sardou made a dra-
matist of renown.
1t has sometimes happened that authors
nave been made against their Wills This
occurred in the case of Pierre Lott
He sent some photographs taken by him
While on a cruise in China to an illustrated
newspaper. The editor wrote him in reply
asking that he also furnish some descrip-
ton OF the scenes. He declined, as he did
not care to see himself in print To a sec
ond request he consented. The descriptions
attracted attention, and before he knew II
Pierre Lott was started on literary ca
reer.