The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-28
VAMIES Of
A GREAT Fair
Stories Told of the Little Fol-
lies of BalzaC.
HATED HIGO AND DUMAS
Born a PIebian He Courted
Rank and Title.
HATED HIGO AND DUMAS

Paris Sunday, of the statue of Balzac,
at the crossways where stood the house
in which he died fifty-two years ago,
has furnished last sheaf of anecdotes
concerning the romancer, through whose
measureless brain the entire human COM
edy of French life went gallopins For the
newest of these, Mr.. Philibert Audebrand
is responsible; he is himself a wonderful
old man of eighty-seven, who was init
nlately associated with the literary gen
Grafton of 1880 in his own precocious youth
and published a first book of anecdoes
ffty-one years ago; of him Charles Mon
selet said long since: "You might paper
the place du Carrousel with what he has
written NJ. Audebrand no longer writes,
but only remembers and talks TO the
right man-in this case TO Joseph Baltier,
an unwearied student OF the little but
rot least significant, facts or literary his
tory.
Il knew Balzac at the Societe des Gems
de Lettres, of which he was one OF the
founders, in 1898. He did not remain in
it. he wished to have an order of rank
established in the society. Instead of
fraternal association in which all writers
should have equal right to the funds, Bal
zac would not allow an unsuccessful con-
frere to have a right to the same sum as
another who was more favored by fortune
and readers His idea was that there
should be separate class in the society.
and in this class. the first place would
naturally have been his own. Such an
idea showed two characteristic traits of
L. Of a-fxy and
about money the need to speculate"
1t has long been known that BalZac
added the noble particle due TO his name;
hut the haptsnal record of his grand
father, which has recently been found.
shows that he sprung at one remove from
nIiterate peasants who spelled the name
'Bausa.' This is to his credit in modern
ioeas, but apparently not in his own
NJ Audebrand continues:
"Balzac's pride was greater even than
his genius He did not mix even with his
reers-the great men of his time. He did
not like Hugo, and detested Dumas, who
was, in every sense. his bette noire. Once
Ealzac brought TO the Steele the manu-
script of a novel, which was To follow the
'Trois Mousquetaires, then being publish
eG. He asked to be paid two and half
franc line. The director of the journal
hesitated: You see, NJ. Dumas is being
paid only two francs a line If you are
giving two francs 10 that negro. l shall
get out and Balzac stalked off. Dumas
vas not ignorant of BaZacs feelings to-
ward him and did not spare him. In the
foyer of the Odeon Theatre, Bazac was
talking loudly in group of literary men;
When Ihave written myself out as
novelist ! shall go to playwrighting.
You can begin right away called out
Dumas.
"Balzac went little into the world but
when he did so he did it properly; he did
not like to pass unnoticed. For an entire
winter he was to be seen in an opera box
with NJ de Girardin holding in his hand
sort of drum-ma jors cane-a wonderful
piece of carved goldsmiths work from
Froment-Meurice This cane came to seem
n part of the opera decoration. The spec
tators on taking their places. turned to
leck for it. and it was not difficult to
find Madame &c NJ. de Girardin wrote
about tia Came de NJ de Balzac-
The Marquis de Viledeuil. who is still
living. has been kind enough TO add his
own "reminiscences of this side. little
known, of Balzac's character 'Balzac
used to come to my mothers house in the
Faubourg Saint-Germain. We lived in
the Rue de fUniversite and there 1 made
the novelist's acquaintance. 1 sti1 remem-
Ter his blue coat with gold buttons and
his lace shirt-frill. With blowzy hair and
thumbs in the armholes of his vest he
talked and perforated without end. He
was a fierce Legitinist-none was more
Iegitimist than he according to himself.
His white cockade was too much whiten-
ed for me. l have always thought that.
fiattered by his reception in the Faubourg,
he was striving to pay court to the Royal
lists. Most of all. he wished TO be a Depu-
ty II is possible that he was really a
Rcyalist; many men of letters and art
lists were so at that time for aesthetic
reasons
Il do not know If the Royalist faith Of
Ralzac was sincere but IL was not &C
tive When the Princess Louise was to
be married to the prince. who was after
wards Duke Of Parma. the Royalists got
pp a subscription FOR royal present.
Palzac promised sum worthy of him
self: he forgot his promise.
Il always thought Balzac something Of
farceur and poseur as well-quite as
much rs Chopin. who also came 10 cur
salon. How Chopin excited cur pity about
his Poland, | liked his music better than
his lamentations. You should have seen
him 1T the piano. when, after executing
some piece, he leaned exhausted over the
keyboard as II his soul were oozing out
through his tired fingers.
NJ Audebrard adds; a volume would
be needed TO tell all the foolish specuia-
lions of Balzac He was a printer and
review editor-that might pass-but he
vas also planter Of pineappies at les
Jar1ins (near Paris,f-this showed very
uncommon Imagination He gave an or
der for so.ea oaks in Poland. and went
e. Sardinia 10 look Tor silver Stag. which
h thought The Romans must have left
from their metal working. But the folly
or speculation was epidemic liz that ccn-
Grafton. Lamsr,ine ruined himself buying
TIE grapes OF entire vineyards Victor
Hugo was luclier and had a nose for
good financial affairs. believe il IS Brun-
etiere who says that Hugo had every
genius, including that for good invest
n1ents-'-
WELL KNOWN AUTHOR nEAn