Claritie's Minister "enters into the Cabinet with the determination to reform every abuse, to recast everything; to seek for honest men, to make merit and not faction, the touchstone of advancement," but his idealism doesn't long survive contact with reality.

Author Biography

Jules Arsene Arnaud Claretie (1840 - 1913) was a French literary figure and director of the Theatre Francais. He was born at Limoges. After studying at the lycee Bonaparte in Paris, he became a journalist, achieving great success as dramatic critic to Le Figaro and to the Opinion nationale. He was a newspaper correspondent during the Franco-Prussian War, and during the Paris Commune acted as staff-officer in the National Guard. In 1885 he became director of the Theatre Francais, and from that time devoted his time chiefly to its administration until his death. During the battle for Octave Mirbeau's comedy Les affaires sont les affaires (Business is business), the Comite de Lecture was abolished in October 1901 and Jules Claretie obtained sole responsibility for choosing the modern plays to be performed.