The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-16
Grenin9 Cc!gmph
SOME NO BD FRBN JHMBN,
BERASCER. BALEtC. CIUARDIN, AND
THE Duke III WnRNY.
FRInAv. nErEMmnH l6, 1858.

"a
half hour. The French author t5s q publ, life
and a class of literary men even make a living by
picking up and recouuung il PRINT the oddities
and yagaries ottheir more motel companions.
TrUNNGFr.
Bcraugcr WAS the most mod st genius OF all
His mania was to preserve di. lcognito, and he
stunned his popularity by dive ling in the out
quarters Of Paris, and several PROVINCIAL towns;
but the royalty Of the BON roi o. Irctot always de-
clared itself AtVinceuncs he assumed the name
Of Bonniu, bu. in vain. On his birthday the
great ones ofthe city surprised the good woman
in whose house he lodged by presenting them
selves with congratulations, chlplets, and gar
lands. One Of the plaques OF his existence was
the perpetual assault upon hi, slender purse by
The crowd Of uutortunates who write. Not n
single Manufactured Of bad Couuiets ever spared
MIN suppuCauOu, COnrudur always with "a
quotation from his own works. Passy was his
taYOritc retreat, for close by was the charming
BOis de BoulOgne; and every week he gave a
dinner, 20 which was invited Chateaub bria nd,
Lamennais, Lacordaire, George Sand, and others
OF the IKE genius. What gorgeous gossip must
have flown from lip 90 lip at these frugal rCpasts
But these pleasures were too bright to last.
The Municipal Council in full state, Monsieur le
Marie at their head, waited on MIN to inform him
that by reason Of the lustre his presence shed on
Passy 1t had conceded TO him. gratuitously aud
pcTpetually, the right Of occupying at his death
the best place in the cemetery.
Beranger was so touched by this attention that
he fed PaSsy Immediately, and took up his ab 1de
in the Quarter du Luxembourg Rue Enfer
Despite warnings and censorship, the poets and
literary men OF France cannot complain of want
OF social recognition. During the first years of
the present empire, lady, great lady, a rcry
great t1dy, "in short" as Mr Micawber would
say, "the Empress desired Monsieur Merimee
the senator and academiCiap, to call upon Be-
ranger "de te SdteUr de Sd pay7,' and to tell him
81 hp urlp Y 4
him. The poet, surprised, tattered, and embar-
rassed replied with all sorts of excuses. He was
nnaccustomed TO empresscs; he only desired in
his old age, and at the end of his career TO live
in quiet obscurty. He requested to be relieved
Of an honor which, etc, etc.
Her Imperial Majesty, on receiving this reply
sent back to him to say that AS he would not
call on her, she would visit him"
1t would have been a sight worth seeing that
meeting between the old poet and the young Em-
press. Those who have had the good fortune TO
see that august lady smile, can Judge of its effect
upon Beranger.
Apropos OF royal persouages, the life of the last
Duchess of Parma is a melancholy proof of the
truth of the adage that uneasy lies the head that
wears crown While in hey cradle, her father,
the Due de Berri, was assassinated before the
mothers eyes. She had not reached her tenth
year when the revolution of Jnly forced her
family to quit France. Nine years afterwards,
the Prince, her husband, struck to death, ex-
pred in her arms, and since then has been
compelled 10 abandon the duchy, to which she
had been recalled for brief time by the counter
revolution.
What life And in its course how many thou
sand obscure and happy ones have enyied her.
BALZAC.
There is pleasant story of how the great Bal
zac was confined for week in the Hotel de5
Harcote, the disciplinary prison of the National
Guard.
In the height Of his popularity Balzac, like
RpTnnupr tp yig To
he hired rooms under the assumed name of
Madame Dupont. To which place Leon Goziau,
who discovered his retreat, once addressed a
letter
"a MADAME DrroSr
(Hc6 Bdizdc).'
At this time the great novelist served in the
National Guard, which institution he held in hor-
rori and believed that by hiding he should re-
HeYe himself OF his OdiOus duty; but civil-mi.
tary law knows no respect for persons aud at his
recognized home the authOri les had "iled" all
the summonses and orders that preCede the in
generation of refractoryand iuattentive National
Guardsmen. OF these, Of course, Madame Du-
pOnt knew nothing.
Inc sergeant major Of the company which had
the honor of inscrbing De B4lzac on its muster
roll was by trade a hairdresser and perfumer.
Enraged at the ilustriOus writer for his reyela-
tiOn of several Of the inner secrets of hair
dressery and perfumery in his novel of Cesar
BirOtteau," the military barber resolved to
avenge the "trade" aud the troop. All that he
wantedwas TO catch the renowned novelist in the
street, for domice is invioahle.
One morning, while b lac was writing one of
his wonderful "lnc1rnatiOnS de Nautrn" his SER
want entered his study and informed him that a
box containing an Etruscan vase had Just arrived
below; that the porter, after three days search,
had discovered that NJ. dc BalZac was staying
chez Madame Dupont. Inspired by curiosity and
love OF the artistic, the great author ran down
stairs in his dressing-gown. man, carrying &
case, stood az the door. BalzGc stepped into the
street.
"Trapped!" cried the sergeant-major perru-
quier, at the same moment aYenging his own art
and his prisoners want OF patriotism.
Away went the sham porter and the sham box.
In vain Balzac pointed 70 his ro5e-de-chdpl5rc and
slippers. The barber-sergeant was inexorable.
A crowd assembled, and the author Of the
"Comedie Humane" was marched Off.
DOZEN AND HALF OF sNUFP.BOXEs.
Much has recently been written of Oriental
subtlety, of the fine observation and pregnant
apprehension of the Eastern races; but perhaps
the willy Asiatic is sometimes "sold" by the
simple European. When said Plchs was in
Paris he sent for a celebrated jeWeler and thus
addressed him -
"Before l leave France / desire to present
some of your chiefs, who have honored me by
their sympathy aud attention, with trlhing
proof Of my esteem. Have you a dozen and
a half of gold snulf-boXes SGT with diamonds OF
the value OF Iabnut four thousand francs each "
"Your highness" replied the ieweler, Sat the
present moment have by me only six of the de-
scTiptOn you desire; but ii your highness will
deign to begin by the presentation of those six,
in a few days will supply you with six others,
which you also can distribute; and in week or
so after that win complete the order by bring.
ing the remaining half dozen"
BE II so. Let me have the first six imme-
diateiy"
TIE suuff.bOXes were delivered, and the Pacha
distributed them, accompanied by letters Orient
ally polite A few days passed, and the je1eer
was again announced,
"Your highness," he said, according to my
promise have the honor OF bringing you six
more snuff boxes"