LADIES' LETTER FROM PARIS

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 358, 5 August 1875, Page 4

LADIES' LETTER FROM PARIS

(From a correspondent of the Press.) Paris. June 12. There is a Hegira now taking place in the capital. Every one who desires to be considered as anybody is bound to depart for the seaside or elsewhere ; provided Paris be quitted, honor will be saved. Not a few persons conform to this iron law of fashion, which comes iuto operation after the racing for the Grand Prix, stage-like fashion, departing on one side and coming Jback by the other. All this moving to and fro during the summer season is incomprehensible for a city with such special advantages for living cool in the dog days as Paris peculiarly possesses, and the best evidence is afforded by the fact that country cousins take up their abode in the capital as the migratory part of the population withdraws. One can hire furnished apartments, not only beside the river, but on the water itself, boats now being fitted up like Noah's ark, with all the comforts of a home; and in the floating baths you may remain in the water all day. being supplied with your meals therein, and you can hire a reader, a story teller, or even a dervish, to amuse you into the bargain. What seaside can surpass these luxuries? There is this in common with all country parts—freshness and flowers ; in addition, each of the suburbs of Paris possesses its peculiar attractions, and people become attached to them; subscribe as it were for a residence for five months in the year, as one does to the newspaper of which he is a constant reader. There is this advantage about the surrounding villages and scenery of Paris, all are beautiful and no two alike. The apparel is said oft proclaims the man, so does the choice he makes of his summer residence ; for lovers, philosophers, and talking age, perhaps St Germain carries off the palm, only the forests are so gay, that a Jacques could not find there food for his melancholy. " Village fetes" are now very much the mode, and have this singularity, that villagers are never invited to take part in them ; it is a fete, a breakfast, or a dinner, or rather a union of both, for France is at present the land of compromises, organised by some forty or fifty friends, who rail, drive, or boat, ac cording to circumstances, from Paris, enjoy a paper hunt, flirtations, and field sports, as interpreted by Aunt Sally ; the return home is ever delicious. Bear in mind, the ladies give these picnics, and no gentleman is allowed to contribute as much as the smallest coin of the realm, which for business conveniences is limited to the tenth part of a At a recent out-door club dinner at St Germain, a lady aged twenty, extremely handsome, and possessing a beautiful figure, was very much remarked ; her robe was in white muslin, bordered with violet velvet, a Rubens hat ornamented with a white feather, but her hair was dressed in a manner altogether new, not only as to form, but above all to color ; her hair was long, in curls, and distinguished by all the fantasies of art; it was neither black, chesnut, nor red, it was perfectly white; Now as nothing is more unfixed in France than the coiffure, it would not be surprising if powder became the rage. Along with these outings to the country proper, there have been several others of a different kind—horse racings and fancy fairs ; at the recent Grand Prix race, never did the Bois de Boulogne witness such a fashionable crush, and never was there concentrated on the grand stand such a collection of wealth and fashion; gentlemen's purses must have been well tried to purchase tickets for lady friends, as a set off to their invitations. Of course the last thing spoken of is horses; French ladies will never take to that kind of conversation; for them the paddock and the tribunes are only so many out-of-door drawing-rooms, where gossip and visiting may be carried on, the sole drawback being that no military bands play for fear of teasing the animals; a kind of zoological garden severity. The Parisians are said to be halt-mad about these races, but their enthusiasm is not equal to that of the Londoners for not a citizen would close his shop did the hippie fete come off on a week-day, to go and witness the spectacle; it takes more than twelve years, observes a philosopher, to make a nation " horsey." Perhaps among all the celebrated beauties and fashionables present, none was more remarked than the ex-Queen of Naples, as she promenaded, leaning on the arm of the Due de Nemours. She rarely mixes in society, and her misfortunes and heroic antecedents make her interesting. It is notorious that the ex-Queen of Spain has fallen fifty per cent in public curiosity since her son has ascended the throne. It was observed that there were more ex-Monarchs at the race in question than there were real Monarchs during a similar spectacle in 1867, along with the Emperor. Madame Macmahon does not profess to be a leader of fashion; besides, that role necessitates a good balance at your bankers. She wore a plain ecru dress, having for bonnet a double crown of oats and white poppies; the Duchesse de Chaulnes had a sky-blue toilette, with a Leopold Robert hat and pale roses. It would be impossible to enumerate the toilettes, because the fashion of the day is, not for a lady to follow the fashion, but to adopt her fashion; dressmakers may continue to assert such and such are the law and prophets, but their occupation in this respect ia gone; one can observe the general tendencies in favor, that convenience or circumstances may impose, but for every lady to dress alike because some elegantes patronise this or that, would be to dress very badly indeed. To see one one lady in a charming toilette, then, will not be to view all ladies, for features, carriage, form, color, and age will dictate. Talleyrand was often consulted by ladies for their toilettes, and his canon was—he was originally a bishop, you know—that ladies ought never to consult one another, still less their dressmakers; they ought invariably decide themselves. Death has been busy of late, indeed he is never unoccupied; the loss society experiences in (Jomte de Hemusat is very great; he was a most agreeable gentleman and the life of a social party, full of .inecdote, and a brilliant causeur; in his salad days he was a poet aud sang his own compositions, an excellent actor, and a capital reader; though a grave historian, he never was above making a squib; he wasso English in thought and manners, that he was familiarly called " Sir Charles;" he ordered all his clothes from a London tailor, and he

described his chateau near Toulouse a " cottage," feeling it to be more English; no foreigner surpassed him in his knowledge of English philosophy and literature, his writings alone prove it; during his fatal illness —pleurisy, and now raging like an epidemic in Paris—his only delight was to hear his grandson his lessons, and when his daughter-in-law read prayers for him in French, he begged she would do so in Latin, as that reminded him of his early days. Perhaps M. Thiers will feel most keenly M. de Remusat's death ; they were inseparable chums since 60 years, and throughout that time a shade never intervened between their friendships ; then the event is a memento onori for Ihe ex-Presi dent, and when people arrive at the age of fourscore, they become very superstitious. M. Thiers has at last taken possession of his n< w house, built by the nation on the ruins of that demolished by the Comintine ; he has been removing during three months, and when all was ready for the final departure .it was discovered that the day was a Friday, which being considered unlucky, his lady and sister-in-law would not leave. It is ranked as fatal to undertake any important event on a Friday as it is to have thirteen guests at table, and a statistician has shown that three-fourths of the separated married couples had been wedded on Fridays. There is no help for persons who thus wilfully rush to misfortune. As to separations, much controversy has been indulged in respecting the authenticity of the remains in the tomb dedicated to Abelard and Heloise in the chief city cemetery. Some pamphlets prove the skeletons are not those of the real lovers, while others swear by all the gods, nothing henceforth be asserted as true, if the tomb be not considered genuine. There is a general disposition to allow the matter to drop, to repair the tomb, and permit lovers to visit the shrine in good faith, and draw courage from the true history or the legend. One nasty old bachelor accuses Abelard and Heloise of child desertion, as they never allude to their son ; but this does not prove the lad was neglected, and it is well known he died a fat monk, proof that the cares of the world affected him but slightly. Then; is a revival of interest in spi.itualism, owing to the clever tricks a sleight-of-hand performer executes every evening ; he expounds all the goings on of the " speerits," and challenges to expose any mysteries that may be asserted as such. The late M. de Remusat was a convinced spiritist and sympathy for a brother spirit, led, it is said, to his voting for Alexandre Dumas, as a member of the Academy. The Assembly is charged with losing time over theories of education, while doing nothing to improve ihe salaries of the teachers of the primary schools, whose condition is very painful, they being required to maintain a certain position on a miserable salary. Female teacht.rs have only 500 f. a y.-ar as salary, and receive but little in the way of school fees. France is said to be rich enough to pay for her glories. She might allocate a few millions more to some of her necessities, more particularly w'.ien the revenue is reported to be in so flourishing a condition as to make the exUhlans' mouths water. Perhaps, after the general elections, when the political millennium is expected to arrive, some attention will be given to this and kindred matters. The Republic is considered to be progressing so well, that no more bulletins are said need be published respecting its health. Thus with peace at home, and dreading nothing from abroad, the country has but one course open to it, to work, eat, drink, and be merry, four virtues alike popular in this country. The exhibitions seem to be like the making of books, of which Solomon said, there was no end; pictures, good, bad, and indifferent, monopolise public favor, and it is asserted that the only way to suppress what resembles very much a nuisance, is to only purchase paintings by the square yard. The flower show was the best exhibition which has taken place this year ; it attracted more people and more beautiful toilettes : ladies are at home amidst flowers, the sweets ever to the sweets; but not farewell, as I have a few remarks to offer on the prevailing tastes. Straw embroidery is in general request, and indeed every kind of embroidery finds a place ; blue and white are the favorite colors, then perhaps shades of brown and black. The materials for summer wear cannot vary much ; they are of course of light texture ; and worn either unique or in two shades. Velvet petticoats are in vogue, and the colors vary with taste; hats are still soup-plate pattern, and are worn far back on the head, being surcharged, not with a variety of flowers, but with much of the few adopted; roses are largely patronised, but when have they ever been discarded ? A new kind of bathing dress,is announced, "the Boyton;" the naked eye fails to discover wherein its novelty consists; far better is the " Boyton waterproof," recommended to ladies who desire not only to be secured from a downpour, but to be warm at the same time; it was to be expected that France would honour the courageous swimmer. The marriages among the upper ten in France were never more numerous than at present, and since manners descend from above, the others may be expected to follow the example ; it is said the clergy were never so active in recommending parishioners to marry, and with matrimonial newspapers, and endless matrimonial agencies, there ought to be no difficulty in the matter. The marriage of Mile. Say, niece of the Minister of Finance, with the Prince de Broglie, son of the duke of that name—in France the sons of dukes are styled princes—was almost a royal affair ; how many princesses of the blood could equal the wealth of the bride's trousseau and eorbeille, which has been the gossip of the boudoirs since weeks. She has as many piece of stuffs, velvets, satins, and silks, to say nothing of lace, as will enable her to set up a draper's shop, if Prussia succeeds in sweeping away France. She has thirty complete toilettes, and as many Cashmere shawls as there are shades in the rainbow. It would be unjust not to allude to the sumptuous Venetian fetes given by Mme Ratazzi, where neither luxuries nor pleasures are wanting. Unhappily they have obtained the reputation of being gentlemen's parties, and ladies are not over anxious to attend them. In a word they are not considered Al. In the theatrical world the revival of plays which have been successes forty years ago is the chief feature, and it is thus that Scribe and Picard are becoming favorites. "Is not old wine whole Homest, old pippins toothsomest, old wood burns brightest, old linen washes whitest? Old soldiers' sweethearts are surest, and old lovers are soundest." The actresses have made "splendid books" at the recent races. They are located in a special part of the grand stand, which is designated " the cage ef the lionesses,"