The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-14
SWEET CHARITY WITH HARIATIoNs.
SOME AMUsENENTs OF THE HIGHER SOCIAL
CIRCLES IN FRANCE-LA KERMEssE DE
L'ORANGERIE.
Paris corresponder oe of Baltimore Sun


| There is charming SuaUe and simplicity
with the ladies of the high social circles OF
| France that no other country Can COM
pete with Lately saw this exemphfed
| in way that most pleasantly impressed
me. A fancy fair or "kermesse" was held
in the Tuileries Garden, and the presiding
spirits were some seventy of the most
tIistingue ladies of Paris society. 1t was
| the creme de la creme meeting of the season,
and everything and every body seemed to
make it brilliant, sunny affair. A thea
tre was built of flowers, the platform only
| being visible boards. Ga this the most
| popular opera boutfs singers appeared and
made life one day longer and brighter.
Many celebrated actors and actresses per-
formed, and from the Theatre Francais a
| galaxy of stars came forth to delight and
interest. These performed in another
| theatre constructed after the design of the
one on which Moliere in his early day act
ed.
In addition to theatres there were
tsmerry- go rounds" wheels of fortune,
| revolving horses of wood, aud puppet
shows of endless variety. The graceful
and lovely Princess Poniatowski presided
at an American bar, and made some of US
ledge of "mixed drinks" and doing them
out at ten francs q glass. She is very
witty and full of jokes, many good West
ern ones overflowing with spice and spirit.
She was dressed a la mode de Irianon, and
was the belle of the fete. The Duchess de
la Rouchefoucault and the Princess de Leon
played the part of milkmaids, and actually
milked the enstalled cows-to the amaze.
ment of children and city danes. The
dress, the COW shed, and the entire picture
at this spot was most rustic and attractive.
'Only Eve francs for glass of true milk !"
the lovely princess would cry, and how she
sold the simple fluid ! I hear her receipts
were 1000 frarcs. A countess was gip-
sy, q marchioness a washerwomen, and q
princess q nurse. What spirit and grace
And the men. Gustave Dore contributed
sketches, Destaette paintings, Protaiis
The Princess Sajan cent jeweled ornas
ment in diamonds and pearls that was es-
timated at $25 900, to be raffied for-and
lost. But the band played and we all
laughed and Charity smiled.
Indeed the charity of the higher classes
in this city is boundless, especially at such
fetes as La Kerme8se de rOranqerie. These
and similar gatherings are now of yearly
occ1rr snce, and in spite of the depreda-
tions COMMITTED d on peoples pockets, they
are every year more fIequented, and con-
sequeDtIy more successful. The elite of
French society may be seen there, intent
on becoming passessed of every coin you
have about you.
There is the fair Countess de Jauay
selling nick nacks at fabulous prices.
There you see the Princess d'Aren berg and
the Viscouptess de Gramont vsunting the
quality of their china and pottery. On
the other side are the Viscouutess de Luppe
and the Marchiouess de Rove, busily dis
posing, at a handsome profit, of socks and
other hosiery and a little farther on, as
have already described, q real COW w-shed, =,
with the prettiest of cows and the loveliest
of milkmaids, in the persons of the three
countesses, Montebello, Hinisdal and La
rochefoucault. They wear the jauntiest
of Devopshire hats, and will dispense you
glass of milk and a slice of brown bread
and butter at the mode ate figure of FIVE
francs, while if you want anything more
stimulating you can buy cup of chocolate
of Count Hinisdsy who is merrily tinkling
a email bell to give publicity to his goods,
or a glass of champagne from the Count
ess de Pourtales, but you must expect no
| change from the latter. Such a lovely
being ought mover to change, of course.
Added to all this was the new summer
fashions, just out. AL rustic and after the
Marie Antoinette style. Madame McMahon
and her daughter came on the grounds and
| presented a superb Sevres vase for re 9.
| Somebody said William Won Hoffman, of
New York, won it, and re. raffisd it for the
charity fund.
understand the receipts from all
sources, entrance money, flower selling,
refreshments, milk, hosiery, and what not,
have reached nearly, if not quite, $50, 600
francs, and Les AnliS de FEntdnce and les
enfdns themselves, have every reason to be
rrhl lrya aaf; I'D