New-York daily tribune., 1857-09-05

fete was national; you shah iodse
H. Chotel is tie di,eetenr-iessse and manager.
a. We should say-of the ,1o suburban tbeaters AZ
BatirpoBes and MOn.msrtre. lie himself an actor
Of considerable merit, used formerly 10 support
Rachel in the chief male roles when she made her
professional tours in the provinces aud over the
Rhine and the Channel, and now frequently acts 10
the pieces produced 10 his theaters. Being lessee,
mansgeY stage manager and actor, master oi re-
hearsals land critical one he has as fine an opPor
tuniiy as ever man had, 20 excite jealousy, envy anu
hard feelings of all sorts among the irritable con-
munity Of artists whom be rules. AS u seems
he makes nothing. absolutely nothing, OF nis oppor
tunity. He ls, instead, much loved ana resFeccu
by bis subjects, who annually celebrate hrs SAINT
day, and express their sentiments OF friendship ana
honor toward him by eating, drinking. dancing hke
mad and general barty, making him the klng OF
the feast The pretty park and chateau OF Asncres,
situated on the banks OF the Seine lew miles ous
from Paris (the park was laid ont anu lhe
chateau built by Louis Nv. for one OF MS ms
tresses or by farmer genera OF those tunes, out
thew are now turned, three or four times
weekly during the Summer, TO the uses OF
public ball and promenade and restaurant,
much freqsented by amusement-OyiDg Parlslans OF
both sexes and by ingenious American youth on
their travels desirOuy of studying French society
this pretty park and chateau was hired for the day
-Wednesday being an off day-by the stewards OF
the fete. A long table, with seats for hundred
and eight persons, spread in the open air, at
which. after sufficient raising of the appetite by
promenadng in the park, rowing on the river, and
romping on the lawn, the hundred and eight persons
seated themselves. A very few were outsiders like
myself the ninety odd were attached To the theaers
as actors, musicians decorators, prOmpters, scene
sbifters, dOOrbeepers etc, etc-sOme OF them very
pretty or fne-looking, some old and looking hard
worked some rather threadbari,h in features es
ms
extensively lOw-neckedly or fOOlishly dressed-all
looking their very best and very cheerful rejecting
on their features the smiles from the merry, beamng
cOuDteDance Of VI. ChOtel. Then came the eating and
drinking mingled with great deal Of digestive, anti
bilious laugh and chat to which the cank and clater
of glasses knives and forks chmed IN subdued harm0-
Dy. When the meats had mainly gone the way OF all
edible flesh, one, raising his voice to the Ut
most, proposed the health of ChOtel, which was
drank, standing and sedentarily, as each one fam
cied, with hearty cheer or two. The director
laughed, cDked glasses with all in his neiehbor-
hood, bowed bis recognition of the compliment TO
the more remote friends, and-made no speech.
No one made speeches; there was nothing prepared
in the way of cxttmpOraneOus dullness-no aussn
to eagles, or pilgrim fathers, or importance OF the
stage moral influence, or anything OF the sort;
as Mr. Edmund Sparker would say, there was no
nonsense" done up in heavy sham sense
wrappers, at that dinner. There were two or
three songs sung by their authors in hafaughing,
balfserious praise of the director; and one OF the
comedians mounted chair and reclted pretty
fable, the moral of which being ngeniously pointed
with the gratefully acknowledged virtues that adorn
the managers character, was y0clterously ap-
pauded.
Tben the tables broke up and the company rear
ranged themselves in knots double knots, slip knots
sitting, standing, undOing and running into each
other, strolliDg off under the trees or out on the
lawn the sweet sound of "adies' laughter floating
through the air. marrying in with the louder shouts
of men over we-relshed jest or at sight of fam
tastic caper cut by one or another lltte-bodied,
light-heade guest.
AT about O'Clock, some of the musicians, who
had brought their instruments, were heard tuning
up in the large salon of the chateau, signal for the
dance to all who felt like it. The larger part OF the
company felt extremely like it-as though the fiddle
bow had touched their own entrails. AT 1t they
went till 100, with will-lively, caily, agilely,
very; had seen such dancing before: till llt with
inspiraton-mOre lively, more agile fast furious,
strangely exciting. had not seen such dancing
before; such is not to be seen.at the carnival balls
nor at Diabile's. 1t was not indecent, but full OF
nprovised steps, defiance of all laws OF human
anatomy reckless disregard Of the normal functions
of Joints, bones and muscles; and then, more than
that it was indescrbably, contoundingy enthuslas-
tic mad, MaDadic-Frencb. 1t ightened up
l. i
tile the march to VersailleS-nay the reign Oterror,
as looked at the wild scene, and thought ! under
stood them better than ever did before. COnta-
gous, sympathetic, French eXctabiity was there III
full deveOpment-the active force Of French revO-
lutions-whch, once raised dances, fights, loves,
builds barricades, takes MalakOis upsets thrones,
does whatever work it is directed to do with single
eyed, straightforward, concentrated all-absorbed,
all-absorbng, helter-sketer irresistible dash.
nn I 10 Gala | am nat rlpa m vspf
There is nothing clarifying in being up till o'clock
looking on ut such dancing. All can say is that 1t
did invOuntarily set me thinking of French history
of Tennis Court osths and Feasts of Federation
and Fessts of Pixies, and French battles, from Ar
cola to Malakof, and so Judge that 1t was pecu-
hary French and national. 1t seemed 10 me that
there was not man there that might not fight like
a tiger without reference to ODDS, and not woman
that would not be ready to bring him cartridges, or
tear up her dress to bind his wounds.
Did you ever hear under what circumstances
Rachel first sang the Marseilsse, which the New
Workers nfterward so insisted upon hearing, and at
last had served up cold Madame Louise COlet
tells us in nearly worthless little brochure she has
Just published about herself and BersnSer. In the
days of February, Rachel and Madame Colet passed
one day, in a carriage, by groups OF armed men who
we're singing the Narseilaise with all the arder of
the w.blovn revolutionary spirit. Rachel, in
fected by the enthusiasm of such chorus, then
and there chanted forth the battle strains {. Rouget
de rIsle 4" in the grand manner that afterward was
80 much applsuded at the tbeater."
Still word of the Fete ChOte Excepting
little disturbance Occasoned by young gentleman,
who does very wicked brgands and very virtuous
suffering workmen ON the stage, and who had unne-
cesssrily elevated himself by potatiOns swallowed
outside the park, the whole affair went of aspeaco-
fully as mcrrily. Doubtless there was naturslness
OF manner in words and actions, among the men
and omen there, that would have offended MIR.
Turyeydrop and Mrs. General excessively; and il
is my impression that the larger part Of the com.
pany never went INTO society; most Of them, / am
afraid, could i'll afford the extremely high eatrance
l.or nirnA or mi. 70.