New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-09-28
An AMERICAN WOMAN IN PARIS.
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Director of the Academy has awarded . gooeroas
trbue 10 Tie women Of the present age In comparing
Them with their ustrious sisters of the SsventeeoA
Century.
He saws: 81 doubt il one cen find to the same DE-
" 0ree among those admirable examples Of former
times, that stamp Of superior purity, OF noble 49,
simple dignity, Of high and generous nspirs6sss
that readiness for sacrifice, that calm existsnes
"joined to activity of spirit that domestic virtue
Z" united to fortunes favoS which constitute The
charm and honor of the age 10 which We i've"
In thss Distant brilliant and illustross pest there
existed precious imprints Of virtue, but we are oen
Obliged to seek for them in the penitcnt days Of thsr
possessors. The most casual reader of French hia'
tory finds that the devout self-sacrncing hademoi"
selle de la vaere eIpated her faults by thirty years
OF mmolstion The pious and beautiful Aademoa.
.elle de Bourbon, the worthy sister OF the greek
Condo the neglected wife Of the Due do Longusvilss
the prime agtator Of the Fropde, the gallant, hsro'c
adored hatered and outraged adorer OF the cowsre-
" and selfsh dc la Rochefoucauld, sheltered herself
from the storms of her youth with all the gores %
her charms within the walls Of the CarmeHtss; ana
we know not which to weep with 6rst the Duchess
de LoDguevlle or the Duchess de la Valere. SCORES
Of worse ones, such Is Madame do Montespsn ana
Others of those dazzling beauties, left their faults -
the world and hid their virtues behind the monasae
veil. Mademoisee do Ls Fsyette saved her honor
from the kindng passion Of Louis XIII In convess.
The pure the spotless Msdemoiselle du Vigeau whom
the great Condo hoped for and whom, though him
self espoused to another by royal ordinance, he hops
essy loved bid her despair In the boundless love Of
the infinite, and became Sister Martha Of Jesus.
Madame do Sevigns and Madame Grgnsu, hsr
daughter, seem almost the only women Of their tme'
iIustrious by rank, talent and physicd charms wne
preserved their reputation independent Of convenie
and the courts Of the Regency and OF LOUIS AiV.
Great virtues we're then most often the results oil gress
trials and not the natural fruit Of quie, steady, N
forced soul-growth.
The striking examples Of female purity, bsnsvs-
Ience and charity which are known In the hishsss
stations Of rank and fortune Of the present time sre
not within the judcsture Of the Academy, and hence
ere passed by in silence.
tn. eoneears for the prizes Of Montyon are cor
fned, with two exceptions, to tho lower classes
among whom the temptations to corruption OF idsas
and supposed to have the most dangerous
influence These exceptions pertain, LIST, to Priests.
Nuns and Sisters Of Charity; I'd, To Gets Of courage
and devotion in soldiers.
The last NAV be a sacrifice sudden and entire, -
life. the former the same sacrifice accomplished sowiys
without emotion or eclat, while life may lend 10
strength, and is thus more particularly tho sppsnaee
and honor Of woman.
II you will pardon the presumption make on yor
patience will give you the Acadenicians exhorta-
ton to the women of France to whose spirit our OWE
American women are showing themselves 90 resdy
and so willing to respond:
Women Of all conditions" says the eloqueat
speaker "you do not feel sufficiently how useful yos
" may be 10 those around you, what different evils
you may cure, what happy influences you may exs
" ert how many souls unquist, idle, misled In The
paths of error which your natural empire, % fstss
in societies feeble and corrupt, % beneficial u
those strong and elevated, might be able to sooshss
4" regulate and establish. There u proselytbm -
duty and Of honor, Of personal dignity Of tho goo1
" and noble employment Of life, OF soicitsde In ~
gard to the obligations Of rank and fortune OF the
serious culture Of intelligence and soul, which 700
% NAV be able to accomplish with a. much fruit -
:. that which results from the sposdeship Of charity.
90 II !, . work worthy Of minds and hearts ilumino4
% bv a holy light. Do not believe 1t above yoar
" forces psr beneath your mission; 1t 10 your mssioa.
% Sitter. of charity succor the victims Of weakness -
81 well a. him led away by force. II must be swoee
to guide great heart in the right way, and to LEAD
" Others where they could not go alone. An womeo
will not have the fortune Of Beatrice They VIII
no. Away. find brilliant and terrible Dante whom
they may inspire but they may create serious, dig
"n ifed and virtuous manners, and thus the svn
sverted may be In itself q real and great good"
The Ert two Monyon prizes for acts Of sefsssri-
fee consisting Of $500 each, were accorded to ~
women aged 81 and 70 years. who lad devoted thslr
lives to families who had lost their fortunes, and who
thus instead Of being able support their servants
A. h. md
pendant on these faithful servants for their msinfs
nance.
Five medals Of $500 each were accorded to i've
other women who had shown devotion similar 70 tAAs
Of those who had taken the frst prizes. Pnse' q
sloo each were gyen TO seventeen other persons, Of
whom four we're men. One prize OF 500 wS s.sfoeo
% ,od;e, 81 H.vre for vsrous exposures to danger
for the rescue Of others.
M n. vo,k. which the Academy has crowned,
according 10 the with Of Montyon, a. most useful 70
III ,no,.. 4, has offered to their authors the fst
- 80. ~ s7oo each. One prize Of 500 wss
o;v. 10 the author Of " The Life, Agony and Dssth
:. ~ Ioui, XVII" Five prizes Of saoo each wore
o;vsr for various works Of Literature, Philosophy
nd History, among which % the TRANSLATION into
French verse of Dan.e's Divine Comedy, by Mr..
Ratisbepne, now converted Jew and Csthofs prese.
Inc Aeo0ca'y eAneoA Piiso 'oi PovHJ, y. eAo sun
jet Of the " Acropols Of Athens" was awarded 10
Msdsne Louise Colet. II is the fourth time she has
been thus honored; and, a. says the reporter, "ths
academic talent Of the author gives her an nsontes-
"tble night to this harvest Of lsurels."
Thus in the Aesdemys distribution, wonsa hss
found her Pantheon inscribed, "To Ill the gorss q
ne fsiz sex i the country grssefE." Az Rxvers>