New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-10
LIFE IN PARIS.
LETTER FROM ARsENE HOUssAYE.


Dogs AND TRUFPLEs.
| [FROM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRrBUsE.I
PARIS. March ia hundred years ago people
complained that the Necker family were always
in the Swiss mountains" They meant by that, that
| they appeared never to understand each other nor
to listen to anybody else. The family composed
of Mr.. Necker Minister Of Louis XVI, Madame
| Necker, who held high and firm the administration
| of her own house, and Mademoiselle Necker who
was afterward Madame de Stssl why are you
always at cross-purposes n the young lady was asked
She answered, Because my father is always IN the
past my mother in the present. and in the future"
This is called in the slang of the hour, ere sora-
| be out
| Our political family is in the condition Of the
Neckers Some turn to the past like the Legitmists
and Oreansts others to the present, like Republic
cans and Septennalists others still to the future,
like the Bonapartisf and the chimercas of all Sorts
They naturally do not understand each other. There
has never been a nation 80 divided. In every party
there are infinite subdivisions. For instance, try to
harmonic Red Republican and Pink Republican.
| A statesman said this week: Fortunately Spring
| is coming and Heaven will send US the best OF all
republics the green one.'
What is most lacking in France is the citizen, as
you understand il in the United States. We have
| few of them, but they are generally only rough
drafts. If France composed Of great hearts
and lofty spirits like Augustin Cochin, whose history
| has Just been written by NJ de Fall0ux, society
would not be 80 hard to manage. Every one would
be found at the junction of the beautiful and the
good The world would govern itself through the
peaceful conauests of intelligence. But Heaven has
| not 80 ordained. Heresies are necessary for the
greater glory of truth evdOers necessary TO set
| in relief the virtue of doing good. One Is not
merely benefactor by some pious charity but still
more by the work of a life. If there were no more
than the Cochin Hospital, it would be enough to
gain respect for the name. BIT the memory OF
| Cochin is an atmosphere of good works lie Is not
merely the benefactor of the poor but OF everybody
| NJ Jacques Cochin and NJ. Augustin Cochin were
not in the ministry of saving souls but they had, so
to speak bought into at the invitation OF God, i'm
PEELED by a profound love Of humanity.
This is why NJ Augustin Cochin has to-day the
| great honor-he who despised honors-of inspiring
a book by the historian of Louis XVI. You remem-
Der that NJ Cochin was Project of Versailles during
| the Commune and that he died in that office.
made a Journey TO Venice with him. We lived in
| full community of ideas on Venetian and Christian
art. 1t was with melancholy pleasure that | met
with him again in VI. de Falloux's book. The en-
graved portrait is very like; the written portrait
gives the likeness Of the soul. He remained young
without frivolity and became serious without pc
dantry, at an age when virtues like faults can
hardly be kept free from exaggeration. Abundant
fair hair clear and gentle blue eyes, cordial smile,
a face and disposition which passed without effort
from payfulness to gravity, everything about HIM
was winning. There was everything to make him
attractive to the world, and to make the world too
attractive TO him. But as he came near to danger
he doubled his fidelity to his faith, as the mariner
who foresees the tempest fixes stronger hand upon
the helm and a more vigilant eye upon the compass
NJ Cochin has admirably drawn himself In this
portrait of the Christian: If the Christian Is pos
sessed of heart and logic he loves all humanity he
is the advocate of the poor the redresser OF wrongs
the preacher of Justice and equality; his object on
earth is TO redeem the blood of Adam by the blood
of Christ. He punges his palm-branch in the waters
Of the Gospel, and with strong hand casts drop
on the brow of every man Of all the earth. If you
talk to him of the HottentOts he listens II you go
to visit the lepers, he follows"
From the unpublished works of Augustin Cochin L
have taken these thoughts, which are not unworthy
of Paschal or La Lochefoucauld:
To use reason against Christianity is to forget that
Christianity has enlightened reason.
| Religion is above governments or revolutions The
latter are no more capable of destroying 1t than the
former Of saving it.
In politics as in religion we often come to the
credo through the confteor
II Won push 10 their final conclusion the theories
Of natural order they to come to the super
natural
All acquisitions of knowledge journeys which,
by different roads, conduct man to the threshold OF
the gospel.
! Be satisfied with nothing but yourself.
What is done outside of Christianity shows what
we would be without it.
It il with virtues az with flowers; some have
/ al han
stems Others stand stiffly. There are people who
are not content with keeping their souls white-they
want them starched.
Demoitions are saddening, but not ruins, when
time has clothed them with majesty and their
troubles are ended.
If the world is a prison. it is still important to
form the prisoner
Every one is at oncebeir and ancestor.
Is it not worth while to find thinker like this in
the midst of the inanities of Partisan life Count
de Faoux, formerly Minister, Member OF the Acad-
emy has therefore done good action In wrltlhga
| good book about his friend.
During this second half of Lent there is still
good deal of dancing. But there is fury of dining
speak of those who have something for dlnner-for
there are plenty of Parsians ust now on bread and
water There are even many who say that water Is
| foo dear and who restrict themselves to blue wlne
This blue wine is made of hollyhocks and black
currants Most of the Paris grocers shut them
selves up after midnight to manufacture this wlne
AT one time the Project of Police imagining that they
were conspring in the secrecy of their cellars, made
descent on several of them, thinking they were
Bona partists. "Conspirew they cried in chorus;
we know nothing about 1t. We are making wine"
| If | had been the Project / would have arrested
them as conspirators against thepublic health.
! was speaking the other day of luxury in dress
J w. 1Iuvu in
the menus of the mddleclass rival those of princes,
but those of princes beginning to surpass those OF