New Orleans daily crescent., 1859-11-10
rHE poHEMIANs OF PARIS.

situated under all the lattuues OF nope. ~ ~ les
II wen known when and how that name originated
Il and that information We propose to give.
About twenty years ago, seven young fellows
poets, students and artists formed small society
/ One evening one Of them suddenly exclaimed
lsssWe are the seven capital sinsH This idea wa
received with applause, and the senoir Of the ban
then spoke as follows: G The moment to form2.
new sect has arrived, in the temples of which idle
ness and fantasy shall reign. You have all Ger
tainly met on the highways those bands of gipsie
who come by the land Of the sun, and are callet
Bohemians. These children of liberty migrate
wherever their fancy leads them; they have nt
care for the morrow; they eat and drink wha
chance may bring them, and sleep under the first
Of the highways; let us be the Bohemians OF the
cities. This speech was greeted with three rounds
of cheers, and on that day the realm of Bohemia
was founded.
lonely coffeehouse, to which they had given the
Understanding name Of Rafaller's Club II they by
chance met in society, one asked the other, :. Are
you going to the club ~ and young French ladies
looked with awe upon these elegant gentlemen
who certainly risked fifty louis at play.
This club was of very extraordinary kind, and
discussed the most tremendous paradoXes; it was
the fatherand of eclecticsm, and its list Of mem
bers could boast Mohammedan, and even a fakir.
Celebrities were not admitted, and if member
had SO far forgotten himself as to become distin-
guished in art, politics or literature, he was inexo-
rably erased from the golden book. This club took
only QVe UlnuteS 10 Cut up d CtieuTNy, dltu ten
minutes to build up a new social system. Every
evening, witticisms, bon faots and cdle7nbos. the
only commodity which was not scarce among
them, were layishly wasted, afterwards collected
by play-writers,, and generally ascribed by the
public to old Talleyrand.
One evening solicitor suddenly entered the club,
and informed them that one Of the seven had inher
tied forty thousand francs. This communication
was received with such shout of applause as deaf
ened the solicitor. A council was imme edately held
to determine what should be done with this fabu-
lous sum. One Of them proposed that great fes-
tival should be given to the French people another
to buy princpality in Arcadia a third journey
to Italy. tItaliam!" exclaimed the seven in a
breath; as did once the companion Of Eneas and
week afterwards they were lounging under the
azure sky of Naples, lying in the grass of Isehia
and Capt., and summing themselves on the Posilippo,
or lighting their cigars at the glowing stones thrown
up from the crater Of Vesuvius and there they
lived in grand style for three months, until one
morning they awoke without bajocco left of all
the forty thousand francs which were to last for
ever. They then bethought themselves Of return
ing to France but as a band Of seven empty stom-
achs could not well march together without starv-
ing out the country through which they passed,
they separated and agreed to meet six weeks later
at Rafallers Club.
young adyenturers. One Of them who could not
separate himself from the beautiful gulf OF Naples,
remained at an inn in the neighborhood, and lived
upon the proceeds Of his Clothes which he sold to
a Jew from day to day. Mine host" who had
watched with anxiety the evoutions of this fugitive
wardrobe, came one morning to his guest and of
fered him hundred francs with which to return to
France, and which he should repay him after his
arrival in Paris but the Bohemian was too proud
to accept this sum without having honestly gained
it. Being somewhat Of painter, he therefore took
the portraits Of the whole family of the landlord,
who afterwards accompanied him on board the
ship, where he parted from him with the utmost
regret. Such is the charm of youth and genius
That the hpart of NaanoIifan nEnap rnox
be touched by it.
The Bohemians are now no longer confined to
Rafaller's Club; there are some who have posi-
tion in society and an account at their bankers,
but they are nevertheless Bohemians by nature.
Such was Balzac, and such is Alexandra Dumas
Balzac was very conscientious in paying his debts.
out it is just as true that no man ever had more
singular ones than he. A friend once meeting him
n the street, invited him to dine at certain res
aurant sPray excuse me-" was Balzac's reply;
i am on bad terms with the landlord, for owe
lin eight hundred francs for cutlets.'' Sometimes
ie had very eccentric whims; amongst Others he
nce took it into his head to have saloon entirely
furnished in white satin, and with an immense
handelier pendent from the ceiling. Two friends
Who visited him in the evening found him pacing to
md fro in the apartment, murmuring who is to
ay for the white satin?' The two gentlemen ad-
aired his extravagantly- furnished saloon, but
Tanted the chandelier lighted before they could
llly express their opinion upon the subject Forty
andles were soon burning, and the effect was mag
ificent; but Balzac went on muttering, "Who is
} pay for the white satin ~ At that moment
Ss 'k ws e ID to 9s see Ba1se pusspea paeesr M
laimed Balzac, and forty candles burning! He
lust pay for it. Throw yourselves on the Sofas"
g added to his friends, "don't be afraid of soiling
lem with your boots.o
The door opened, the publisher entered, and was
azzled by the splendor of the room however,
alzac continued pacing to and fro, as if quite ac-
ustomed to live amid Babylonian luxury. He
len enquired the publishers business. al should
Ike to publish novel of yours,'' stammered he.
All, indeed,'' replied Balzac; we'll, am very
luch occupied, very fatigued, but - And then
requested the publisher to return ON the follow
lg day, in order to arrange the matter. g owe
rovidence at least pound of wax Candles" ex-
laimed Balzac, as soon as the publisher was gone.
He believes, of course, that burn forty candles
very evening: and it is quite obvious that he can
OF offer the same sum to q man who burns such a
ght, as he would to one who works by dismal
imp. Let us extinguish the chandelier; my satin
paid for.
Alexandra Dumas has wasted millions in a few
ears In Monte Cristo, country house in the
eighborhood of st. German, furnished with all
ossible refinement and luxury, he kept open table
Or all his friends, and this was sometimes taken
dyantage of by strangers. One day, M. Alphonse
Carr, who has since quilted Bohemia, and become
gardener, on seeing person at table ndulging in
very remarkable manner, inquired his name Of
)umas; he replied: az don't know him; he is sure
0 be friend of my SON." Karr then asked the
on who answered; 81 don't know him; he is sure
0 be a friend of my father.n Dumas the elder
1as very choice in the selection Of paper hangngs,
nd if no longer pleased with the design Of one
ihich he had bought perhaps only week before,
e took his pointed cane bored holes in the paper,
nd entirely spoiled it. On the following day he
elected another, which soon shared the same fate.
,ome years afterwards he was very much reduced
n circumstances. Once, on the occasion of a So
,iety Of young fellows, which included Dumas the
on, dining at the Maison Doree in Paris, when the
Dill for the dinner was handed to them it was dis
covered that not one of them had the wherewithal
% pay it. Dumas alone had a five franc piece,
md after some consultation, it agreed that he
h0uld step across the road and fetch some money
rom his father. He soon returned with his pockets
,mptier than before for he had just lent the five
rancs to his father, to pay very pressing demand
rom his cobbler.
One of the Oldest Bohemians who ever lived was
man by the name of Cabannon, who, in this civ
lized century, played tricks which we would only
believe to have happened in the Arabian Nights.
He lived in hay-loft, but on the Bouleyards he
always appeared most elegantly dressed. He
also possessed the livery of footman, and when
counting lady, would sometimes say: Permit
me to send you some flowers by my negro'' He
then returned into his hay-loft, backened his face
and hands, put on his livery, and carried the prom
ised bouquet to the lady, saying: My master, NJ
Cabannon has the honor of sending these flowers
to madame" On one occasion, gallantry of this
KIND cost him his last five francs. The lady to
whom he brought the flowers was so charmed
with their beauty that she gave him louis gratuity.
Cabannon was thus compelled to accept fifteen
francs for his courtesy.
The Bohemians are often very generous. When
Benazet, the celebrated croupier, still reigned at
the Palais Royal, Bohemian once won thirty
thousand francs in tl'eafe ct gudrente. He might
have taken the money to banker, but not know.
ing one he kept it in his pocket and while stroll