Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-12-28
RICHMOND WHIG.
THURSDAY MoRNlNG.....DEC. IS, 1865.
PARIS OF TO-DAY.
The Lorette, aud their Life.
Translated from the Magazine Of Foreign Lite

|
rature.
." am not the grave-diggcr who buricS, | am
the sentinel who warns" With these words,
| Amedee de CeSena closes his last book, - Les
| Bellies PechercNSeS." Although Mr.. lie Cesena
is Bonapartist, ho nevertheless perceiyeS the
signs of decay, aud beholdS society driving to-
ward an abyss. lie calls the present era, such
As il is exhibited in Paris, the " Era of l.Oret-
ties, and exclaims, with indignation, What
| is to be expected from an epoch and society
| where the names OF Rigulboche and Theresa
go from mouth to mouth Rigolbochc and The
rcSa have become types. Are not these signs
| of decay !'
During the periods Of the first empire and the
| restoration, Paris was considered aS immoral
as a modern Babel. But then there were clc-
waited points and low grounds, and everywhere
| there could be found pure spots which the mud
| passed 10y without touching. The most fearful
| symptom of the moral decay which the actual
Paris presents, is the disappearance of all bOun-
| darics between that which is base and that
which is honorable. At the balls and festivals
of the fashionable world, you elbow persons of
the worst reputation, who by dmt of money
found husbands, leaning on whose arms they
walk with proud gait. In themoSt aristocrat-
| ic aud haughty SdIOHS, in the most honorable
l families YOU meet with, women who, under the
sweeping influence of the ever growing neces-
stiles of luxury, which every year becomes
| more eXtravagaut, have formed diShonorablc
liaSOns with the rich men of their society,"
How many bills OF jewellers, mdHhdRdeS de
mode aud dress makers are paid without the
knowledge of the husband, and at the cost OF
his honor
II YOU attend one of the Partisan theatres of
the first or second class on the occasion of a
Misrepresentation of piece which, on account
OF the name of the author, or of its character,
enjoys some reputation, during til, first scenes
YOU are continually disturbed by the noisy
opening and closing of the doors OF some of the
boxes. The whole house, from the orchestra
seats up to the amphithcatre, directs attention
to those boxes, and this goes on until all the
boxes of tho first tier are occupied. II you are
Il stranger you will find it singular that each OF
these boxes which are opened So late ami With
50 much noise is occupied by only two ladies',
either unaccOmpanied 10y gentlemen, or only by
young men who, by their appearance, brt:ay
| their uncasincSS.
Soon you will make a second observation
These women are dressed in an elegant but
rather ShOwy style; they wear rich iewclry and
costly laceS, but it seems ~ though the jewels
and the laces were in the wrong place. The
women are handsome, but their beauty is of 4
peculiar kind. Their faces, although Young,
are treated as II they were old the eyebrows,
even the cyc-laSheS, are painted and give their
anguid eyes 4 singular expression; the checks
are glaring with white and red paint. Some Ol
them are brunCttoS, others fair; the one have
blue, the others black eyes some are small,
others large hut all oi them have Il family
likeness. Their department, their dress, every
thing bears stamp which tells You that they
are all of ono class OF women aud bcongt the
same society.
Who are these women who strive to attract
attention, and who succeed 50 we'll IN these
mancuyerS, that they are aSprctaclI within the
spectacle not only to gentlemen, but also 10
tho most cultivated, richest and nobleSt ladies !
Are they the queens "i art and poetry, brilliant
with beauty and rcnown! During the inter
walls all the opera glasses are directed toward
them, people point them out To each other, and
make them the subject of their conversation.
Ladies and gentlemen who do not know these
women, enquire their names and are not salts
lied until they know them. How is it that
they are the object of all thoughts, the aim oi
all looks, and that attention is withdrawn from
the new piece TO be directed to thcml Is this
an homage to their virtue, their spirit or their
influence! Certainly not for when they Gu
tered their boxes a malicious smile received
them, accompanied by au impcrtinent curl
usity.
These women are met everywhere; on the
Boulevard dcS ltalicnS and in the Bnis de B"u-
lugnc at the hippndrOme at LOngchampS, at
| NlnccnrS and ChautIlly. Some of them ride
ia splendid carriages 4 id Daumont, or IN post
chaiscS others in elegant NictOras with tive
horses, which they drive themselves and
everywhere you observe that they are the
centre OF all eyes and the theme of all conver-
saliunS. The ladies seem to envy and the gen
tlemen To admire them; but they are never
accompanied 10y amy one, as if IT were too great
an honor, or too great shame, to be seen Will
them in their carriages. Who are these women
so elegant aud luxurious, so young and st
painted, who are always alone They are
L,reitcS.
The LOrctte is Il novelty of peculiar kind
which has no model in the past, and We hope
IUr the good uf our poStcrity, will find no copy
ia the future. She would approach the lletaira
ui Athens, it she combined with the beauty o
4 Phryne the intelligent mind OF an ASpasia
But the Lorette is not always handsome, aud
never intelligent. She knows nothing, her III,
telect is rs uncultivatcd rs her Imagination i,
poor her witticiSlns are borrowed, like the
paint of her check. Where does she com,
from From everywhere from Italy, Spain
England, G,rmmy, Poland and Hungary
much mere than from France, and oitener from
the provinces than from Paris. But from the
moment She sets her foot in those mamclcss
regions which formerly were not known III amy
country or in any age, she is no longer Par
isian, u French or English womlan-Shc is Lo
rette.
From which class OF society does She come
From the lowest ones. 1t she is PariSan
she is the daughter OF 4 porter, or 4 working
man; il she comes from the country, she Is i
mender of old clothes, \ cook or chamber
maid At times, she Immediately steps forth,
daring and ready made for her part in this
case. without delay she rises to the uppermOSt
rank. More frequently she has been sent Ia
Paris by plain country people, in order to gain
her bread honestly there; but lazineSS and CO.
Uuctry led her astray. The Lorcttc lives in a
world of her own; ; she is 4 peculiar production
of the Paris of to-day and therein lies the dis
tiuguishing trait, the peculiar character OF the
morals of Partisan society.
/ When tho time OF youth is passed, and none
of her arts are any longer available, then the
Lorettc suddenly disappears. Not III all cases
however, does she perish in filth and misery
Mr. de Cesena relates Ofa LOrette, who, during
the troubles which followed the revolution o
February succeeded in causing some sensation
The theatre was the pedestal on which she ap
pearcd in the most favorable light. a swarm
a of adorers surrounded her the whole day bu
q in the mornings she was invisible tn every one
! twas thought that her toilet occupied all thoS'
/ hours which, Is the proverb says, are worti
gold. In fact, she was then occupied, not VIII
her dress, but with money business She CAV,
audience to brokers, whose reports she listened
TO. and to whom she gave her orders. AT pres
B.. .pt she has a handsome revenue, and is til,
owner of Z house in town, and of a cottage il
; the country Every day she drives out in he
own carriage, drawn 10y a pair OF fine horses
and it only depends on her 10 choose huSban'
who will gladly give her his name and Shar,
l her wealth.
: The Lorettes form 4 nest of hornets in stee
20 hoops and Silken dresses fr"m four o'clock II
the morning till four o'clock i'll the Afternoon
nothing is seen or heard that betrays the eS
istence of this nest, wherein all is qniet. Bu
from four o'clock ia the evening till four o'clocl
in the morning, the whole swarm huns ant
buzzcs, suddenly appears and ILLS the Boule
wards from the Fauhourg PoiSSonicre to th'
: Rue ChausSee dAntin, the garden of the
TuileIieS the enyironS of the Place dc Ia Con
cOrde, the circus of tie Empress, the Jardil
dc Mabille, the Casino dc In Rue Cadet, tn,
:, MaiSon dOr and the Moulin Rouge ThcS,