New-York tribune., 1875-07-24
LIFE IN PARIS.
LETTER FROM ARsENE HoUssAYE

coSIp,sT OF LIFE AND DEATH-A T"o"lNEp
CHINAMAN-THE AUTOGRAPH MANIA-S'iA" -
GIRARDIN PAINTED BY HIMSELF. -.
ryRon A REGULAR coEREsPoNDtNI VI In -
PARIS. june 16.-Was the Comte de he'nuS,'''
hss inst died freethmker. or SIMPLY '"epe-.
hid he believe anything, or dld he u"uu' ''v'
-, A, all events he has set cut for The "ther
world with passport in due form nom 'Ns C'N "
h;s norsb He did not choose 10 end IN iupenitenc'.
Tho last moment Is the psychological moment ar uo
prussians sad when they bon'barded farls' Inc
Catbolcs reioced over this Christian end Inc llec
.hiLrs accompanied the body TO the Madeleine but
would not enter the church. =,
NJ do P6nnsat had well chosen his time 10 "'c
II WAS the finest weather in the world Inc P'"i'
mind was at rest The funeral therefore, Was 9"
,mnosing spectacle. 1t was like Spring Pi",''o-
nadein TIC Champs Elysees. The Madeleine ""s uo'-
grated AZ for some great festival Was II hot III id.
tbe fete of the Immortality OF philosopher NJ
,b;ars with paul de R6musat walked first after
tbe hearse which bore his political ana literary ar
,oc;ate. The moonlight went before The sun NJ
TIL was p,rcb moved Those Who did not know
him imacined that he was mourning over ms own
,r nrosnect of DEATH since he Is - ycaIs old IKE
his decreased friend But he was only weeping over
tla separation without thinking of himself. lie
feels besides, that he has not yet hnlshed MS
allotted task while NJ. Remusat had hnlshel hs'
There IL IN NJ Theirs a force of life which SIN a.
sures him profitable years. have no time I" dIe'
said he to NJ Mignet. another cotemporary DO
hike me- begin two or three books you VIII see tl''
death will give you time 10 complete them.
After a mass in music they conveyed NJ. de Re-
mnsaf 10 Picpus where the Fuilottned ot l|"1 were
bnried. among Others Andre Chenier. There NJ.
Iules Simon wept an grafton about the political vir-
tines of this statesman, who only passed by power
once under the Citizen King and again under the
rovaist republic. NJ. Simon wOuld have done bet
Ter o read these beautiful words Of Victor Hugo on
the immortality of the soul. L" 1t is misfortune OF
our time 10 place everything III this life. In CIV
ing to man for his sole end and aim the life OF earth,
Won aggravate all his miseries by the final negatoh
And that which was only suffering, that Is To say
the law of God is changed to despair, the law ol
hell The duty of all Of us, legislators bishops
poets is to help raise all faces toward heaven, TO
direct all souls toward the future life. Let rs say
with high confidence that no one has suffered I'M
Justly or in vaiu Death is restitution. God ap-
pears at the end Of all. 1t would not be worth while
10 live if We were to die entirely That which ale
yiates labor and sanctfes toll is to have before us
the vision Of better world through the darkness of
this hfe That world is to me more real than the
ehmera which We devOUr aud which we call life.
1t is forever before my eyes. II is the supreme GER
tainty of my reason, as IT If the supreme cOns0la-
ton of my SOUL
Is not that the finest of funeral oratiOns, from
whatever orator, over whatever tomb 7 The Gath
olics reproach Victor Hugo with the civil buTials OF
his two sons. The faith IL the immortality OF the
sonl Is not the Catholic faith alone. The admirable
historian of Notre Dame de Paris does not love the
Church. and believes his salvation possible ont of it,
Since all roads lead 10 Rome, why should not all
roads lead to heaven. if the traveller j. righteous =
Tliare eaiI 6frV years 1pO tO VI. dc HfmuSlt.
81 will never do anything without you;' and he has
Kept his word. Twice he has come 10 power, and
twice he has called NJ de Remusat 70 his side. And
this is why called NJ. dc Remusat political moon
hight. prominent man has said that NJ. Gle Re-
musat must have renOunced upon his death-bed
that amiable and playful skepticim which was his
prjde because he foresaw that the Radicals would
be at the head of the procession and that the crowd
which thrOnged about the Madeleine would come
much less tO honor the dead than TO read IN the fen
tnres of NJ Theirs how the ancient Nsus of politics
would bear the death of his Euryalus. Certainly
there was great deal Of curiosity at this funeral, hut
there was also sentiment of public mourning
Such as he was, NJ de R6musat. man Of wit, man
of talent man Of eloqueuce, a French char
acter Of the 10Th century; not sharing the radiance
of the great historic figures. but rather the domi-
tones of those celebrities who survive through their
actions and their works. NJ de Remusat was not
of those Who aspire TO power and to literary re-
nOwn through a vulgar vanity He believed that
there something good to do and good tn say and
such things he has done and said Ii would be well
If the Of politics and literature were fuller
Of such men. 1t may be said that am not dIslnter
oeted in speaking of NJ. de Remusat. long time
ago he asked the king to give the cross for my
"History of the Eighteenth Century, never knew
him till went to thank him. found him the most
of al M I'M
others than in himself. lie recalled TO me that
day charming saying of II. de Salvandy. to whom
q suitOr was saying " You cannot refuse the
cross beeause every one has it," Yes" cried VI. de
Salvandy Everybody has it, and everybody is
asking me for IT,"
There is another place vacant at the Academy.
The Duke de BrOge said "TheTe is vote less foI
Jules Simon hut one chair more him. You know
that at the Academy the votes all political, Re-
publican and Monarchist. At the last elections NJ.
Jules Simon and N. Dumas had the same number of
votes; both were postponed for SIX months. Two
scademicians usually die each year. After the Re-
publican aeadenican, the next may be Royallst to
reestablsh the tie between the two candidates.
To distinguish NJ Dumas from Alexandra Dumas
6ls people say, " Dumas the savant" Dumas MS.
therefore signs his letters Dumas the ignorant
Which is the more ignorant of the twof Is it he who
understands the human heart and places it on the
stagei
AT the very hour when they were chanting the
Miserere for NJ dc R6musat. they were marrying at
the Madeleine the Prince de Broglie nephew of the
statesman to Mdlle. say, niece Of the Minister of
Finance. Mdlle Say, who has twenty millions of
dowry. had fancy to marry prince. She will be
princess. but perhaps she does not understand that
ale is only an Italian princess Many of those who
came 70 the funeral Of ~ DE- ,cnusat were also ln-
vited 10 the marriage Of Prince Broge. They wit
Messed both ceremonies Lhont Ieaving the church.