New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-30
London. October 10

leading lately proofs OF some CT these
,,---.-..s ,,-b,,r are presently 70 be put
into 2 book. I came upon a sentence
..,..- Arr1a Aimee Desclee. OF her 1
--,7o-.o,l, n say something 1t was
-.,sa ,f which I needed no reminder,
- -,,a-a * anything OF which I have
20 --,e7,,o-v Il is Of her and her act
Il, America she was unknown. She
...--,- crossed the Atlantic. In London
80, vras not unknown. for she played
ne during one season at the Princess :
Theatre. but she is forgotten Often as
ne r1oraIize on the oblivion which Is
she early fate Of almost all great actors,
this is the most melancholy Of all For
-1escIke was the greatest Of emotional
actresses. and nothing is so transitory
as al emotion except the expression OF
II on the stage. n. Alexandra Dumas
fls with whom as an author her fame
as an actress is forever bound UP, says
Of DescIee without any qualification that
in her art she was the first. He adds:
IT was for Us u write lie Nissan
throne. she would have been cell
meme. t was FOR Us 70 write Romeo;
she would have been Juliet. We have
done only what we could. she has done
more than she ought, and thus it is that
she killed herself
saw Aimee Desclke often in Paris
e. The Gymnase, and often in London
a. the -Princess's. In neither city was
She one OF that Elfttering company Of
artists whose celebrity lay outside Of
her art I do not mean that she led
"a life Of order. she did not. but that
the splendor % a lawless existence had
NJ attraction for her. The truth about
the matter is 70 be found in that as
tarishiug book. ''Lettres de Aimee Des-
cfee q Fanfan'' published in Paris in
1851 human document If ever there
were one. But il is one which ought
never 10 have seen the light Of day. The
editor Of IT is N Pau DupIain. name
Of no great authority IN literature But
the true author Of II was II. Alexandra
Dumas the younger. He inspired il, and
Tor Il he must be held responsible. He
wanted. al all costs. 2 record Of the
career. Of the genius. OF the brilliant per
sGnalify which he had enlisted in the
service OF his drama; OF the actress for
whom he wrote three Of his best plays,
an6 10 whom he had been indebted for
II Interpretation Of a kind which no
other actress could have given him. He
might wei have written her life or paid
an adequate tribute 10 the actress. He
preferred instead 10 publisher TO sane
ton the publishing. II IS the same thing
Of her letters 10 her lover. That the
public might be sure 10 remembe the
actress and the plays she had acted, he
flung them the woman.
II Is not known who Fanfan was. He
has earned a sort OF anonymous immor-
rsliry. and the name which Desclee gave
him viii be remeu bered by her letters
AL that can be said about him is that
he was al officer OF the French army.
while the soul Of the woman who loved
him was stripped naked his identity was
carefully concealed. I would print his
name Z anew Il. but DO not. I have
often asked Nobody seemed 10 know:
unusual as Il is in Paris for secrets OF
thar kind 70 remain secrets II is fair
20 say that the French standard OF
honor is on this one point less rigid OF
less universal than in England or il
America a French lover kisses and
t---s-though Fanfau perhaps did not.
The certainty Of the possibility that he
VIII tell ought 10 put virtue and also
vice. OF IFS guard. Il is not quite clear
thar Fl does a French writer ike Du-
mas. of the first order as z writer Of
PLAYS. b=trsvs the confidence q woman
gives him when she trusts him with let
ters-her own and auOther's
The public which thinks itself the
gamer by this looseness Of honor may
be disposed 70 oondone the offence. N.
DE- Guihert must have been a consent
irE party 20 the printing Of the letters
~ Nile de Lespinasse. incomparabl bic let
ters as they are. yet. like those OF Des-
clee letters ali passion. But since the
letters q Nile de Lesptnasse were writ
ten d century and half ago and the
letters Of Desclke only yesterday. the
o1ence in this last case seems less par
dorable. II Is not certain how far N.
d. Guibe-t was really IN love with Nile
DR. LeErinasse. or whether he returned
her passion. The inference you draw
from Desclee's letters is that Fanfan
really did care for her. though for no
very long time and Of the nature Of the
relations between them there is no doubt
4 worse thing has TO be said Of Dumas
Re publishes letters from which you
cannot bat suppose, nor doubt you are
meant 10 suppose. that At one time
DescIke was in love with him. Her love
for him he first rejects, then proclaims
He is NOT a man Of too many scruples
We are allowed 10 understand that
many other actresses have flung them
selves at his head, vsinly- With mis- alb
TteDrCr morals have nothing 10 do
Pvt be assures US that, as between
author and actress. he considers such
relations lnconvenisnt and compromising
I'd business mistake. in fact His rela-
lous with other women h blazoned
abroad Not q few OF his scenes Of love
il his plays are understood 10 be auto
ographicaI-espectany II with women
% fashion and title one such woman
asked him.
'uais Oh done avez-vous ktudie toutes
ces femmes-lA2 Chez eIIes2''
.Nor, madame. chez moi
against which may be set the pathetic
saving Of Desclee. from out her life OF
hardship and poverty and truth 70 art.