New-York tribune., 1875-08-07
LIFE IN PARIS.
1r1rrp FROM ARsENE HOUssAYE.

DINNER Is DEAD, LONG LIVE THE LuNCh-
THEOpHIIE GATHERS MONUMENT.
tFRoa REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRIBrSEl
PARIS June 27.-The EmbassadOr of Turkey has
Just given dinner to all Paris. Unfortunately lie
had counted upon the sun to receive III the garuei
of the Embassy, but the rain drove everybody mo
the parors Everything, however, was lighted up
giorno the lawns as well the reception rooms.
People appeared extremely bored. what wouin
you have Z" said a great lady, to whom the Suitan
would have been glad to throw his handkerchiei'
the salons of Paris have lost their character even
in ambassadors houses. You might imagine any
where that you were at watering-pace, OF Oh IN
American ship people know each other so httl''
The de]ipbtfu intimacy of old times is dead letter.
Good morninr and good evening, thatsall: you know
nobodv and do not want to know anybody. Railroads
and steamboats, have mingled all nations together;
Won NAV know where comes froil Dut you "o
not know where one is going. 1t has been sai'' t;1'
Paris il the worlds tavern, but the world lscii Is
only tavern, where pass and sup ana 40 lo'
stavv and the great lady added Ii is sad for there
is no possibility of indulging serious passion Inc
man who threw himself at yonr feet yesterday ana
swore an eternal love is already off this morning Tor
n trim round the world. And we are only at the
beginning of this universal revolution. Yet think
there are people who still build houses
The ambassador, passing by, said Hush" TO the
fair talker; "dont talk OF building houses. You
know the Moslcm proverb says, who builds house
builds his tomb"
The great Lady was right. Since the Revolution,
that drama of the Boulevard of Crime which -
played in France between endless cntractcs trench
society has gone to pieces like the French character
Nevertheless society, whenever it is let alone awhile,
tries to reconstruct itself. Under the Empire and
al. 1nut of
The Revolution of 1880 struck it down again worse
than that of 1880. Although the Citizen-king
would have liked a court worthy of the Bourbons,
the bourgeoisie invaded the Tuileries and over
shadowcd the hcraldc figures well as the inteIi-
gent ones. And, notwithstanding, no royal family
ever populated the great chateau more aristocrat-
ieay The Kings sons and 9anghsT, : Z. = proved 'hey
race by their distinction. their hei0lsin ana iner
love of art. The Orleans family would have liked 10
make the court a world of great names and great
talents, but the bourgeosie, having the run OF the
house, prevented.
The Revolution of 1SfS did nothing for French So
ciety. But the Second Empire made Partisan soci-
ety. which was AS good as the other, it was com
posed of ali the arstocracies that of birth, Of hero
ism. of the pcn and of the arts. Never was there
sovereign more hospitable to whoever bore name,
asvas shown at COmpiegne and the Empresss Mon
davs And beside the court, society found other
refugees the Sundays of The Princess Matmlde, the
Friday; of Nicuwcrkcrkc, the fdtcs of the Duke de
Nornv of Count Waewski, of the Princess of Met
tcrnich, for example. But the fatal war OF 1870
scattered for long time that sandered society,"
which had after all its own virtues. What was
called the unbridled extravaganza of women never
encroached upon the share OF the poor.
And now where is French society? The whlrlwlnd
4. s.ftr
has strewn everything abroad and French society Is
everywhere without being anywhere. You must go
to the English or the Russian EmbasSles-neutfai
pround-to find IT, The critics have an ideal Paris,
as undiscoverablo to-day the heroes and herolneS
of Balzac Paris is no longer a nation; it is hash
of all nations which come here to ENJOY the game oI
love, luxury, and life.
II is thus that the new Paris which has grown MP
in tie Champs Elys6es emcrges over the DID, and The
par;eian society has ceased to exist except among
forriQrcrs. Even the courtesans who come to i'm
pose their budget upon Paris are more foreigners
than Parisans from Julia Barucci TO Cora Pearl.
not 10 mention those who have to-day the finest
horses and houses in town. Paris no longer belongs
TO Itself
VIII this state of things long endure7 Will the
natural sentiment create true Par1sf tniortu-
natcly, opinions are marking more and more tine
pnlfs which separate everybody. The family used
to be tie ark of safety; but the revolution has
even entered there. People live from hand to
mouth onjoying to-day so as to forget the morrow.
Decomposition has fully set in Many Parisians,
adopting the AngloAmercan fashion, are ccasng to
dine under pretext that it takes too much time and
keeps them away from the thcater. Perhaps they
are right. For few years back there has been too
much dining 1t has come to be grave, methodlcal,
official matter. In fact | may say 1t is busi-
ness, demanding peculiar aptitudes. 1t IS not
everybody who can boast the golden stomach
Of Charles Monselct. L know Of othing
more tresome than dinner which is not amusing.
Now to make dinner amusing requires guests OF
some cleyerness, and you cannot always find them
ready 10 your hand. Some people. imagine it Is
very simTle matter to give q dinner party. Such
ONLY succeed in giving boring parties. You are
liable after them TO perish of indigestion, for ennui
is indigestible Among the dinners l wOuld advise
anv one to avoid are those of ministers Cuisine al
WAYS doubtful icy faces not the first word to langh
at and wines of every fabric where tho vine is not
called in little frOth at dessert but no wit. Napo-
leon once asked "Iow does it happen that twelve
at table can be so jolly, while fifty are SO cruelty
boredp One reason is that while for twelve din
ner IS often good for fifty it is always detestable
In orir High Life the lunch is beginning to replace
tie dinner But to give q lunch party, you require
q house 10 Yourself and garden. For it is only in
= garden that one can properly skirmish around a
table dccked with cold dishes, fruits, and confcc-
toneyy This is a sale 0mGng9 worth while You
come CT 90 sit down stand up, take turn in the
garden or a turn IN waltz 1t especially suits the
women. For while at serious dinner they show
only the head and shoulders, at lunch you can ad
nirc them il all their careless grace. 1t would need
q painter like Stevens Eugene Lami, or Franz
yerhas to represent al the pictures of lunch party
What unforeseen landscapes! The floating dresses
dallying wth the iowers, the white blazoned cloth
stretched on the green lawn; you might imagine
yourself in park Of Vatican. All this taking
place abcut o'clock a great deal of time is gained
Yo can 90 the Bo until the hour for the opera and