M. Deschamps's Fourth Lecture.

The fourth of the series of lectures on the French Drama was given yesterday on the subject "La Farce; les Successeurs de Labiche."

The extensive repertoire of Labiche is almost all one great satire on "bourgeoisie" life in France. His works have for several generations furnished a healthy hilarity for the French theatre goer. In creating gaiety and laughter for this audience, Labiche followed Rabelais more than Moliere, who was apt to censure the vices of his time in thoughtful and didactic works. Labiche, nevertheless, borrowed much from Moliere, and, in fact he and his contemporaries were "gleaners of Moliere's harvest." One of Moliere's most successful types, that of the bourgeois who is bold abroad but with his wife "timide," is often well used by Labiche. "L'Auvergnat," acted by the Cercle Francais in 1888--"Le Voyage de M. Perrichon" and "La Poudre aux Yeux," also produced by the Cercle, are three of his most successful plays. Others of his best known works are "Le Chapeau de Paille d'Italie," "La Cagnotte," "Le Misanthrope," "Celimare, le Bien Aime," and "Le Plus Heureux des Trois."

The heritage of Labiche has been divided among M. Georges Feydeau, M. Gandillot, M. Alexandre Bisson, and M. Courteline. Of these, Courteline seems to have the most talent. He is a writer of considerable power, with a copious and spontaneous wit. The military officer is one of his stock characters, but he has not the tact, according to M. Deschamps, to treat him with the dignity due him as the protector of his country. "Les Gaietes de l'Escadron" is an excellent parody -- albeit full of philosophy--on the less attractive sides of military life. "Le Train de 8:47," "Boubonroche," and other similar works, belong to the same category and show the same keen appreciation of humannature.