pave', all poems of great extension and
universal reputation, he treats of simple existences, of unknown
unfortunates, and of sacrifices which the daily papers do not record. The
coloring and designing are precise, even if the tone be somewhat sombre,
and nobody will deny that Coppee most fully possesses the technique of
French poetry.

But Francois Coppee is known to fame as a prosewriter, too. His 'Contes
en prose' and his 'Vingt Contes Nouveaux' are gracefully and artistically
told; scarcely one of the 'contes' fails to have a moral motive. The
stories are short and naturally slight; some, indeed, incline rather to
the essay than to the story, but each has that enthralling interest which
justifies its existence. Coppee possesses preeminently the gift of
presenting concrete fact rather than abstraction. A sketch, for instance,
is the first tale written by him, 'Une Idylle pendant le Seige' (1875).
In a novel we require strong characterization, great grasp of character,
and the novelist should show us the human heart and intellect in full
play and activity. In 1875 appeared also 'Olivier', followed by 'L'Exilee
(1876); Recits et Elegies (1878); Vingt Contes Nouveaux (1883); and Toute
une Jeunesse', mainly an autobiography, crowned by acclaim by the
Academy. 'Le Coupable' was published in 1897. Finally, in 1898, appeared
'La Bonne Souffrance'. In the last-mentioned work it would seem that the
poet, just recovering from a severe malady, has returned to the dogmas of
the Catholic Church, wherefrom he, like so many of his contemporaries,
had become estranged when a youth. The poems of 1902, 'Dans la Priere et
dans la Lutte', tend to confirm the correctness of this view.

Thanks to the juvenile Sarah Bernhardt, Coppee became, as before
mentioned, like Byron, celebrated in one night. This happened through the
performance of 'Le Passant'.

As interludes to the plays there are "occasional" theatrical pieces,
written for the fiftieth anniversary of the performance of 'Hernani' or
the two-hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the "Comedie
Francaise." This is a wide field, indeed, which M. Coppee has cultivated
to various purposes.

Take Coppee's works in their sum and totality, and the world-decree is
that he is an artist, and an admirable one. He plays upon his instrument
with all power and grace. But he is no mere virtuoso. There is
something in him beyond the executant. Of Malibran, Alfred de Musset
says, most beauti