Moreover Augier thoroughly understood the intricacies of the theatre. His pieces were ad mirably planned, and he had the gift of being able to develop a character in all dramatic situ ations. Dumas fils exercised his talent on a higher plane and followed a more generous ideal. He wrotepieces embodying arguments, carefully arranged, but the principal object of which was to moralize.
His ideas were certainly bold for the period in which he lived. He advocated the rights of illegitimate children, and in those of the unwedded mother. He even made himself the champion for the woman who has erred, and in 'La Dame aux camilias) and 'Les Idees de Madame Aubray) proposed to rehabilitate her. In 4 Francaion' he proclaimed that adultery is just as criminal on the husband's part as the wife's and even went so far as to recognize the right of the latter to take revenge. These pieces which might possibly be deemed frigid escape this judgment on account of the skill and wit with which they are treated. Dumas inherited from his father the spirit of the theatre and he wrote in a vigorous style, often brilliant and sometimes eloquent.
Among the less known authors of the end of the 19th century, we must not overlook Pailleron. His 'Monde oii l'on s'ennuie) was a witty, if somewhat puerile, criticism of the literary salons. Henri Becque, talented in a bitter and harsh style, should also be mentioned. His realism is of a pessimistic nature. In his piece 'Les we are shown a pack of avaricious and unscrupulous creditors eager for their booty, reducing a family to misery after the death of the father. His 'Parisienne) was an exhaustive but unjust study of the society woman fluttering between her husband and her lover, or lovers. Finally, 'L'Amoureuse' by Monsieur de Porto-Riche, presented 'us with a curious and bewildering psychological document on the mentality of the eternal female.
The Free Toward the end of the century, an interesting experiment was made by Monsieur Antoine. Under the influence of na turalism inspired by Zola and the Goncourts, he founded the free theatre. He sought to pro test against the artificial character of contem porary dramatic art, and depict on the stage an exact picture of actual life. At first he em ployed his energies in criticising to excess pass ing events and personalities in a spiteful but witty manner, and, under the cloak of realism, he took pleasure in describing, with exaggera tion, the defects and turpitudes of humanity. But it must not be forgotten that he kept "open house) for new authors, and we are indebted to him for some pieces by Jean Jullien, Georges Ancey, etc., whose names might never have been brought to the notice of the public if he had not accepted their plays. He also staged
foreign masterpieces, particularly those of Ib sen, 'Les Revenants' and 'Le Canard Sau vage.' Finally, he paid great attention to the scenery, to which he gave a more real appear ance, and introduced more simplicity in the play of the actors.
Present This evolution of realism in the theatre is not yet completed. Possibly it is counteracted by other tendencies more or less undefined. The dramatic produc tion in France is more abundant than ever but it would seem that it is still feeling its way. Spontaneous comedy, pure and simple, is a thing of the past. We have above all pieces of an ill-defined and composite style embodying both comedy of every-day life, character-com edy and drama. Many eminent authors such as Capus, Donnay, Lavedan, Romain Coolus, Bataille, Bernstein, know how to combine wit with emotion. On the other hand a higher ideal is sought and social problems are dis cussed on the stage. Monsieur Brieux attacks our whole legal system in 'La Robe Rouge,' and poses difficult questions concerning sexual morality in 'Les Avaries) and 'Avortement) • Monsieur Hervieu in 'Les Tenailles' and Loi de l'homme) espouses the cause of fem inism; Monsieur Emile Fabre evoke., and con demns in 'Les Ventres dores) the big financial scandals which have recently been the subject of a large press campaign. Monsieur de Cure, one of the most talented dramatic authors of our day, deals with touching and difficult cases of conscience in 'La Nouvelle Idole.' Has a famous physician the right to sacrifice the life of a patient in the interests of science, or jeopardize an existence to save thousands of other human beings? In the 'Repas du we are asked to solve the problem of whether great intelligence and highly refined ideals should concentrate themselves to the welfare of the ignorant masses who would destroy therm Thus we find many talented and promising writers but no particular name which stands in relief and no style clearly dominating an other. Such is the present state of dramatic art in France, and as such it holds its own throughout the world, giving stimulus to other peoples. As far as it can be permitted to prophesy in such matters, it would seem likely that the theatre of the future would have a tendency to take up political and social ques tions. But what has the future in store for us? Who knows if as the outcome of the Great War which is scourging Europe a new world will not be born which will create a formula of art as yet unknown? In any case, France, which up to now has been the special cradle of dra matic art, will certainly not be the last to dis cover its proper trend and perhaps indicate it to others.