New-York tribune., 1878-11-23
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES.


HOW GARNIER-PAGEs LOOKED AND HOW HE LIVED
HOW THE EMPIRE WAS UNDERMiNED-fEoPLE
AT BALL.
fFRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
PARIS, Oct. 31.-There arc many sympathetic
spirits in the United States who must have learned
with regret that the venerable Garnier-Pages was
M more He was one of the most picturesque
figures of the Republican party, and had the air,
the sacred fire and the zeal of an apos-
Tie without particle Of seetarian bitter
ness or narTOwncss. Love OF appreciation
was in him allied to sterling honesty and hrInness
of principle and it took aswee and amiabe form.
Were there a child i'll the room with him he could
not help trying to get into its good graces' II ne
found himself in the company of an Octagenaiiah
lady he would nstinctively bring out for her
Measure bis most brilliant thoughts and
his happlest fancies. With girls and young
women he was a dear old patriarch ana
he showed himself friendly all round. l never
met person who gave letter oi introduction
which he felt might be of use 20 the person asking
il with better grace than Garnier-Pa@eS, VINO was
the first political acquaintance that made IN France
| became acquainted with him when the Empire
was in its zenith and all England resoundng with
the praises of the Emperor who had jnst signed the
treaty of commerce. What struck me about him
was MS perfect transparency of character ditu'ive
warmth. and faith strong enough TO remove noun
tains and cast them into the sea- He had returned
few dayS previously from tour round France, the
object of which was to bring about a Republican
revival, and TO create centres OF OppoSl'i"h'
Elections for the Councils General were 10
come off six or seven months la'er. anu
Garner-Pages thought that If a ieaven
of independence could be introduced into them the
whole political lump in his lifetime would he ieI-
mented. lie saw with the eye of faith, ana what
,atr. Ef.flf no
legislative elections of Paris and the chef towns
of France, which he had in the interval
been visiting and stirring up along with his son-in-
law and afTectionatc disciple, N. Dreo. GARNER
Pages in early life was commercial traveller, and
had in conversation the warm cl1quence of the
South In his business peregrnations he had
found out what heads of factories, of wholesale
and retail stores and what hotel and mn-keeperS
were true and Trustworthy men, and couId Wl'honI
danger be let into the secret of his self imposed mis-
sion which was 10 overthrow the nocturnal victor
of December, and restore the Republic that be had
betrayed and left for dead.
The carpetless suite of rooms in which he lived,
on a second floor of the Rue St. Roch, was the
centre of noiscless political agitation mp to the
closing days of the Empire One entered by
court like a stable-yard. The house belonged
to a Republican who had for janitors
the widow and the grown-up son Of a proscript Of
1892 who died in the pits of Lambessa. She was
silent woman with penetrating eve that seemed to
gauge the moral worth of the visitor asking for VI.
GarnerPa gess dOInicile The stairs were wide old
fashioned unequal from age and blackened from
the multiplicity of NJ. GarnIer-Pages's political
clients, many of whom were rough working
men. please wipe your feet " was written on ev-
ery angle of the staircase in prominent charac-
ters The bell was old-fashiOned, and gave
out sound like one used IN a farm
to ring the laborers to dinner. On the
door being opened by the only servant who was
perpetualy on duty in kitchen with small glazed
partition through which she could recOnnotre the
lobby. the visitors stepped into narrow
passage the floor of which had become concave by
reason of antiquity. If Garner-Pages was
at home diuiug-TOom furnished in the mahogany
despsed by the rich Parsians, and neat as uakers
parlor, was passed through. When the family were
at table no linen tablecloth was spread.
This dishes which were well-prepared ana ap-
petlzing, were set on straw mats upon
brown oilcloth which was polished like
| mirror Round the table sat the master of the
house, an old smiling gentleman with soft, yet
luminous gray eyes, retreating forehead very much
developed about the brows, thin face,
| long gray hair curling up behind, and
| a stooped. tall and slender figure which
was dressed in loose-fttng-clothes. pair OF shirt
| collars which were the fashion nearly fifty years
| ago, concealed tho lower part OF the face On the
| occasion of my initial visit to 40 Rue st. Roch,
| Garnier-Pages: was at table taking lunch.
He was eating an egg boiled in the shell,
as it is eaten in families where the luxury
of egV-spOons with gilt bowls is dispensed with, by
means of a nOintelle long and narrow slice OF
| bread which ~ dipped into the egg and brought to
| the mouth full Of the yellow and white substance
| that it has absorbed there. GarDier-Pages rose
| u, into tf~VNa anGn wi
| once an Office and parlOr. 1t was conveniently but
meagrely furnished The immense windows were
! 'ncurtaDed unless by muslin blinds. hue hre OF
| for the weather was cold and the good man of
the house had been born and reared IN the
sunny South, and i'll bore the rigor OF q
Northern climate He pushed an armchair
| toward me, called to the servant TO bring some
pear-logs, which he said threw up brighter
| fame than any other, and brought me bundle OF
| newspapers TO read. Some OF them were contra
band from Brussels and Genoa, The Pdtrie,
| semi-Oifcial print of the Empire, was in
the - heap Garner-P Pages Observing, perhaps,
said sal IL take it to know the Government
news. 1t is edited by an Italian Jew who ~ the best
| of the Bonapartist pack. His name is Moses, bat
| he calls himself Deamare, which means drawn out
of the water He then asked me to let him finish
| his lunch after which be would hasten back
| to converse at some length with me: j
| had inspired hun, be was good enough 10
say, with confidence, and he would wear his heart
upon his sleeve in our interviews, which he hoped
would be humorous.
While | was sitting at the fire-side, Carnot,
General MeroslowsH and Delessert entered,
conducted by Garnier-Pages, who introduced
me to them as a friend Of Richard Golden;
and 10 friend of Monsieur BonaDarte. Deles-
sert bad been Pr6fect of Police under Louis
Philippe, and though not Republican was very
hostile to the Empire He had come to furnish MEN,
oranda for the history GamerPages was writing
of the Revolution of 49, regarding the position the
lamented Duchess of Orleans filled Iii the family
of Louis Philippe, and he described it as