Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-05-27
From Heath's Picturesque Annual for ls4s.
Table d,Esote at the Partisan Hotel
GcS Princes.

l ~ mere is one nour IN eacn DAY, one Solemn
hour, when all differences of rank aud fortune
are forgotten. At six o'clock, when the din
ner bell is rung. you may see the guests as
sembling from every part of the house: this
one comes from the first floor, that one de-
scends from the garrett; no matter-they will
sit together and eat with the same appetite.
The table is long, spacious, and splendid. To
see the golden candlestcks, full Of wax can
dles--the interminable table-cloths, so beauti-
fully white--the rooms decorated with flow
ers,-.-you would think it was some splendid
fete: it is the daily fete, or, more properly
speaking, the daily dinner. What a problem
to solve! For sum hardly large enough to
pay for a meal at some restaurateur's in the
Palais Royal, you have the use of the long
table, the well warmed room, the numerous
servants, the dazzling candles, the large SER
vice of plate the experienced cook, the three
courses. in which nothing had been forgotten
that earth, forest, fresh water or salt could pro-
duce;---al these are at your service, traveller!
And at the same time, the soft voices of we'll
dressed and clever women are around you,
grea, names both French and foreign, are pro-
nounced in your ears; the French wines--
those wines which have had at least as much
effect in making France popular as the Ian
guage of the country,--.sparkle and shine IN
their beautifully -colored crystals. What en-
Ijoymen,! what eaters! what admirable cyclists.
They talk of our freedom at the Americans
tables d'hote; those who speak of it with so
much bitterness have never dined at the table
d'hote of the Hotel des Princes. 1t is quite
true, that as soon as dinner is over. French po-
likeness is attentive. and eager to show itself.
They have eaten the best fruit at table, with
offar So loJ
but then they would never consent to pass be-
fore her. The French are more polite than
the Americans. perhaps; but most certainly
they are equally il.bred."
FRENCH DoMEsTIciTY.
"Very soon arrives, in her turn, the useful
servant, ---that serious, melancholy being,
whom the Partisan, by a singular irony, call
his bonnie. The bonnie is the tyrant of the
house. she only has will of her own, and
does just as she pleases. She beats the child
rem, she scolds the husband. she is spy upon
madame; she favors certain friends of the fam
lily, and shuts the door upon certain others.
This cruel despoiism is, nevertheless, tolera-
ted by all the poor citizens, who do not know
how to shake j, oil, without being obliged
themselves to undertake the lille details Of
household economy. AS to being free men,
know nothing less free, strictly speaking, than
the citizen of Paris. He obeys everybody,
except himself. He obeys his wife who up to
thirty years of age is frivolons coquette, and
when past thirty is peevish and spiteful. He
opbeys his children who are little prodigies:
he carries them in his arms while infants, and
afterwards upon his shoulders. He sbeys
his bonnie and this is perfect obedience: he
only eats when his bonnie allows him; he rises
and goes to bed at the command of his bonnie;
even the dog Of his bonnie he must take out TO
walk and wo be to him if he forgets to caress
her cat. Poor man! And perhaps you think
these are all his tyran,se Undeceive your
self. There is below. at the door ofhis house
a tyrant, spy. a caumniator, always ready,
always prejudiced against the citizen. This
syrant, this spy, this calumniator, is the por-
tress or porter of the house some times il is
both combined. The Fortress leaves home af-
ter the bonnie, and when the waiting woman
has returned with her milk. The waiting maid
is too young. and has too many pleasant and
| fine things to do to sympathise much with the
bonnie, who is forty years old and the FORTRESS
who is sixty. There are some virtues which
it seems natural, and therefore easy. for youth
TO PRACTISE. Thus the young servant conde-
scends 10 take very little part in this dirty bab-
| ling. this underhanded SANDER. Lisetie or
Julie is rather the friend of her mistress than
| her servant; she knows her most concealed
secrets; she is naturally initiated into the mys-
teries of her boudoir which she shares. Ii is
she who dresses her mistress in the morning,
who undresses her at night; she sees the tears
in her eyes. she hears the sigh that issues from
her heart. she notices her joyous smile. she is
always on her mistress's side. that is, for the
lover, and against the husband. These are
the employmepis, the pleasures, and the BUSH
ness Of Liseite. Young women understand
each other so easily and so well. They are so
I fond of anything connected with love! Love
equalses ranks SO quickly! How, then. could
Lisette Join with these two rapaeious. discon-
tented. Jealous old women---ihe Fortress and
the bonner Lisette, when she had obtained
her milk, slowly ascends the staircase, and
goes to prepare her own breakfast and that Of
her mistress, recolleciing meantime that Mad
anne returned yesterday very late, and was so
happy. Lisetie and her mistress breakfast,
this morning, from the same bread, from the
same supply Of milk, and perhaps from the
same cup. People at twenty years old eat SO
litte!"
THE YOUNG MEN IN PARIS.
81 am no great admirer Of the young men
in Paris: find them idle self conceited, foil
Of vanity, and poor; they have too little time
and too little elegance to besiow upon ele-
pance and pleasure to be either graceful or pas
sionate in their excuses; besides this, they are
brought Up with very little care, and are per-
fec,lS undecided between good and evil. JUS
lice and injustice, passing easily from one ex-
,rems TO the others to-day PrOdigals, tomorrow
misers;.-to-dsy republicans. tomorrow royal
lists. At the present time the Partisan youth,
' =, : .,, ~ tadiar eayas fo,.pothfSD