Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-06-25
OUR PARIS LETTER.

L fAhlS LIE
n. LIITRE, BIS CHARACTER AND woRK-FRANCl
AND HER AFRICAN coLoTIKs-ANKRIcAs NEW
soHGSrRBSs-PHAsEs OF FRENCH LIFE.
| Especial Correspondence or The Evening lHar.l
PARIS, June IA, 1851.
THR GREAT FRENCH PHLoLoGIsr..
Was M. L;ttre baptized Christian before he
| dice? That's the question. His disciples are
shocked that the eminent philosopher had the
| weakness to lean God.wards Pascal has
| written, that on the mere question OF winning
| II was nest to be believer, and thus take the
chances In favor OF Heaven. However, the
Positivists are in the weeping and CRASHING of
teeth stage at the clergy having succeeded In
talking over the chief Of Free Thinkera For
six months the Abbe Huvelin was preparing
the INDUSTRIOUS defunct for that ceremony, aud
there Is nothing very extraordinary Ia an
anectonate wife and daughter, exemplary
Catholics. being DESTROYS Of securing q loved
husband and father among the blessed. But
neither Uttre nor his philosophy are lost
because his remains have passed the portal Of
church. voltaire himself is considered to
have made peace with the clergy. He, too,
like Lttre, was eighty years OF age; and, II
natural tnfrmitieS be added, there Is nothing
very astonishing In the last scene OF ali.
Lsmartine's niece observed of Littre: "He was
not 80 much disoelleve In q Creator as to de-
mand mathematical and scientific proofs OF
that existence.
But what Christians as well az free-thinkers
can learn from Litre'S life Is charity that
covered multitude OF sins; federation,
which, II initiated, would make this world like
little heaven below: an lndu 3try and regu-
lated life work that have rarely been euualled
and never surpassed. He cultivated knowledge
Tor Its power. and he displayed depth of o.
serVatlon and lucldity OF expression which are
marvellous. He graduated In medicine, not to
practice the art, but to train his mind to ac-
curacy Of facts and metnodical grouping o.
laws. Poverty he despised. When in fortune
and when in narrow means he displayed the
same common frugality. he was philosophi.
cal republican, and defended his political credo
by bis pen. for he was no orator, not even
public reader. he worked unreInitunSly sew
enteen hours day. He did not 90 to bed. but
reposed from three till eight In the morning
whether In bis arm chair or on a camp bed In
pleasures Of the world he dsspised. Honors DIS
and rewards were thrust On hirl but counted
In his mind for little. Tea. wine, soup and bis
cult, and occasionally fruit, constituted his
dietary. The only 1rregularity In his life was
the takiug OF bis meals.
Littre wrote on every sublect-even poetry.
He was practical hnguist; he has shown by
bis 4" Hippocrates" that he was the ripest Of
Greek scholars. hts medical handbo0kS are
royal roads to learning with medical students.
But all this Is secondary to his great achieve
definitions, lucidity, organization and general
interest.
DEAD SEA APPLES.
The French commence to perceive that after
all Tunts is not the colorado they imagined; it
means something like corps d'armee to hold
the territory; bad training school tor soldiers
destined chiefly to take part In European wars,
and, like Algeria, Is q chronic hot-bed OF dis
affection and danger. In the south Of Algeria
there are Arabs giving the French advanced
posts serious trouble, and any mOmentary
cneck to French power In that regloa can be
fraught with something like peril Italy does
not exhibit any philosophical resignation after
being eJected from Tunls1a. and the Bey's can
ceiling the RubattnO concessions In favor OF the
French will not act as OIL on troubled waters,
The Italians are nursing their wrath to keep 1t
warm.
THE NEw AMERICAN PRIMA DONNA
TIE opera seems to have at last discovered
cantatrice in Miss Griswold, an American lady.
who has made her debut in the trying role Of
"Ophelia," In Ambrose Thomas's Hamlet"
She has been success, and will likely prove
star OF the 1rst magnitude as she becomes q
little more accustomed to the stage. In figure
sne Is tall, and, though strongly built, looks
slender. She has been ard-working student
at the Conservatoire of Music during four
years, and public opinion protested against the
jury OF that academy not awarding her the
nrst prize for singing last July. Her graceful
ana Juvenile figure, her evident desire to win
success, told in her favor. Her soprano voice is
y
pleasing. Soe exhibits wonderful ease In
passing from the lower to the higher notes
Perhaps no cantatrice has ever executed more
acceptably the trio In the fourth act She was
not quite so happy In the shepherds waltz
tableau but left nothing TO be desired In the
execution OF the dying stanzas.
SOCIAL TIGRBss.
Nine. Paule Miucke belongs to the commun-
ist school and is an aide de. camp of the great
cheyenne Louise Michel. At Marseilles the
judge sentenced her to one months imprison.
fneDt for Wild uttaranees against the Car,
adding that considering her excited nature the
court was mercifuL She spurns the lentency.
writes from her Cell demanding that the fuli
Sentence be passed upon her, and insists upon
ID alieniS being named to test her sanity
LIFE IN PARIS.
lawyers clerk has been sentenced to years
imprisonment, He eloped with his Intended
mother-in-law and her maid The husband
followed the fug1ttves, and only demanded
back-not his spouse, but his property that she
had Helped herself to. During the overture Of
the ballet at the National opera gentleman
stood up In his box and lodged four balls In his
body. Three have been extracted, the fourth
win likely accompany him In his comm. BY
letter found in hts pocket the unfortunate was
Count, and had the calamity to be Tilted by
one OF the ballet girls
Photography has taken new start. After
exhauStlng the portrait parsonage, the fashion
now ID TO nave the likeness OF pets secured;
cats, pocdles, monkeys, parrots canar1es, ali
are taken. Art does not reap much beneft by
the change OF subject, as 1t Is the instantaneous
poStage-stamp SIZE OF carte that Ia patronized
for these specimens of domestic natural his
tory.
A writer draws attention to what he believes
a discovery, namely, that the Jacobin clubs
never we're more numerous nor better organ
lied than at present, since every Wine shop Is
yeritable home and center OF organized disat-
lection. No doubt the ap-room is in Paris as
elsewhere, the coolest OF back parlors, where
men most do eongregate; but to conclude they
are head political centers ls going too far. Much
OF the business OF life here Is transacted 10 the
cafes and why not politics also?
A fashionable lady Is endeavoring to popular
Ice the ancient Greek dances
Baron Dupin encountered at fancy ball at
the Tulleries notorious duchess, popularly
said to be spy, and dressed In the lowest bodied
OF robes. what toilet Is that ?" asked Dupin,
Il represent Amphitrite," replied the duchess.
DOUBTLESS at low tide" retorted the baron.