Madame Thérèse | Page 4

Polonais, or "The Bells", as it is known in English, has been on the
stage for nearly forty years, and enjoys a great popularity yet. Probably
no play in Sir Henry Irving's repertory was received with the same
steady favor or was acted so many times by him.

ÉMILE ERCKMANN was born at Phalsbourg, a fortified town of
Alsace on the border between Germany and France, May 20, 1822. His
father was a poor shopkeeper and as late as 1870 continued to serve his
customers. The younger Erckmann received his education at the local
college, but only after a hard struggle. Like the others who find the road
to knowledge arduous he made good use of his opportunities, after he
had once obtained them. He was at the head of every class of which he
was a member and was graduated with first honors. So remarkable a
student had he been--though his native ability was only fair--that for
years he was mentioned by the professors as a model worthy of close
imitation. Born and reared among a population which was essentially
German, in spite of the most persistent efforts to denationalize it, he
had German characteristics of body as well as of mind. He had a heavy
frame, golden hair and beard, a rather broad face, blue eyes, fair
complexion, and a meditative expression, all of which would easily
cause him to be taken almost anywhere for a professor from a German
university rather than for the Frenchman which he really was. He
combined Alsatian-French vivacity with German method and
minuteness; yet he hated the Germans, though he was German in name
and characteristics.
After finishing his course at Phalsbourg he went to Paris to study law,
following this work intermittently for fifteen years. Later he revisited
the old college at Phalsbourg. Here he heard the president lament the
fact that among the students he had only one worthy successor of
Erckmann, namely a certain Alexandre Chatrian. Chatrian was sent for
and the three dined together that evening. Erckmann was shown an
article by Chatrian bristling with novel ideas on society and its
organization. He was so well pleased by it that he immediately
suggested to Chatrian the joint establishment of a democratic paper.
This paper was suppressed by the police after eight issues.
Erckmann returned to Paris to study law, which at times he gave up for
the pursuit of literature, from which in course of time he returned to the
law. Meanwhile he and Chatrian had jointly written a play called
Alsace. It was presented, was successful, but was suppressed (1848).
This disappointment delayed for two years Chatrian's removal to Paris

to join Erckmann. They wrote a volume of stories, of which L'illustre
Docteur Mathéus was the principal one. When this volume appeared,
they were on the verge of need. The capricious public bought three
editions of the volume and gave the "name" that meant permanent fame
for the authors.
Chatrian finally reached Paris, and the collaborators wrote on busily. In
1858-1861 they worked on subjects drawn from their usual pastoral
sources, and made from them a series of longer tales which they named
Romans Populaires. These were well received. Emboldened by their
steady gain in popular favor the literary partners resolved in 1861 on a
larger venture. They conceived the idea of writing a series of historical
novels under the title of Romans Nationaux, the subjects of which were
to be taken from the most dramatic episodes of modern French history
after the outbreak of the first Revolution. To this happy design they
became indebted for their greatest triumphs. By 1869 they had added
eight volumes to the series.
In 1869 they had ready for the stage Le Juif Polonais, in which the
tortures of conscience were dramatically described, and offered it to
theatrical managers. It was finally put on at the Cluny Theatre in Paris,
and met with immediate success.
There was nothing notable in their joint career from their assured
success till the rupture of their lifelong friendship in the late eighties,
an account of which is given in the next biography. After the death of
Chatrian, Erckmann continued to write successfully with all the oldtime
vigor that had characterized the work of the two. He died March 14,
1899.
ALEXANDRE CHATRIAN was born in Soldatenthal, a village near
Phalsbourg, December 18, 1826. Like Erckmann he was of an humble
family, whose members had long followed the occupation of
glassmaking. Chatrian's parents were intelligent and determined to
educate their son. They accordingly sent him to the college at
Phalsbourg, where he remained three years. Owing to business reverses
his parents were unable longer to support him in school, so they set him
to glassmaking in Belgium. He had here an unusually good opportunity

to secure a part interest