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Black Republic of Letters

Note - Francisque Sarcey

Francisque Sarcey (1827-1899) was a French journalist and literary critic. Learn more about Francisque Sarcey.

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Miscellany
Electric lighting
Currently, there is an attempt to discover the benefits of the different systems that can be employed for lighting public roads.

It is certain that the electric lighting, which has only existed in satisfactory conditions for a relatively short time, is destined to one day replace gas, just as they had replaced oil lamps which themselves had replaced lanterns carried in front of bourgeois by their people.

Although definitive conclusions have not been reached, tests have shown that electric lighting, of equal brightness, currently cost more than gas lighting. But since the advantages are considerable, the Paris Municipal Council decided not to recoil before the costs and to develop this method of lighting as soon as possible. Parisians will thus soon see electric lighting illuminating all the plazas and all the roads of their city.

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The fashionable hand fan, is the autographed hand fan. The mount, quite simple, is made of violetwood. the vellum sheet, both sides gold-edged, bears a crown or the number in one corner, and, pell-mell, in an artful disorder, friends and family inscribe a date to remember, a couplet, a quatrain, or they add drawing following their imagination. The ultra-chic, in this matter, is the collection of famous signatures.

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The Eyraud-Gouffé Affair
Eyraud appealed to the Supreme Court. The proceedings were certainly conducted in accordance with the law, and the defendant cannot entertain any hope that his appeal will be upheld. But since this delaying tactic requires a certain amount of time, he will gain at least a month of life. His trial, which was scheduled for the second half of October, has thus been postponed until the end of November.

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A Delectable Farce by Dumas Fils
Dumas fils, who doesn't need money at the present—on the contrary—recently pulled one over on the great theatres of Paris. He had a manuscript for a new comedy, of which he is the author, delivered to the concierge of one of the great literary scenes. The manuscript was unsigned, unaddressed, completely without any sign of recognition, and it is written in commonplace calligraphic handwriting.

There is nothing to indicate to the poor concierge that the work is or could be by the illustrious master. The director is similarly in the dark. They are left to guess. The author of Francillon was formal: "I'll give the play," he declared, "to the director who can pick it out from the rest." And he added, laughing, "one is free to seek help from criticism!"

Since this story was revealed, the world of theatre directors has turned upside down, and the hunt for Dumas's play has been organized in dusty offices. Works by young authors are now being read.

They went to find Sarcey to beg him to look for the treasure, but the prince of French criticism—as expected—declined jurisdiction.

Finally, the designated reader at the Français theatre, who is an old friend of Dumas, having long insisted that he reveal at least something about the play, the master said to him:

"Close the door and listen. In the mysterious manuscript, written in a rounded script and tied with a purple ribbon, there is, between page 7 and 53, a spot where the lover falls to the woman's knees and cries: 'Yes, madame, I love you!...'"

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Francisque Sarcey