The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-03-13
OADTIAE BEAUTrEs.
BY ANNIE n. WILLARD. nj,

BY ANNIE II. WILLARD. MI, l. -"
= Most people have An interest in thu
n3st'riops and graceful belongings
Nth =, Which 'hi'as The t..ein.ieeL + woman. j,
Supposed 70 e,Ia Iha.lbilit.te q h.r,elf, and the
.'y' .od means saF By y xhich the different
sirens arrive at I the be goal Of their several
@~o't'on' are often as wonderous and
perplexing as The; fair DANES selves. -. 80
N ne. de Ponpadour properly fur.
dishes the most ootable examoie tba,
can be found 10 any age or country Of
what an education intended merely for
SHOW, in conjunction With y: ,msn's tact.
can accomplish. Ofobscure psrsntaee,
me Was adopted and educated by rich
no'osler, and married her cousin. l..
Norm'y lEloIes, who wss said to be .
man of whom any woman mi,bt be
P,'oo' and who loved her devotedly.
one' however, left Der husband to en-
Joy the roysl favor of LOWS Xv.. VII.
made her the Marqu,se de Pompadour
she became tho close friend and pvliti-
cal adviser Of the King; the undoubt-
ed ea. Premier of Franoe-.ppo;n,iug
Ministers, Ambassadors, Generals, .od
maintaining correspondence With for.
e'gn courts. The Royal Council cop-
veoed in her boudoir. Mari. Theresa,
for political ends, addressed her =, ..na
eoa.'ne." Hrr extr.vag.nce knew 90
Il unit she liehteOed the Klog's treas.
ary during her short reign b, over
$1oo,o0o,oo0. She died at about IS.
ut the zenith of her power. This wo.
man acquired and held her Influence
oy sheer force Of what might b. called
surface fascination, her education hav-
ing been Of the ornamental type, *.
p'es'!y conhoed to music, elocutlon AMI
drawing. She possessed great be.ut,
Ut face and figure, .nd cultivated dress
10 foe art. In temperament cold,
hairless and ambitious; every grace of
ttce and person was made subser,ic,t
to some selfish purpose. Her onie.
power undoubtedly lay in the skillful
haodliug of her forces to meet the de-.
~ands Of the vsoiIating King.
Among the women famous for beau.
ty' Wit and want Of modesty in the time
OF Louis XIV, N,noo de pEnclos WINS
the most notorious. Though openly
dspraved she v.a not entirely excluded
from the higher ranks Of society. The
young son of Madame de- Sevigne was
said to have been an eusmored Of Mn
% when che was 81 years old .s-was
bis father in youth. She is SAID to
have preserved her beauty and .nnear
ance Of youth to the last.
Madame de Stael was one of the
French Hoase :.ho die not rule %:
oiety or fssc'nate BY her beauty or
viees. She amused herself At the age
Of eleven by T.riting comedies aod tr.g-
edies. She was the first leader Of so-
ciety both during and after the Eu.
pre-. Her fine mind, popularity as 40
authoress and unwlllisgness to join his
party incurred Napoleou's hatred, and
be oeVer ceased in bis prosecutions of
her so long as be had the power to an
noy. Baoished from Pari. by order 0,
the Emperor, she was an axle for ten
years, and any friend who visited her
was Immediately exiled. The last lou,
years of her life we're the most brilliant
Of her career. The Restoratiopists
hailed With eagerness the return Of the
talented daughter of The Minister OF
the last of the Bourboos tne newsp4-
pers were delighted to have few
words from the author Of "Corinue. :"
Her rooms we're throoged With the rep.
resentatives Of political and literary
iii berty of the day. Wellington, Chat
eaubriand, Lafayette, Blacher, came to
her As to. the center Of political move
ment. Capova represented art, aud
Madame Reosmier-stlll radiant at six
and shir,y-beauty. Hers was the
reign Of intellect.
Madame Recamier was the greatest
beauty in France during the Empire.
Among the earliest tributes to her
beauty were those of the two Bona.
partes-the Emperor aud bis brothe,
Lucien. Tho 6rst eight years cf the
present century were the period o.
Madame Recamier's reign as q social
sovereign. Refusing to become .
member Of the Empsror's household
aud becoming too attractive feature in
tho Paris saloons, she Was also Danish
cd. Canova, the great sculptor, once
attempted to give her pleasant sur
prise BY displaying two busts secreti,
modelled after her likeness; but tn