Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-02-20
STORIES OF COQUELIN
How Frances Famous Comedian
Developed From a Baker.
LOVED TO PLAY DEATH ROLES.
Novel Climax of a Trying Experience
That Greatly Amused an Audience.
How He Became a Member of Fa-
nous Club Through His Wit.


Coquelln, the French actor who recent
~ died at his home in Port-auX-Dames,
near Paris, was the foremost comedian
of France. Many of his own country
men regarded him as the artistic heir
of Moliere, whose characters he repre-
scented better than any other French
actor and In whose house, the Theatre
Francois, he made his start and won
many Of his greatest early successes.
Coquelin, the son of Il baker at Bou-
legne-sur-M er, was born Jan. %, 1911.
1t was intended that he should con-
tinue in his fathers business, but re-
markable aptitude for the stage mani
Tested itself In him when he was still
small boy.
When the little Coqueins, Constant
and Cadet, were boys their father kept
a bOulangerie, and as a good baker and
good pere de famile lie sent his boys
to learn the rudiments to "le pere Ia
verne" who kept an exceedingly ele-
mentary school. He considered his
further duty done by them when he
had clothed them in white drilling, put
little white bakers caps on them and
set them respectively to watching the
oven or trotting through the streets
with baskets of cakes on their heads
or long meters of French bread under
their arms.
1t was soon to be observed, however,
that Constant, the elder, was youth
of most unfortunate proclivities for one
destined for the bakers profession.
Like Rostand's cuisinier poete he let
the bread burn for verses, but in de-
claiming, not composing, them. The
boys would not have been boys If they
had not organized some sort Of barn
circus" in their case amateur theatric-
ais played In an old abandoned thea
ter.
81 am organizing for this week a
grand representation eXtraOrdinaire,"
said the elder CoQuelin one day to his
admiring little brother
"What role shall you play?" asked
Cadet, awestruck.
81 shall play all the roles" was the
answer, and that might almost be TAX
EN- as the watchword of Coquelin's ca.
reer
He had not boosted over his 'repre-
sentation eXtraordinaire." He played
the leading character in four roles one
tragic, one bouffe, one serious, one
sentimental, and so worked himself
up in the last that he tainted away
as he left the stage.
Cadet, pale and excited, conducted
his brother home, and the father, evil
dently feeling that the hand of des-
tiny was too strong for him, a senti-
ment somewhat assisted by a general
complaint of burned brooches among
the bakery's buyers. yielded to these
signs of vocation and sent his son off
to Paris with an income of 1,2OC
francs year.
Coquelin was a natural mimic and
uncommonly apt in recitation.
In the days Of his youth NJ. COque
lin was ambitious, and the parts he
loved best to play were those in which
he died, in full view of an apprecia
tive audience, for his art. He had
one of these roles one evening at the
Boulogne theater and played 1t splenr1
didly, getting ringing round of ap
plause as he fell dead upon the stage
Tlas2 his troubles started.
The audiences applause woke up a
mosquito which applied itself to NJ
COquelin with so much assiduity that
the corpse felt It must either scream
or scratch. Another actor, who layed
general In the corps of which the
dead NJ. CoQueln was young ensign,
was standing near the body and had
to say: "See, then, how sad thing |
is war; But now this youth was liv-
ing. Now he is dead-motionless for
all time! Nothing save miracle can
give him life again"
But NJ. Coquelin could hold out no
longer The mosquito was still biting
busily, and Coquelin had to sit up and |
slap his leg "The miracle has hap |
penedw cried the general, while the |
audience laughed until 1t cried at this |
too lively corpse.
One of the most famous Of the |
Latin quarter clubs in Paris is the
Sub Rosa. Coquelin was present one |
night at the clubs weekly late supper, |
and, having heard that there was a
vacancy in the role, the great actor |
applied for membership. Now, the |
only rules Of the Sub Rosa men are:
"Think much. Write little. Be as ST.
lent as you can" The presiding Off
Ger, with this last rule in mind, an
swered the applicant by placing before
him a tumber filled so full of water
that another drop would have caused |
it to run over. COquein understood.
He had evidently been misinfOrmed
about vacancy; the club member.
ship was obviously full.
Over the table was suspended a rose,
the club emblem. While the glass still
stood before him Coquelin broke a
petal from the flower and laid it so
gently on the water that not q single
drop escaped. silent man could join
and make no trouble. Around the
table ran a ripple of smiles and little
hand claps and mods of approval, and
then, as If of one accord, all began
making bread balls. Then a cup was
passed from hand to hand, and each
deposited his "ballot" in 1t, and all
we're found to be round. Not one had
been pressed fiat in sign Of disap-
So Coquelin Joined the Sub
Rosa club.
The total number of marriages re-