New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-24

discomfort of dwelling thus among the gods. A
more or less limited landscape Of chimney pots
and ragged tiles visible from a small and incon-
veniently high window; too much in sum-
mer, too much wind in winter; the six endless
flights of steep. dark stairs seem 10 form
insuperable barrier between the humble ledger
and the outside world. And Yet, in such a garnet
in Paris to-day there is very proud and con-
tented poets soul. It is that Of Mile Marthe
Dupuy, who has been chosen from among $50
candidates for the honors OF the laureateship.
II any muse presided At the birth Of the future
laureate it must have been that OF art. for her
father was a sculptor of Blos. and had earned
certain reputation il his profession He died
young. however. leaving his widow and child
but III provided for. and soon as possible the
young girl had t. find means Of earning her own
bread. A popular French writer has said that
honestly 70 earn by art a modest competency In
Paris one must possess genius. However true
the dictum may be, the verdict Of the capital Is
the only one coveted by the artist Of whatever
kind who is born in France Poets, musicians,
writers all drift quickly 10 the metropolis, and
Mile Dupuy was no exception TO the rule. Com
ing TO Paris, she obtained position in the post
Office telegraph department. where the atmos-
phere must have seriously initiated against her
poetic instincts. At any rate, she was not a
great success at her work, and incurred the dis
pleasure of her chief by quarrelling over the
wires with a telegraph operator in q provincial
Office There was nothing 10 gain by staying
after that little episode, and the girl left and
started out on the thorny path of literature
OF course she did not succeed in making
living; what youthful poet ever did? Even Yer
laine at the end of his life. was thankful to ac-
cept the price Of two poor dinners for one of his
exquisite poems scrubbed on a dirty half sheet
of paper and he died In free bed in one OF the
Paris hospitals few years ago. How, then.
could Mile Dupuy expect TO find reading pub
Iic7 But France has a variety Of ways OF
couraging and helping youthful talent While
the Pr.x de Rome ia the goal OF the budding
COMPOSER. poets have q friend in THAI prince OF
living poets the author OF the Vase Brise."
Sully-Prudhomme. When the Nobel prize az
100 COO francs was awarded TO him he generous
ly set aside the sum OF 100 francs which he
destined 10 pay the expenses OF publishing the
first book Of verses by 4 new and struggling
author TO be selected annually by a competent
Jury in open competition. This prize. called the
-Prudhomme prize. was awarded for the
first time two years ago to NJ. Emile Michelet;
last year Il was given to nj. Charles Dumas,
and to win IL this year Mile Marthe Dupuy
set herself with all the energy and hopefulness
OF youth All through the spring and early
summer the little garnet under the tiles must
have been only too small to contain the aspira-
tons. the imaginings. the hopes and fears OF
the poetess. When at last the poem which
SO much depended was as good as she could
make II she posted II TO the Jury OF critics
with whom the choice Of the laureate lay. The
interval vas somewhat long, for there were one
hundred and eighty poems to be read and con-
sidered, but their verdict was at last delivered.
and the name Of Nile. Oupuy Wa announced