The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-30
MIDNIGHT MASS IN NOTRE DAME
POPE Plus VII AND THE GREAT NAPOLEON ANI
EMPRESS JOSEPHINE.

Grace Greenwood's Paris Letter to the Times. I
Christmas Eve was still aud clear, and thou
| sands of the devout and curious crowded the
churches for the Midnight Mass. We at
tended High Mss in Notre Dame, and, from
a gallery above the chancel, saw very i'm
posing dIsplay-erind church dignitaries,
headed by the Cardinal and the Archbishop
IN their most magnificent robes, which could
almost stand and officiate alone-priests and
acolytes going through their impressive,
though to US mysterious rites. The pic
| turesqueness of the scene was almost enough
to inspire worship-the illuminated affairs and
thrones, the rich carpets and hangings, the
gorgeous vestments, and, above ali, the effects
OF the sunshine pouring through the splen-
did stained windows, and falling in a glorious
baptism of color on the heads of priests and
choristers.
Still my thoughts and my eyes would
wander 0own the long nave to a spot by the
grs at portal where, one December morning
seventy-one years ago, stood q magn Fl ,ent
throne with two gilded chairs awaiting the
Emperor and Empress of France. pictured
to myself the vast church all hung wi b those
gorgeous velvet hangings shining with golden
bees-thht wonderful crowd of church digni-
taries princes, soldiers, officials, and legisla-
tors. ana the smiling groups of court ladies in
the galleries, chief among them the proudest
mother in Christendom. The Archbishop re-
called the venerable figure of the patient pIis-
oner of Napoleon, Plus VII, lung near the
altar for the coming of his inn erial host-that
grand "thief of the world" who, with equal
GOODNESS made free with Roman Pontiffs and
pictures, a holy family, or the Holy See.
l looked on the way he walked in crossing
the altar when he crowned himself aud his
Empress, and in going to his throne 1 sup
pose We can see just how he looked that day
by DAvid's great picture. His costume,
though designed by that artist, and beautiful
exceedingly, seems to me to have been
theatrical and effemiuate.
These corona ion robes, with those worn by
the Pope and Archbishop on that occasion.
were torn to pieces in the Revolution of 1881,
for the sake of their rich gold orramentatlon;
but they have been mended, and are still pre-
served IN the sacristy of NoIe Dame 1t is
strange that those magnificent rags have out
lasted two empires and three kingly
reigns, to say nothing of poets
dream Of republic and night.
mare of Commune. My old friend saw
Napoleon on that eliminating day OF his des-
tiny, and says that his beauty was "some-
thing incredlble"-afd that to see him and
Josephine in their state carriage of glass and
gold was liBe realizing a beautiful dream of
fairyland. The Emperor's plumed chapeau
was turned up at one side and "bu'toned with
a star the great Regent diamond. She
says be lluted right and left the people who
adored aud feared him enOrmement," but
that he looked grave almost 10 sternness,
though giving once in while ga smile like
winter sunshine" being still out of humor
with the Pope, who had most nnwillingly con-
sented to consecrate him. The on dit was
that after long AMI stormy interview he had
resorted to his f.vorite imperial argument, a
buffet on the cheek which brought the Holy
Father to the GROWING point, and made him
ready to chant with proper unction, " Vtuat
in osternum senaper augustus