Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-07-09


TIE STORY OF FRENCH CENTENARIAN.
lfrom Arsene Houssay's Paris letter to the New
York Tribune
Do you ever take the trouble to live 100
years in America In Europe there are al
ways few obstinate fellows who persistent
" refuse to be buried. NJ de Fontenelle,
Of illustrious memory, who always had his
hands full Of truths, and took good care not
to open them; whose eminently French wit
was free from any faint of the Gaulish-
NJ. F0ntenelle, in short, died few hours
before completing his hundreth year. When
imbeciles asked him his age he would say,
flush Death has forg0tt en- me -
But Fontenelle has been left far behind
People in society in Paris received yesterday
the following notice;
"You are requested to assist at the funeral
Of NJ. Jean Frederick Maximilian Count
Waldeck. officer of the Order of Genius and
Merit Of Venezuela, honorary member of the
/ London AthenTum, member Of the Geo
| graphical Society Of Paris, member OF the
American Society of Archaeology, Honorary
! N!ce-President of the Universal Alliance.
and author Of several works, who has died
in his ll0th year, furnished with the sacra-
ments Of the Church at his house, No. II
Rue des Martyrs"
Since Count Waldeck, who had been sue
cessively page Of Marie Antoinette, soldier
ofthe Republic and of the Empire, prisoner
Of Cannibal>, ranger in virgin forests, ex-
plOrer Of American ruins, three times ship
wrecked, left for dead in a duel, smitten by
levers OF all colors-white. yellow. green and
blue ; married, also, when IS years OF age.
since he had neglected 50 many chances of
dying. one cannot help asking how he came
to DIE NJ. Flouren>. who occupied in the
Academy the seat Of NJ. de Fontcnelle. was
himself ambitious to live a hundred wears.
1t was he who invented 1.-THE third youth
beginning at GO years, which we call "St
Martin : Summer. lie published a learned
book to prove that man never dies. but
commits suicide, whatever his age NAV be-
Count Naldcck, therefore. must have killed
himself for he had no more reason TO die
this spring than last spring. On the con-
trary, he felt himself in better trim. Death
seized him pencil in hand On the fatal
day, he rose as usual at ; O'Clock in the
morning. lie said that he bad ten years of
work on hand and did not wish to lose an
hour.
met him some ten years ago. The min
ister had asked me if his archaeological dis
coveries were serious. went. as INSPECTOR
General Of Fine Arts, to see this monument
Of another age. found that this Iage Of
Marie Antoinette still possessed all the i'm
petuoSity Of the French Guard. | lost sight |
OF him aftcrward: but a month ago | met |
him again al dinner at the house of charm |
ing and eccentric Irishwoman. known here |
under the name of the Marechale Lopez /
had Count Waldeck in front Of me | sat /
between his wife and his son. As this young
gentleman was about 81 years Old, | sup |
posed that II was steT--on, and scarcely /
knew on what ground was standing while /
chatting with hls wife. an English lady OF /
great beauty and distiction. At last ! took /
the bull by the horns Madame" | said, !
"you made a heroic sacrifice in deyoting
yourself to this gallant gentleman of another
century
"No. ." she said, "he j. not Of my century.
for we fcted his hundredth birthday nine .
years ago; but he IS Of my age for love /
hin" "
Il never doubted, Madame. your love for /
VI. de Waldeck. ! love him too, a- one .
woald love the eighth wonder Of the world /
as woman loves her husband / DO not .
count his years. have trouble in believing /
that he is 100. and | am only j.
Pardon the curiosity OF a philosopher |
whose study i woman Permit me to place /
an interrogation point before your heart. /
Did you love him at So because he was a |
gentleman in spiIit as well As birth, or did |
you love him from loye?'
Il loved him from love. was at that /
time somewhat in demand. If among all |
my suitors ! chose Count Waldeck. it was .
because | found him the most irresistible
Here Is something 10 console those who are .
entering NJ. Flourens' Third Youth"
'And why, Madame, was he the most ire
sistible ?''
because he was the youngest. He was
not 50 years of age. lie was 20, four times
over.
At this moment Count " aldeck rose, took .
with firm hand glass of Champagne, and .
improvised a pretty stanza in honor of Ma
dame Lopez. After which he emptied his
glass at a breath, without winking. When
it was empty he turned it upside down on
the hand Of the Marechale, and kissed away
the last pearly drop. That he said, is
what we did at the Court Of Louis WI"
Nothing could have been more gallant and
gentlemanlike.
proposed toast in my turn to this liy-
Ing history of a century, TO this man VINO
had seen and Judged everything. After din
ner We had long conversation. lie spoke
of the future As of the past, as if he had only
gone half way as yet. He talked Of doing
this and doing that. "And still how much, "
he said, must be left unfinished" He re-
lated unpublished witticisms of Marie An
toinette and Louis WI. He said lie was
present when Rivarol, after the taking of
the Bastile. was summoned by the King.
who wanted every ones advice. Sire"
said Rivarol, my advice is very simple. If
you wish TO remain King Of France, act the
King"
Louis ANI. did not act the King, and in
stead Of mounting his throne again he
mounted the scafold.
This was the last time Count Waldeck
dined out After that memorable evening
he never again left his aIartment-on
fifth floor in the Rue des Martyrs-until
he left it yesterday for eternity. To-day all
the old men are out Of patience with him,
and are accusing MIN Of having been Grim
inally imprudent. They propose as an epi-
taph to be engraved on his tombstone,
"llere lies one who died at hundred and
ten for having lived too fast.
His wife is in despair-noblc woman and
brave heart. But aiterall. since she married
the Eighteenth Century, perhaps She will
console herself by marrying the Twentieth.
Count Waldeck was born at Prague in
the autumn of l766. He began Is a page to
Marie Antoinette Bat the Court OF Louis
ANl. was prison to that adventurous spir-
1t. lie went to travelling over the world at
time when one did not travel fast. lie re
turned to Paris and entered the studio of
David, which he left for the studio of
Prud hon. Bat the smell of powder turned
his head. We find him at the siege of Tou-
Ion and in the campaign of Italy. lie went
with the French army to Egypt. But he re-
fused to be included in the capitulation
lie, with four other officers. resolved to es-
cape through Africa. He crossed with them
the desert Of DOngOla, where his companions
were eaten. lie was reserved for dessert,
bat melted the hearts of his captors with
opera airs. One would have thought that
be would be ready TO return to his studio;
but he embarked for Chill with the Portu-
guese. lie was for a long time a resident
of South America, devoted arch9ologist,
digging everywhere, and discovering i'm
pOrtant monuments which prove that Ameri-
ca has also her antiquity. He made no
money in all these adventures. lie went to
London, afterwards to Paris, inventing
a new trade which was almost an art-the
art of touching up old engravings or eteh-
ings, Mare Antonys or Rembrindts. lie
gave them back their freshness and brilliancy
by fo-ce Of incredible patience. This tur-
bu!ent man resigned himself to passing twelve
hours 4 day over an old PRINT, retracing by
the aid of a microscope all its worn out lines
with crows quill. 1t was wonderful, how
cut of a three franc print he would restore
a 3, 900 franc masterpiece. There are few
celebrated collections which do not contain
retouched by Count Waldeck