OUR LADIES' LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 4104, 22 April 1876, Page 4

OUR LADIES' LETTER.

Pams, February 19. We have new senators at 12,000 francs per r,annum, and hew peas at 3 francs psr quart. We have new potatoes for the new (deputies to-morrow, and new asparagus for the new ministry next.week. The only thing not new is a new play from Dumas fils ; for his L'JSlrangtre has nothing strange at all, as it neither represents the manners of the old world nor the customs of the new Were it not for the ability of the actors and the brilliant writing of the author the comedy would be a failure. Many regret that Dumas did not bring out his play in the shape of a three-volume novel, mstead of distilling it into five acts, and then rectifying these into one—the fourth. Ladies go to see a new drama by Dumas as they do one of Sardons, certain to find the shadows of the coming

fashion. It is only sisters with spectacles, strong soled boots, and short dresses, that can fathom and discuss the chemistry and the ologies and the isms that Dumas introduces in his dialogues and soliloquies to account for unhappy lives and fatal marriages. The .toilettes, these are the baits to catch the conscientious attention of the fair sex, and Mile. Croizette, in the rdle of the. impassible and erring Duchesse de Sept-

monts, has three lovely ones, and that her scream and her indignation cannot divert us from admiring. The women’s rights question has not reached that advanced stage, where the death of a very bad husband is to be accomplished, in order to allow a wife to re-marry her schooldays’ lover —this is not a consummation devoutly to be wished. While in other countries people are happy in issuing valentines, here everybody is occupied. with posters and the despatch of electoral manifestoes; billstickers have risen to the dignity of men and brethren. What a pity some hermit philosopher or disappointed old bachelor does not employ his dreary hours culling elegant extracts from the candidates’ addresses as evidence of the national politeness. A satirical journal observes that so much mud has been thrown of late between patriots and conser-

v itives that none can be found in the street. Happily two weeks more will deliver us from the suffocating atmosphere in which we live, and move, and have our being. The happiest of politicians is M. Thiers; he never . reads, it is said, a newspaper, pending the Seriod of incubation of candidates; any line ay he may be encountered rummaging among the contents of a bric-a-bac shop, or seated on the top of a ladder" investigating the dusty books on the shelves owned by a bfuquinisle. A few days ago he discovered, a valuable Dutch painting- for M. Thiers commenced life as an art critic—and inside the frame a letter addressed to the painter. When some voters of his district whom he has represented some thirty years— call upon him to ascertain his views on the rights of man and universal brotherhood, and the opportuneness of canonising tiie transported Communists, he invites his visitors to walk into his parlor and admire the old picture he discovered. Everyone is welcome to call on him ; his residence is still a “white house ” —it is only two years rebuilt—provided the conversation be limited to the weather, the state of the crops, the terribly high price of butchers’ meat, and the propriety of vaccinating adults; above all things, the subject of Bonapartism or Free Trade must not be mentioned in his presence, as such might produce a determination of blood to the head or an harangue of six hours' duration. Another pleasant ad-

vantage of conversing with M. Thiers is, that he saves you the trouble of speaking by not allowing you to ever put in a word. But then he is one of those causeurs that you would he sorry to interrupt for a second, and if you exhibit the slightest impatience to speak, he will disarm you with a happy story, or a witty observation. Socially, matters are becoming more civilised since balls and dinner parties are reappearing on the horizon. Augustus could not more passionately demand of Varus to give him back his legions than do ladies ask the elections to restore gentlemen to their drawing-room duties. It is becoming very fashionable at present to have a string instrumental band performing during a ddjeuner ; of course it is ever included in the bill of fare of a dinner; the noon breakfast seems to be

becoming more and more' an important meal. Macauley observed, we invite a guest to dinner for the sake of his grandfather, and to breakfast for the sake of himself. Another innovation, perhaps at present it merits to be ranked as an institution, is the day performances on Sundays at the theatres ; two churches have had to change their hours for celebrating the fashionable masses, in order to suit the hours for the theatres. The racing season has opened, but had to close again, the snow came down so persistently ; the members of the sporting world had no other means left than to promulgate that the Skating Club would give a midnight ball on the ice : the announcement of that ffite sent the thermometer up to sixty-two degrees. But all this does not prevent even the most inoffensive citizens from being attacked with colds in the head, and (only think !) the Academy of Medicine, all doctors of course, rejected no leas than twenty-three perfect cures for this troublesome endemic, alleging that the apothecaries’ shops were over-crowded already with infallible remedies, Influenza is more potential at this moment than universal suffrage. Like a true democrat it affects all alike Legitimists, Orleanists, Bonapartists, sage and naughty Republicans —who are now called Conservatives and honest men for shortness. The moment you unbutton your Ulster, or undo your foulard, allow your lire to go out, or open a little of your window to change the air of a room, the influenza, or Vibrion as Dumas would call the bandit, strikes you, and compels you to be the victim of potions and headaches, flannels and sickening coughs, for three weeks.

It is alleged, on the authority of a leading jeweller, that no lady ever wears real diamonds unless in her own house. Perhaps it is so ; certainly paste predominates at the theatres, and the police records attest that all the diamonds and jewellery picked up after a gala night at the opera or an official state hall are never reclaimed. Just now even imitation jewellery is being extensively ** falsified,” and the genuine is being loaded with vile metal as if it were dice. This is too bad, especially when jewellery was never so generally worn as at present; when a lady suggests the possibility of being smothered under the weight of her ornaments, like the Roman matron of old. After jewellery comes lace and its “imitations;” nothing can convey the impression—and what more does a lady aim to attain ’—that your lace is valuable, and dates like a patent of nobility from the Crusades, save the existence of another impression that you have a balance of pin money at' your bankers. Antique lace is as extensively manufactured as antique furniture. Nothing can be more beautiful than the lace now so extensively employed for trimming or as scarves, or worn with silks and velvets, and faille, and harmonising with pearls, flowers, and feathers; garlands of lace compete with garlands of flowers. White satin is very much in favor for a ball jupon, but tulle seems to be the dominant material; tulle is naturally in its place in a ball toilette, it is vapoiy and wavy, and not the less charming when plain, although embroidered and spangled Allies are in harmony with the taste.

of the day. Brnni foliage is to be met with ornamenting every ball dress, and garlands of leaves are more general than perhaps those of flowers ; even cabbage leaves are not despised ; but rose, vine, and ivy leaves are preferred. At an evening party lately an aged Baroness, still with juvenile ideas—and why ought people to be blamed for endeavoring to remain young, and hence happy ?—-appeared in a toilette profusely trimmed with that dainty plant, the ivy green. “Ivy only grows upon ruins, so la baronne is dressed comme it/aut," observed a Sneerbell. Velvet and cashmere are largely made up for visiting and promenade toilettes, and cuirasses are woru very long behind; hats are in grey and black felt j the marie-antoinette is generally to be met with in maroon velvet, with pale blue turquoise lining; rose and myosotis at the side, with amazon feather of faded blue; passing ever the crown and falling behind, where it meets a bouquet of flowers assorted to the others; a bow of blue ribbon, with floating ends escaping below the curtain. In whatever manner the barbes or strings of the bonnet be arranged, they must leave the ears exposed. Contrary to expectation, the elections have not given rise to any fantasy in the way of toilette novelties; not even the Senators have been happy enough to give their name to a cravat. It was not so during the reign of Louis XIV., who encouraged the “ Steinkerque ” in honor of the bravery of the royal princes, who, when their uniforms were torn to rags in the battle, clothed themselves with portions of their tents. It is also surprising that the anti-Eepubiicans do not adopt the “Victim” head-dress, where the hair was cut suggestively short to recall the last preparation for the guillotine. I have alluded to the admirable toilettes of Mile, Croizette, in her rdle of Duchesse de Septmons in

the Mrang&re, In the first act she wears a simple evening dress in cream-colored satin, with large embroidered flowers, and white jet ornaments in the corsage. In the second act, corsage and jape of emerald velvet, amazone shape, with three diagonal rows of grey buttons ; grey tunic, draped, and raised at the side, with large cordehere attached to the waist. Third act, ruby velvet, with quilted satin plates to match; garniture small golden galoons, forming flounces; hat and veil same shade of ruby. Fourth act, dompadour toilette, jupe grey rose, with embroidered bouquets of flowers, of various colors. Xo wonder the Chinese ambassadors twisted their hair plaits 2t such competition with their jupons. And respecting Celestials, their cousms—the Japanese—have just commenced a series of “at homes.” You imagine perhaps, gentle reader, that this gathering of the cv&mc de la creme of Japanese society, from the various European capitals, allowed the gentlemen to appear in their petticoats, pelerines, duplicate swords, and Sally Gamp umbrellas, and that the ladies were in training robes recalling swaddling clothes, with combs as high as the sacred mountain of Japan, and fans as large as a nre screen. Error, and invincible ignorance ; both sexes were dressed in European costumes, and nothing betrayed these French of the far West, save their almond-cut eyes, and coffee-colored skins. The refreshments were dla Americani. I cannot help remarkhowever, that the funniest spectacle to be witnessed, was a native Prince, lost in an Ulster, and a broad-brimmed hat, with his partner, also in a similar over-all and an qjien cloak of plush and ermine.

ve ancient custom of parading the stalled ox along the Boulevards at the commencement of Lent has been killed right out by the invasion. Instead of being an unique procession, each leading butcher has a ceremony of his own ; thus in the Latin Quartier the students have supported their butcher’s ox, decorating the animal with laurels, flowers, oranges, and loaves of bread ; had they added knives, forks, and plates, one could oe tempted to help himself to a steak, as Bruce records the natives treat their lowmg herds in Abyssinia. At the Grand Hotel the butcher introduced his fat cattle to salute the cosmopolitan residents, and a poor house-painter, in stretching too far his neck out of a window to look at these illustrious etramjers, fell into the court-yard on his head, and was picked up dead. Though the clergy are said to be working overtime at the elections, the re-

ligious health of parishioners is not uncared for; the worldly-minded are requested to remember that attendance at a masked opera ball is out of season, while the Head of the Church is retained a close prisoner, to liberate whom an Abbe Humbourg has issued his address to the electors of the tenth ward of Paris; a friendly journal misprints his name Humbug!; only an error of a letter to stumble in good English.—A silent club has been established ; its president and officers dumb, and also the members—even ladies are ineligible for admission to their concerts. In the Champs Elys<Ses a strongminded dame, aged 102, has been arrested by the police for tearing down the addresses of Republican candidates; she might be forgiven ; her very life pleads her Conservative feelings. People wonder why M, Dumas does not set up as deputy or senator; the fact is the famous dramatist, despite all the noise made about his name, is of a retiring disposition. He only wishes to encounter the crowd by his writings; he is one of the few Frenchmen who is essentially a family man,” and to educate his daughter seems to be his chief pleasure. He is becoming very wealthy, and is as thrifty as his father was extravagant. The spiritists look up to him with reverence; they ought to elect him as successor to Allan Kerdeck. Complaints are still general that prices are very high in Paris—“tongues,” the butchers say, are ever dearer as the opening of the legislature approaches. - In literature the chief novelty is a brochure entitled “The Art of Beating the Prussians.” It costa only twelve sous, and no patriot's library ought to be without a copy.