LIVING COUNTERFEITS

The courts, consulted often - and even the Court of Cassation, the supreme court, have not been able to establish a case law for the offense of usurpation of character, not usurpation of name or quality, but of face.
Resemblance is not an offense provided for by law, the features of a human being having been awarded to him very often against his will by the Creator. Obviously, it sometimes happens that this human being arranges them a bit, embellishes them or accentuates them, to make them resemble the features of some other more illustrious person. And it is likely that this is not without malicious or interested intention.

But the crime is not very great and when one is truly illustrious, one has bad grace to get angry about it. It is the small fatal tribute of celebrity, that people who are not worth you try to pass themselves off as you in the eyes of those who do not look too closely.

Charlie Chaplin and Mistinguett have thus just set in motion the whole arsenal of justice, because they are copied too often, by an external resemblance and a similar attire.

The fly under the nose and the too long trousers of Charlot, the short skirt and the wind-blown hair of the "Miss" are not their exclusive prerogative, deposited under the guarantee of the Government.

During a trip of the artist, the director of the Music Hall of which she was the star, replaced her with a double who was saddled with an almost identical name, different only by three letters. The public was not mistaken and applauded the imitator, not without regretting the real Mistinguett. There was obviously the intention of confusion there.

But we must take into account the great number of poor devils who, also, in distant provinces, in front of vague spectators, try to give a little illusion that they are known artists. This has been done in all times.

Dranem, while traveling, was one day warned that a lookalike was presenting himself in this way, in small towns, under a name that was almost his own and that he was collecting bravos which, certainly, in the minds of the spectators, must have been addressed to the famous singer.

In fact, he was being advertised in the city. For a moment, Dranem thought of going to kick his behind a little. He preferred to come secretly, made up, to the establishment, and, in front of the astonished imitator, he did the singing tour in his place. The other, in the corridors, was crying.

Mrs. Marcelle Yrven, she too, learned that a Marcelle Yrvaine, who looked exactly like her, was acting, taking advantage of the ambiguity. She went to see her to be sure. The resemblance was curious. She was a humble artist, who had never had any luck. Instead of getting angry, Marcelle Yrven complimented her, gave her money and made her her friend, wanting, she said, to keep this rare joy of having her living image at hand.
Wasn't that better than getting very angry?...

HENRY DE FORGE.