I
believe M. Delsarte's work will remain among the fundamental bases; I
believe that his labors are destined to give a solid foundation to
theatric art, to elevate and to ennoble it; I believe that there is no
actor, no singer, however eminent, who cannot derive from the
acquirements and luminous studies of M. Delsarte, positive germs of
development and progress. I believe that whoever makes the external
interpretation of the sentiments of the human soul his business and
profession, whether painter, sculptor, orator, or actor, that all men of
taste who support them will applaud this attempt to create the _science
of expressive man_; a science from which antiquity seems to have lifted
the veil, and what appears willing to revive in our days, in the hands
of a man worthy by his patient and conscientious efforts to discover
some of its most precious secrets."

* * * * *

Delsarte has sought neither fame nor wealth. He could easily have
secured both by remaining on the stage as an actor, after he had lost
his power as a vocalist. He preferred to surrender himself in
comparative retirement to the study of science and art, and the
instruction of those who sought his aid in mastering the principles of
the latter. To the needy this instruction was imparted gratuitously, and
more than one successful actress has been raised from penury to fortune
by the benevolence of her teacher.

It would be easy to cite many illustrations of the goodness and
tenderness of this man. Religious fervor has largely influenced his life
and is the key-note of his character; but his faith is not hampered by
bigotry. Like all minds of high rank, he holds that science and art are
the handmaids of religion.

I have said that this remarkable man did not seek fame; it has come to
him unsought. Pages might be filled with voluntary tributes to his
genius from the foremost minds of France,--Jules Janin, Theophile
Gautier, Mme. Emile de Girardin. Lamartine pronounced him "a sublime
orator." Fiorentino, the keen, delicate, and calm critic, spoke of him
as "this master, whose feeling is so true, whose style is so elevated,
whose passion is so profound, that there is nothing in art so beautiful
and so perfect."

If we hazarded an intrusion into the domestic circle of Delsarte, we
should find one of those pure and happy family groups, fortunately for
France by no means rare even in her capital; one of those French homes
the ex