New-York tribune., 1875-09-04
LIFE IN PARIS.
LETTER FROM ARsENE HOUSSAYE.

| wuMEN-LovE IN THE AGES OF TIE vALOis-
FRENCH DOCTORS IN ATHENS AND PARIS.
| lFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OFTHE TRiBUsBl
PARIS, Aug 2-Paris is no rapid in her metauor-
phoses that to paint her truly one must paint her
every day. She changes her face every morning by
the force of revolutions or of fashion, still more
powerful force.
But especially in the world of women does the his
Photographer lose his Latin, and even his French
Alexander Dumas the third of that name, wrote 70
years ago mis- Doni- Monde. What is the Deml-Alonde
to-dayf Little less than the Bean Monde. Since the
Revolution, French society has gone to pieces like
the French character. 1t only to have sur
vived among foreigners. Dumas told me yesterday
of new comedy which might serve as a sequel TO
the Dcmi Monde and which is TO be called The Homdn
from Abrodd.
Alexander Dumas, second of the name, and son of
that other Alexander Dumas who was French Cen
eral. and Marquis lie la Paleterie. wrote plays two
days' long, 80 mighty the sweep of his arm in
| his dramatic expansion. The DeRi-Ro and The
! Uo,adn from abroad, the two comedies of the son.
| might be PLAYED on successive days as an ilusra-
ton Of the rapid metamorphoscs of Partisan society
! Twenty years ago the Dem-Monde came TO the sur
face with q flourish of rumpcts just as the foreign
society does to-day.
Yet it is not so very foreign for it is Parsiani2ed
as soon as it sets foot i'll Paris and readily conde-
scends to admit into its salons the real Parsiennes.
Aud after all, the true Parsienne is rarely natiTe
of Paris. She is naturalized at once by her beauty
or her wit, no matter whence she comes. Who IL
there more Partisan than the Princess of Meternich
| or Mrs. Moultoni
| There are still politicians who are so good as 10
! think that women have not right everywhere
under the SUM- but woman has taken all the reserved
Seats She governs with despOtic tyranny In the OId
World and is sharpening her teeth 10 attack the new
! The historian of woman perhaps imagined ho was
painting the condition of woman in ant quty in one
word by calling her a slave. The Briseis of Achilles,
for instance is the type. But look at Penelope has
she not all the greatness and all the virtues OF mother
! and wife7 There have always been coutesans ard
odaliscues crouching under chains OF gold; but on
| the other hand, how many are the women who have
always held their heads high, the pure thoughts OF
| their hearts shining on ther foreheads Low many,
even Of the fallen, have preserved in their rum
something of the energy OF woman, and have en-
shaved their tyrants in turn Jesus, when on earth
chose three women to symbolic Faith, Hope, and
Charity He who pardoned the Magdaten, published
in the Gospel the charter OF woman at the same TINE
conferring upon her that fine flower of the spiritual
sense which is as the perfume of the heart But
man reasslmed his rights in the first fifteen centu-
res of Christianity, and refused to admit that she
whom he called mother, wife, or daughter, had the
part with MN Ill tne uuiildn tioP-
sation He was the MASTER she the servant. In
the fifteenth century again gains recognition,
through her most victorious weapons of wit and
beauty: at the court, in the castle, woman reigns
and governs. The dining room, which used to echo
to the coarse songs and improper speeches OF hunters
is now deserted FOR the salon where woman has
founded her empire. Conversation drives out The
song, rudcness of speech is changed to g'liahtry.
it 50 lately despsed gains its right OF citizenship
As yet it is only spoiled child but it Will speak
high and proudly. Hear what noise It makes at
the house OF Ninon de L'Enclos. Madame dc Mon
tespan triumphs La Nalliere, because Of her
prodigal wit at the Court OF Louis XIV. The eight
centh century belongs to women. From Madame de
Parabere to Madame Tallicn do yOu not remember
all these despots in petticoats Colon l., Coilon H..
and al the brilliant linei
Cotillon II. was Madame de Pompadour. If history
were impartial it would record the administration of
the Pompadour between those of Cardinal Fleury
and Dake Choiseu. 1t is she TO whom We owe the
conquest of Corsica. Think of the consequences
Corsica rave us Napoleon great victories and terri
hI, defeats the Arch OF Triumph and innumerabe
graves She was in favor of an alliance with
Austria against Prussia she first saw the danger OF
that little power mcnacinS our frontier lier friend
VoltaiTe was less sagacous, for he allowed himself
TO be mad, Chamberlain to the King of Prussia aud
gave the uster of his genius To that Court. |oltaire
and Madame de p0mpadOur are the two most noto-
rous figures Of the century before the Rcvolntlon
In his visit TO the D6lices MOntesquieu, finding him
self alone one day i'll the magnificent salon OF Vol
tire facing the Lake of Geneva reflected gravely at
the SIGHT of two portraits hung pendants. They
were Voltaire and la Pompadour The Duke of
Richeeu, who came from Lyons to see how Voltaire
PLAYED "the Orphan Of China" surprised Moacs-
ou;eu in contemplation before these two portraits
"Weil Mr. President, you are studying wit and
grace 4, "Is that all /" said MoltesquIcu. Let me
tell You that that and that woman arc the rep
resentatives of century, Has not this prediction
been virtually accomplished Would it not he just
to cll the eighteenth century, the Century of Vol
taire and Pompadourl These two comprise about
everythng-up TO the Revolution.
Diana Of POiters, another sovereign said that wo-
man sweetly bewitched the eye and the heart;
" she has many arts to accomplish her designs
and play her characters, that it would be attempting
the impossible to Try to escape her, for knowing well
the source of her attractions her glory is TO make
herself the mistress and 10 entrap in her nets the
most subtle and rebcllious of the wOrld.' Pausa-
MAS when lie painted the goddess Of love- mace her
face extremely beautiful and placed under her right
foot hon. a hare, bird and fish. and under her
left foot a tortoise "The lovely face 81 gniics how
woman gains by her beauty the Hercules and the
Sansons the true lions the SardanapalGs and He'll
| ogabalus, hares i'll weakness and slynesS tile
| Ad?,ns and Davids and SOomons birds OF contein-
plation and wisdom, and the shoal of common men
swimming in the worlds waters" Bnt what is re-
markable Venus had tortoise under the left foot,
the side Of the heart TO show that, like that animal,
she can live with her heart gone. Thus the perish
! able beauty of II woman has such power over the
slaves Of passion that she tears their hearts out ands
bryyces them as to expose them ia their blindness