The New York herald., 1879-11-02
How the Fair Jersey Lily Bios
somed Into Society.
MILLAIS, THE FLOWERS SPONSOR.
Mrs. ComwaIIis West and Other Heroines
Of the Studio
THE CRAZE FOR NOTORIETY.

The actions for libel brought by Mr.. Langtry and
Mr. CORVALLIS West against Mr.. Adolphus Rosen-
berg. the proprietor of Tocn TAX, have been the
principal topics of conversation during the past
week and opinions divided concerning the
course taken by the indignant husbands. First as
to the paper. 7oWa Talk is penny weekly paper
owned by Mr.. Rosenberg. who is a Jew Of German
extraction. and in such ISSUE under the pretence of
exposing vice it has published series of filthy
articles of such character indeed that no
decent person was ever seen buying read
ing it. Mr.. Rosenberg. in fact. has bettered the
instruction he received from the conductors Of the
World and TRUTH has taken such article as "Faus-
tine with the Foxhounds," which appeared some
months ago in the former his model, and pro-
duced paper which is public scandal. 1t is not .
little disgraceful that it should be allowed to
out every week. and it is pity that the sale is not
summarily stopped, as it was in Manchester short
time ago and all the copies coniscated, leaving this
audacious purveyor of dirt to his remedy he chose
to take it, Instead of that however Toon Talk is still
publicity sold in the streets. has reached circula
lion of many thousands. and brings IN . large in
eome to the enterprising Jew who is meditating
In the seclusion of prison cell upon the hardships
the law of libel applied to the newspaper press.
soCIErY's FAvoRITEs.
Before discussing the articles which have brought
he not able to find the necessary bail and
locked up accordingly, some notes on the two
ladies who have been attacked may prove interest
ing. Mrs. Langtry is. OF course. the famous beauty
about whom society has been raving for some three
seasons She is the daughter of the Rev. Philip
Le Breton. the Dean of Jersey; was brought up in
that island. and when quite young was engaged to
Captain Longley, son of the late Archbishop of
Canterbury AS. however. the gentleman was a
good many years her senior the match
was broken of at her fathers instance.
and the lady afterward married Mr.. Langtry.
while they lived for some years at Noirmont, near
st. Hebers There the Jersey Lily MRS. Langtry's
Christian name is Lily might have lived unnoticed
and unknown, but as one fair lady in island
celebrated for pretty faces But chance brought her
and her husband to London. and here she was in
troduced into society by her famous countryman,
NJ Millais. For the great painter is descended from
Jersey family and is very proud of it. Is not his
pedigree set forth, the family history written and
the arms with the crest of a gauntleted hand duly
emblazoned in an excerpt from the "Armorial"
OF Jersey, which contains etching Of the coat
of arms Of the Royal Academician himself? Desir.
GUS that Jersey beauty should have full
honor. Mr.. Millais stood sponsor for Mrs.
Langiry and she came before the world with. it
were. the mint mark OF the R. A. on her face. Her
DuCcobs
fete. flower show and garden party, at Nottingham
and in the Row. at the opera or the ball. the Jersey
Lily" held undisputed sway. Artists raved about
the Grecian outlines of her face, NJ Mllais and Mr.
Pointer painted her and exhibited their work in
the Academy exhibition, neither of them be it
remembered, doing justice to her. and 1t seemed rs
impossible to keep the mention Of her name out Of
the World as it was for Mr.. Dick in David Copper
field" to keep King Charles out Of his 'nem orial" !"
GROWING FAMOUS
To this notoriety it must be said that the lady
contributed not a little by being constantly photo
graphed and permitting the exhibition Of the like
nesses taken of her. while more than one occa-
sion-as. for example, at Ascot. not long ago-her
style of costume was such as to attract marked at
tenton. Thus it may be inferred that the blaze of
popularity not unwelcome to the fair recipient
Of much notice, and at the Royal Academy and
such places she bore being mobbed by the crowd
like royalty with perfect equanimity There are
those who deny that Mrs. Langtry is beautiful 90
popular opinion accounts Ler, and certainly her
photographs do not do her justice. Who dares to
call the sun hatterer. "Soien qu,s deere fdisum
awdea" says the Latin poet. and Mr. Boucicault has
declared. in utterly impossible Photographic sit
uation in Of his plays that the apparatus mean-
ing the camera) cannot lie But, a matter of fact
photographs in nine out of ten either atter
fail to do justice to people, and though nobody has
been more photographed than Mrs. Langtry no one
has less to be grateful to the art of Niepce
and Daguerre. She has hair that might be called
auburn. good complexion. ''sumptuous head"
to use Tennyson's epithet. beautifully set on her
shoulders, thoroughly Grecian profile and fine,
bust The fault of her face is the heaviness of the
lower part of it, and, judicc, she rather fine
handsome woman than q pretty one For the rest
she is pleasant and good natured though certainly
NO genius.
THE VOICE OF sLANDER.
With regard to the paragraph published by Mr..
Rosenberg in Toon Tall. which set forth that Mr..
Langtry had applied for divorce and dragged in the
name of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
in most scandalous aud utterly unjusti able man.
it may be said at that it is simply-there
is other word for it-an unmitigated lie. The
obscene paragraph-monger drew upon his imagina-
ton for his facts and then dressed them up with all
the usual rhodomontade and arectation of omnisci-
ence that distinguishes society journals The state
mcnt was contradicted in other weekly papers, but
was repeated in the original offender still more cir
cumstantially and also copied into French and Ger
man prints. Nor can there be any doubt but that IL
obtained very wide credence among the classes to
whom such gutter literature appeals. They read A.
and believed 1t because they liked to read il
and believe it. and the horrible story was
bruited about in q manner which was naturally
most distressing to Mr.. Langtry and his wife,
At first he was inclined to take notice Of 1t; for
although the ignorant and credulous among the
lower orders might believe 1t, no in society at
tached the slightest Importance to 1t. knowing Of
course. the facts of the But rumor has many
tongues and at last the nuisance got intolerabe
that Mr.. Langtry determined to take the bull by the
horns and prove to the outside world what the
upper ten knew full well-viz that his wfe's honor
was unstained. that he never had the remotest in
tention of applying for divorce and that he and
his wife lived happily together in Norfolk street.
Park lane. As matter of fact there is no more at
tentive and devoted husband than Mr.. Langtry. He
goes everywhere with his wife and hardly ever leaves
the when she is in it. thus eectually slencng
all scandaious voices.
THE PHOTOGRAPHERS ART.
Mrs. CORVALLIS West is q lady who may be said