had collected. This
commentary was characteristically clever, brisk, bright and amusing; but
its interest was partly personal, partly local, and partly contemporary.
The interest of the letters themselves is permanent; and this is the
reason why it has seemed advisable to select the most significant of
them and to present them here unincumbered by the less useful remarks of
the lecturer.

Emile Augier (1820-1889) disputes with Alexandre Dumas the foremost
place among the French dramatists of the second half of the nineteenth
century. The 'Gendre de M. Poirier' (which he wrote in collaboration
with Jules Sandeau) is the masterpiece of modern comedy, a worthy
successor to the 'Tartuffe' of Moliere and the 'Marriage of Figaro' of
Beaumarchais.

Theodore de Banville (1823-1891) was a poet rather than a playwright.
Altho he composed half-a-dozen little pieces in verse, the only one of
his dramatic efforts which really succeeded in establishing itself on
the stage, was 'Gringoire,' a one-act comedy in prose; and this met with
a more fortunate fate than its more fantastic companions only because
Banville revised and strengthened his plot in accordance with the
skilful suggestions of Coquelin, who "created" the part of the starving
poet.

Adolphe Dennery (1811-1899) was the most adroit and fertile of
melodramatists in the midyears of the nineteenth century. Perhaps his
best play was 'Don Cesar de Bazan'; and perhaps his most popular play
was the 'Two Orphans.'

Alexandre Dumas _fils_ (1824-1895) was the son of the author of the
'Three Guardsmen'; and he inherited from his father the native gift of
playmaking, which he declared in this letter to be the indispensable
qualification of the successful dramatist. His 'Dame aux Camelias' has
held the stage for more than sixty years and has been performed hundreds
of times in every modern language.

Edmond Gondinet (1828-1888) was the author of a host of pleasant pieces,
mostly comedies in from one to three acts, and mostly written in
collaboration. He believed that he preferred to write alone and that
only his good nature kept tempting him into working with others. It was
probably to warn away those who wanted to bring him their manuscripts
for expert revision that led him to assert in this letter that he was "a
detestable collaborator."

Ernest Legouve (1807-1903) was the collaborator of Scribe in the
composition of 'Bataille de Dames' and 'Adrienne Lecouvreur.' In his
delig