The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-03-31
-ta2lE FEE
THE DE LESSEPS.
The BEagnIficeuee of Their E7OspitabIe
aztd CCsmOHeIisasa Home


THE 1Eagnifcence of Their 1aOspitab1c
hzsd CcstnOpcIisaaa Efonle.
From the Psrisian.I
The whole of Europe passes through
the dining room and esa on of Mr.. and
Mime. de Lesseps, in Paris. 1t is hes
pitable house ifever there vas one, COS
nopolitah, and always seeming to be full
/ of joy. Youiamuse there as you do no
where else; andaat the same time you
E7hnd there a family note in the shape Of
joyous band of seven chiIdren, who at
"a given moment, make q noisy and
bounding entry III the midst Of the
/ receptions BIr. de Lesseps loves to be
surrounded by this little world, ard his
kYife is an adorable ynOther. Every day
I about four o't16Gk an immense landeau
|lcarries oft the breed. 10 the Bois de Bou-
! IOgno. Ia Vino sAas, mot remarked those
laughing faces, those rosy checks, and
I eyes with a Youth that is blOss0ming
forth III the full tide Of happiness ?
Between the father and mother and
their children there is harmony of
tenderness which is perhaps the most
natural sentiment III the world, but
not common enough.
Mme. de Lesseps is of Creole origin;
her beauty has the type of that race,
the magnificent black eyes-eyes of
black velvet which prevent you from
seeing with impartiality any other fea-
ture of her face. StiH let us see. The
nose, perhaps, is a little wanting in line.
Yes, azsuredIy, but you hardly think of
it in presence Of that queenly look which
commands your admiration. and then
she has q supremely elegant figure
Iight-htnng dresses were invented for
her sake, and she is faithful TO them.
Doubtless this fashion would be eternal
if all women had a. good q right TO con-
form to it as she has. She is the daugh-
ter Of Mr.. de Bragars, who was Judge
In the MaUTitius. The following aneC-
dote relative to her marriage with Mr..
de Lesseps IS known to their friends
alone. 1t is charming. On his return
from Palestine AIr. de BFagars had
brought back with him some roses Of
Jericho fer some ladies Of his aCquain-
tance. Mr. de Iesseps, who was ane of
the friends of the house, was present
when the legend about these flowers was
related. Amy one who has some Of these
roses dried may put them in water and
express a wish; il his desire is to be full
filled, the next day the faded flower will
be found TO have bloomed again.
" And you Mademsiselle," said Mr.
de Lesseps, turning toward the young
daughter Of Mr.: de Br8Pars, are you
to going to try the experiments"
1t is useless, Monsieur" the young
girl replied with melancholy emotion. |
g Those roses would not bloom again.' |
"WhyP
Because the wish 1 form cannot be
realized"
There was SO much confusion and evi- |
dent emotion in this reply that Mr.. de .
Lesseps was struck and set thinking.
TRY at least, NademoiseIle,' % be said,
iaking her hand, which she did not with
lraw tao hastily. 1t appears that the
roung girl put the legend of the roses to
he test. The following day they had
esumed their coloIs, and shortly afters
ward Mile. de Bragar5 became lime. de /
4esseps. .....
Mr.. de Lesseps lives in the Rue Saint
FlOrentin. One of the most interesting
ieCas OF furniture in the salon is q what
ot containing the hundreds of decora-
ions that have been given to Mr. de
.ess5ps. In all the rooms oriental stuffs
nd rare and costly bibeIots abound. In
he ante-chamber are two enormous eIe-
hants tusks and q collection of UNI
relIas of all nations. Throughout the
ouse, there reigns comfort and elegance
ithOut OstenatiOn of luxury. The man-
ers ot the master and of the mistress of
10 house are simple and a1fable. A
nall empIOye or an unknown journal
t Is received as gTaciOusly as an sms
assadOr Their receptions are very
On Madame de Lesseps's
ays you cannot hear anything; every.
)dy is talking, moving about and anus {
lg himself, As for hospitalitv. il ia
caeticed here in the old-fashidned STYLE. g.,
hey have always there some relations
ho has not been favored by fortune, or
no have need of recommendation, and ,
lese visitors stay six months or year. :
II. de Lesseps is about seventy seven !
9ars of age; his wife was twentv-One !
ears OF age when ne married her, in
69. His activity is prodigious; he
Orks, he attends to the duties of his
gh situation, goes into society, takes (;
5 wife to balls, passes the night there,
ID resumes his busy life ut daydaw1i.
hen he is at Ismailia he refreshes
mseH by a sea-bath, and then he can
spense very veil with going to bed. Il
7ery year he embarks for Egypt with il
) whole family just as he would go to t.
inieres, and yet, heaven knows the a
mber of trunks such a numerous 81
nily must require. Mr.. de Lesseps il
5 had a country house built at Men il
n, on Tie model Of an Egyptian house, a
tn an Interior court On to which ali :
g rooms oren. There the legendary il
spitality is practiced on still larger P
lie. ...' ........ ......s r. q
Every bodyat Paris has seen the. mag il
icent portrait that Bonnat painted Of v
= de Lessep5, tie work is tumultous n
d jerky, perhaps, bat it depicts well r
, energy of the man. The following n
a remarkable trait of his sangfroid: Q
the eve Of the opening of the Suez ~
nal, by the Ex-Empress and all the ss
-ereign princes Of the world, an engi- =
er came in terror to to tell Mr.. de 2
sseps that there was a rock iutting =,
!, in an unseemly fashion, in the mid -
Of the canal, and that there might, II
haps be danger for the princely n
9sts. Imagine the ex-Emp press wrecked n
he middle of the canal Mr.. de Les - -
5 replied, simply: =" have said that - -
should pass, and we shall pass" The q g,
It day the passage was effected With ~
accident. His activity and his will 70 70
got the better Of the rock. al a.
to
"