SARDOU 251 SARGENT SARDOU, VICTORIEN, a French playwright; born at Paris, in 1831. He began his education as a student of medicine, abandoned medical studies for history and taught for a period during which he made his first dramatic ven- tures. Later he gave up teaching and became a professional writer and jour- nalist. Financially unsuccessful and overtaken with ill health, he met with kindness and friendship from Mademoi- selle Brecourt, who later became his wife, VICTORIEN SARDOU and, through her influence, was intro- duced to Mademoiselle Dejazet in 1859. Through the favor of this noted actress he achieved prominence rapidly; her popularity became the vehicle for his dramatic success and he produced a se- ries of brilliant comedies based upon the social life of the day, among them "Les Pattes de Mouches" (1861, from Poe's "Purloined Letter"). This play was re- vived in New York in 1914 under the title of "A Scrap of Paper." As a dra- matic author Sardou was keenly respon- sive to the social and political complexion of the day and the subjects of his plays were chosen to attract the attention of the moment. His journalistic capacity to recognize and fill the popular demand J for drama of contemporary theme may be said to account for the enduring favor which he enjoyed before the public no less than his ability to oroduca drama of high literary merit. He entered the Academy in 1878. His later work was directed almost entirely toward sensa- tional and spectacular productions in which the spoken parts were subordi- nated to scenic splendor and the enter- tainment of action. "Madame Sans- Gene (1898), "La Sorciere" (1903), and "Divorcons" (1881), illustrate the qual- ity and range of his gifts and also the tendencies toward artificiality which his later work possessed. In this direction his influence has been against the best dramatic standard. Among his many other plays are: "The Students' Inn" (1854) ; "Monsieur Garat" (1860) ; "Saint Gervais" (1860) ; "Piccolino" (1861) ; "The Butterfly" (1862) ; "The Black Devils" (1863) ; "Don Quixote" (1864) ; "The Benoiton Family" (1865) ; "The New House" (1866) ; "Seraphine" (1868) ; "Fernande" (1870) ; "Rabagas" (1872); "Uncle Sam" (1873); "Ferreol" (1875); "Dora" (1877); "Daniel Ro- chat" (1880) ; "Odette" (1881) ; "Fe- dora" (1883); "Theodora" (1884); "Crocodile" (1886) ; "La Tosca" (1887) ; "Mama-in-law" (1889) ; "Cleopatra" (1890) ; "Thermidor" (1891) ; "Gismon- da" (1894), etc. He died Nov. 8, 1908. SARGASSO SEA, a name applied to large areas of the ocean covered with floating seaweed, Sargassum bacciferwm. The best known Sargasso Sea lies in the North Atlantic Ocean, between the Azores and Antilles, its position being determined by the central whirl of the Gulf Stream. It was noticed by Colum- bus, who recorded on his first voyage of discovery (1492) that his whole course was through masses of these weeds, from Sept. 16 to Oct. 12. There is a smaller Sargasso Sea off the coast of Lower Cali- fornia, in the Pacific Ocean. Another lies between Australia and the Falkland Islands in the Antarctic waters. SARGASSUM, a genus of Algx. S. bacciferum is the gulf-weed of the At- lantic. Its stems are much employed in South America, under the name of goitre- sticks, in the treatment of goitre. Their beneficial effects are due to the large proportion of iodine existing in the plant. SARGENT, CHARLES SPRAGUE, an American arboriculturist, born in Bos- ton in 1841. He graduated from Har- vard in 1862. He served during the Civil War, and in 1872 became professor of horticulture at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. In 1873 he was director of the arboretum, and from 1879 was pro- fessor of arboriculture at Harvard. He was chairman of the commission for the preservation of the Adirondack forests, in 1885, and also acted as chairman of
