LADIES’ LETTER FROM PARIS.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 573, 20 April 1876, Page 3

LADIES’ LETTER FROM PARIS.

•(mi a correspondent of the Press .) - PARIS, February 19. Wa have new senators at 12,000 fr per annum, and new peas at 3fr per quart. We have new potatoes for the new Deputies tomorrow, and new asparagus for the new Ministry next week. The only thing not new is a new play from Dumas fils, for his UEtrangere 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 form of a three volume novel instead 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 Sardou’s, certain to find the shadows of the coming fashion; it is wise sisters with spec tacles, strong soled boots, and short dresses, that can f athom and discuss the chemistry, and the ologies, and isms that Dumas introduces in his dialogues and soliloquies to account for unhappy loves and fatal marriages. The toilettes, these are the baits to catch the conscientious attention of the fair sex, and Mile Croizette, in the rule of the impassible and erring Duchesse de Beptraonts, 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 it is some hermit philosopher or disappointed oid bachelor docs 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 conservatives, 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 rea Is, it is said, a newspaper pending the period of incubation of candidates, /Diy fine day he may be encountered rummaging among the contents of a hric-a-brao shop, or seated on the top of a ladder investigating the dusty books on the shelves owned by a bouquiiiistc. 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 ho has represented since thirty years—call upon him to ascertain his views on the rights of man, and universal biotherhood, and the opportuneness of canonising the transported Communists, he invites his visitor's to walk into his parlor, and admire the old picture ho discovered. Every one is welcome to call on him, provided the conversation bo limited to the weather, the state of the crops, the ten inly 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 advantage of conversing with M. Thiers is, that be saves you the trouble of speaking by not allowing you to ever put in a word. But then ho is one of those canseurs that you would be 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 drawingroom duties. It is becoming very fashionable at present to have a string-in-strumental band performing during a dejeuner ; of course it is ever included in the bill of fare of a diuner ; the uoou breakfast seems to be coming more and more an important meal. Macaulay observed one invited a guest to dinner for the sake of his grandfather, and to breakfast for the sake of hiim self ; 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 bad 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 a midnight ball on the ice ; the more announcement of that fete sent the thermometer up to 62 degrees. But all this does not pre-oat even the most inoffensive citizens frrm being attacked with colds in the head, and only think, the Academy of Medicine, all doctors, of course, rejected no less than twenty three perfect cures for this troublesome endemic, alleging that the apothecaries’ shops were overcrowded already with infallible remedies. Influenza is more potential at this moment than universal suffrage ; like a true democrat it affects all alike —Legistimists, Oil-artists, Bouapartists, sage and naughty Republicans, and who arc uow called Conservatives and holiest men for shortness. The moment you unbutton your Ulster, or nn&oyom' foulard, allow your fire to go out, or open a little of your window to change the air of a room, the influenza, or vihrion, as Dumas call the bandit, strikes you, and compels you to be the victim of potions and head aches, 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 ball, are never reclaimed ; just uow, even imitation jewellery is being “extensively falsified,” and the genuine is being “loaded” with vile, metal, as if it were dice. This is 100 bad. especially when jewellery never was so generally worn as at present ; when a lady suggests the possibility of being smothered under the weightof her ornaments, like the Etonian 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 dales like a patent of nobility from the Crusales, save the existence of another impression, that you have a balance of pin money at your bankers. Antique lace is as J extensively manufactured as antique furniture. Nothing can be more beautiful than the lece 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 favour for a ball jupon, but tulle seems to be the dominant material ; tulle is naturally in its place in a ball toilette, it is vapoury and wavy, and not the less charming when plain, although embroidered and spangled tulles are in harmony with the taste of the day, Brunifoliage 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 be blamed for endeavouring to remain young, and hence happy ?—appeared in a toilette profusely trimmed with that dainty plant, the ivy green: “ Ivy only grows upo i ruins, so la barunne is d ressed comme ilfavt," observed a Bn-erwell ; velvet and cashmere are largely male up for visiting and promenade toilettes, and cuirasses are worn vary long behind; hats are in grey and b'ack felt; 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 over the crown, and falling behind, where it meets a bouquet of flowsrs assorted to the others, a bow of blue ribbon, with floating ends, escaping below the cm tain. In whatever manner the barbes or strings of the bonnet bo 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 even to a cravat; it was not so during the je'gn of Louis XIV., who encouraged the “ Bleinkerque” neck tie, in honor of the bravery of the royal princes, who, when their uniforms were torn to rags in the battle, rc-clothcd themselves with portions of their t-nt». It is also surprising that the anti-republicans 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 role of Duchesse do Boptmons, in the Stranger!?. In the first act she wears a s’mple evening dress in cream colored satin, with large embroidered flowers and white jet ornamems in the corsage. In the second act, corsage and jape of emerald velvet, am a zone shape, with three diagonal rows of grey buttons, |groy tunic, draped and raised at the side, with large cordelicrc attached to the waist; thud act, ruby velvet, with quilled satin plaits to ma'ch, garniture small golden galoons, teaming flounces, hat and veil same shade of ruby ; fourth act, Pompadour toilette, jape grey rose, with embroidered bouquets of flowers of various colors. No wonder the Chinese Ambassadors twirled their hair plaits at such competition with tl etr jupons. And respecting Celestials, >!icir cousins, the Japanese, have just-commenced a series of ‘at homes.” Ton imagine, perhaps, gentle reader, that this gaiheriug of the creme 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 fire 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 coffeecolored skins. The refreshments were ala America!u. I cannot help remarking, how ever, 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 overall and an opera cloak of plush and ermine. The 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 Quarticr 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 be tempted to help himself to a steak, as Bruce records the natives treat their lowing 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 bis neck out of a window to look at these illustrious etrangers, fell into the courtyard on his head and was picked up dead. Though the clergy are said to to be working overtime at the elections, the religious health of parishioners is not un cared 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 j mmal misprints his name Humbog ; only an error of a letter to stumble on good English. A silent club has been established ; its president and officers are dumb, and also the members—even ladies are ineligible for admission to their concerts. In the Charajs Elyfees a strong-minded 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, d; spite all the noise made about his name, is of a retiring disposldon ; 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 arc 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 tho Prussians ;” it costs only twelve sous, and no patriot’s library ought to be without a copy.