The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-06
FRENCH LIFE.
Mr.. HamertOn's New Book.

| FRENCH RURAL LIFE-THE BOURGEOiS1l
THE PEAsANTRy MARRIAGES
from n Regular Correspondent of the Tribune.
| BOSTON, Jan. 14-Of all the books by
Philip Gilbert Hamerton, which Roberts
Brothers have published within the last
few years, perhaps not one is more in
teresting than Round my House, >
which is just ready. The author charac-
terizes it. on his title page, as "Notes OF
French Rural Life, in Peace and War. y
There is a singular charm in the intima.
cy with Hamerton thoughts and views
and personal inclinations, to which this
book admits us. In the first chapter
you startwith Mr.. and Mrs. Hamerton,
together, in pursuit Of house which
shall combine various indispensable ad.
vantages. The House" must be in a
region easy of access, and yet sufficient
ly remote from the hustle of any large
town-it must combine the conveniences
of practical life with convenience for the
studies OF landscape painter-and,
moreover, it must be one which could
be procured at moderate expense. To
realize in one place Of abode all these
necessary conditions was no easy mat
ter; and the account of Hamerton g
journey i'm search OF it, accompanied
everywhere by his wife, is one of the
pleasantest portions of the volume. At
first they wanted to live near the Rhone,
not only because the noble river is 80
beautiful in itself, but because its conve-
nient steamers made an enlargement
OF the range for an artists excursion SO
easy. Hamerton says:
"A landscape painter may be said--in
a peculiar sense, of course, yet to him
at least in q very real and ineligible
sense-to possess the land he lives in, so
far. ut least, rs he can appreciate its
beauty; just as student who lives near
a public library possesses the library,
or, at least, 80 much of it as he can use
and understand. And the longer live
the more profoundly am l convinced
that this kind of possession Is the truest
and most satisfying kind Of ownership /;
nay even that it is the only ownership
which, being infinite in its nature, is
adapted TO our infinite desires. 70 me,
a house by the Rhone, near railway
and steamboat station, meant the pos
session of the Rhone itself, with all its
crags and castles and picturesque old
cities, and those leagues Of lovely or
noble landscapes which lie between one
city and another"
But he failed to find on the Rhone the
maison de cdmpdg,,e he was seeking
Maison de cdnpdgl,e is a peculiar term
which will not bear translation. To
render it by country house" would con
vey wrong impression. 1t answers
much more nearly to the English shoot
ing lodge. 1t is meant be place where
life il rather rough and our explorers
found it somewhat difficult to discover
such an abode commodious enough for
a family, with additional space for an
authors library and n painters study,
and yet not too expensive. Three tours
they made, in the neighborhood OF three
different rivers the Rhone, the Saone.
and the Doubs and found only two
places which suited them-one Of which
they could not afford, and the other of
which they could not obtain. Then
friend undertook the search for them,
and soon found the House" You
want" said this friend, "a river, of
course, being an aquatic Englishman
and you want picturesque neighbor
hood, being an artist; then you must
not be too far from town for sup
ples-come picturesque old town, il pos
sible and you want a habitable
house, with a sufficient number of
rooms, and so on" All this the practi
cal friend undertook to find, and did
find. in combination. 1t was retired and
rural, and yet most happily situated for
communication with the outside world;
since from it one could reach, in single
night, Paris, or Lyons, or Geneva -or
one could dine at home one night and
in London the next. There were near
hills and a lovely trout stream; and to
these Mr.. Hamorton confeSses that he
attached more importance than to neigh
bors: since from these last he had few
expectations, having been spoiled for
provincial society by much intercourse
with the bright wits Of London and
Paris. Really cultivated people, he
thinks, can find their true society only
in those who belong to metropolis,
though they may pass much or even
most of their time in the country
The IIamertons began their new life
mands upon their neighbors. 1t is the
French custom for new corners to call
on the old residents; but our author
made no calls. In process of time ac-
quaintances came, however; and many
pleasant neighborly interests were
established. French rural life has
changed somewhat since the second
empire, and is far less open handed in
its hospitality than of old. People used
to ask guests freely to ordinary repasts,
neat and tasteful and unceremonious;
now they have acquired the notion OF
State dinners, and hospitality has be-
come expensive, burdensome, and there
fore infrequent. We have no idea Of
the great value of nobility in France. A
man will almost sell his honor for a de
before his name. A rich girl with a
common name is gladly bestowed by
her parents on some clerk with small
salary if he has but the magic de; and
the immense social weight carried by
this little particle is the Frenchman's
excuse for so often obtaining it fraudu-
lently, since it is like current coin, ami
buys q certain amount OF respect, no
matter in what manner it was acquired.
The chapters dealing with the loss as
well as the acquisition of this title, with
the rise and fall of fortunes, the parti-
ton of property, and all that range OF
subjects, are extremely interesting.
It is very much the fashion to sneer at
the thriftiness Of the bourgeois, but
while it often has in it an element Of
meanness, and is never in itself attrac-
tive. it has it's one good side. The first
object of bourgeois ambition is to owe
no man anything; the second to make
such provision for ones family that in
case OF misfortune to health or business
they shall not be cast naked on the
world. Hence it is hard to find the gen
uine bourgeois in difficulty, for he always
lives within his means. But ii mlsfor-
tune does come upon him he is cool and
cheerful under it.
The manners and customs Of country
folks in France are quite fully depicted
Nv Mr. HamertOn. The Frenchman