Madame Thérèse | Page 4

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 Math��us 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 in the factory, but when he came of age, he returned home, thoroughly dissatisfied with his occupation. His parents were disappointed at his giving up such an opportunity to establish himself in business, but he had made up his mind that his career ought to be a literary one. By chance there was