New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-27
LIFE IN PARIS.
LETTER FROM ARsENE UOUsSAYE.

PARIS, Feb. 2S.-I cannot why they eaii the
Academcians The Forty" as they never NUMBER
forty At this moment for instance. they are only
thirty eight Guizot and Janin having gone to the
other world TO what the immortality Oh THIS one
is worth think they must be entirely disenchanted
by this time in the kingdom of heaven, where peo-
ple care very little for their terrestrial immortality
Ii il is useless TO belong 20 the Academy in cross
ing the Styx. il is still more useless during life The
public either knows nothing about il or else says
why this one rather than that onef Why the
Able Trubet and not Molieref Why NJ Ancelot
and not Balzacf The laurels of the Academy are
expresses. One must be in no hurry to gather them
if he wishes to preserve in his face and in his works
an air Of life.
Nevertheless the steeple-chase is beginning again
for the chairs of Guizot and Jann. Politicians and
men of letters in the field with more passionate
energy than If this 30O-y ear-old Academy were
young girl of 10. You scarcely imagine with
what ardor those who have been stung by the
Academic gadfy start out in the morning to make
their visits. 1t the custom for the candidates to
visit each Academician in person and request his
vote With the exception of certain great lords, the
members of the Academy lodged in third. fourth
or fifth stories Think of the amount of climbing to
be done by the unhappy asprant. He arrives out
of breath and is told, 1.-The Immortal is in CONFER
ence with a candidate who got up earlier than YOU.
Our friend burries down as not TO meet his en-
envy the candidates do not dare look each other
in the face for fear of laughing AT last after nu-
merous experiences of the staircase, our man finds
an Immortal who measures him from head 10 foot
from the hight of his Immortality and then has the
cruelty to ask him why lie has done him the honor
of such an early visit.
-" Monsieur, 1t is because desire to sit by your
side
The Immortal offers chair
mo, not that SIR he stammers the
Academy"
The Immortal assumes an insulting surprise
What, Sir, so soon :"
80 soOn-don't you my white beardV
"Yes your beard is white, and that does give you
one serious claim
Sometimes the beard is not so white as it seems
for fairy lotions have charms to make the beard
white or black at need.
nt0nsleur, may no that man Of genius like
YOU will give me your vote ~
Generally the Immortal wraps himself up in
clouds like Jupiter. He makes use of ali Academic
INST of words to show that he has no command of
his vote. 1t has been promised for generations to
the great grandson Of an AcadPmician, for in this
neghborhoOd they keep everything in the family
No. Sir you shall not have my vote" This is what
the Academic language means. Upon this verdict
the candidate takes his hat and goes He makes his
thrty-nine visits never despaTiug for this Is the
candidates virtue.
When it is a man of some literary dignity he gets
angry and beats retreat This is called 50 the re-
treat Of the Forty" have seen Balzac, Theophile
Gautier, and Gozlan at it. Balzac came into the
presence Of the Immortal like the patron of the
Academy; he told him he wished to confer on him
the favor of joining his company. He never got
more than three four votes. They opened the
door half way to Gautier, to have the pleasure OF
shutting it in his face. Gozlan did not get vote
When ne made his visit to NJ. Vlllemaln, that
pedant, who will not leave behind him four living
lines said TO him brutality What do you want OF
mer There is a vacant chair at the Academy"
who are youY" Leon Gozlan." 81 don't know
Won. What do yOu make 7" Shoes" ITO make
your visits in ~ Yes, as you wittily say" and
Gozlan raised his foot to salute him. as he turned
his back But this Immortal was so near the grave
that Gozlan respectfully replaced his foot on the
floor With his best schoolmaster manner Pere
Villcmain showed Gozlan the door. Sir, am too
old to waste time with you. Understand once for
all you shall not have my vote" Your vote r
cried Gozlan. cit is not your vote want-it Is
your Chair"
NJ V.llemain turned pale and FAINT, and G0zIan
was obliged to throw water in his face.
Then there is the silent Academician. he rises
when YOU enter. You pay HIM your compliment; he
see ns 10 be thinking of something else Whatever
you do you cannot get a word out of him. You
bow he bows; and you turn your back on him for
eternity If not for Immortality. There Is the SYM
pathetic Academician, who gives you hope because
he il q man of the world and of esprit, like
Emile Angler Jules Sandeau, Camille Doucet, Oc-
fave Feuillet Xavier Charmier, Alfred Mezleres.
They plav with the candidate, like a cat with
mouse without devOuring him. They are at least
exouisitelv polite They have not written over
their door the verse ofDante over the gate OF Hell
At the house of one of these a candidate lately
arrived at the dinner hour. He was asked to dine;
he took this as a sort of promise and ate enormously
t. do honor to the dinner After dinner there was
little reception. Thinking he was obliged TO, the
candidate stayed the whole evening. At midnight,
when every had gone he was still there, radiant,
convinced that he had gained at least one vote You
NAV imagine the anxiety of the Academician and
of his family. They looked with CONSERVATION at
the clock The wife talked of the silent streets the
husband of footpads the candidate held his ground.
Al last the Academician cr1ed, Have q room made
ready and let NJ -- go to bed"
This may have happened to NJ. Camille Doucet'
who will probably be, at the DEATH OF NJ Patln'
Perpetual Secretary of the Academy. lie Is man
of the most prepOssessing manner and appearance
He left charming recollectons of bis government OF
the theaters, where he pleased everybody. de had
a great art of saying Yes, and when he SAID NO
ueonIe left him with a smile. He did not preach.
but he moralized. How many women and girls OF
society who wanted sing at the Opera or declaim
al The Coincide Franchise have gone home disabused
by his sound words lightly spoken. He gave them
80 eaylY and cevery the lamentabe picture OF their
life behind the that they went home fright
ened NJ Doueet might think he had made them
enemies for life but the next day he would receive
a charming little note, to which he would reply
with box at the opera the theater, as II to show
that the place of the well-bred woman is In the