Page:The life and writings of Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) (IA lifewritingsofal00spurrich).pdf/177

 Dumas fils, but you—you are not Dumas père—you never will be!" said "the Lady of the Camélias" to the great man. "He is a big child of mine, born when I was quite young," said the son. Each seemed to provoke wit in the other. The elder was one day dining with his son, who had taken a house where the trees in the garden quite blocked up the light. "Open your windows," said old Dumas, "and let your garden have a little fresh air!"

By kindness of Madam Dumas fils we are enabled to add two "documents" in connection with this love between father and son. The first is Dumas père's formal, yet indignant, protest when the censor prohibited his son's most famous play:—=

"I declare, on my honour, and on my literary experience, that 'La Dame aux Camélias' forbidden by that stupid institution called the Censorship, is an essentially moral play, and I have a right to an opinion on morality, seeing that I have written 700 volumes which might safely be included in a school library, or be read in a convent, by the young girls.—Paris, 4th October 1851.

"

The other is a little gem, which we do not dare to translate. It is written by the father to the son, on New Year's day:—