Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-06-09
Burial of Adrienne LecOuyreur.
nm Par,on's life of Voltaire

From Parton's Life of Voltaire
In March, 1870, occurred the sudden
death of the actress, Adrienne Lecouvreur,
aged twenty eight. She played for the
last time, March Is, in Voltaire's "Edipe,
and played, despite her disorder, with much
of her accustomed force and brilliaucy. In
accordance with the barbarous custom of
the time there was an after piece, in which
she also appeared; and she went home
from the scene of her triumphs to die after
four days of anguish. Voltaire fastened
to her bedside, and watched near her dur
ing her last struggle for life; and when she
ed her death, he held her in his arms and
received her last breath. Being an actress,
and dying without absolution, she was de-
MED "Christian burial" and the gates of
every recognized burial place in France
were closed against her wasted body, the
poor relics of gifted and bewitching wo-
man, whom all that was distinguished and
splendid in the society of her native land
had loved to look upon. At night
her body was carried in an old coach
(.facre) a little way out of town, just be-
yond the paved streets, to a spot near the
Seine now covered by the house No. 100
Rue de Bourgogne. The .facre was follow
ed by one friend, two street porters, and q
squad of the city watch. There her re-
mains were buried the grave was filed up,
and the spot remained unenclosed and un-
marked until the city grew over it and con-
cealed it from VIEW
The brilliant world of which she had
been part heard of this unseemly burial
with such horror, such disgust, such rage,
such "stupor," as VIC can with difficulty
imagine, because all those ties of tenderness
and.pride that bind families and communities
together are more sensitive, if not stronger,
in France, than with our ruder, and more
robust race. The idea of not having friend
ly and decorous burial, of not lying down
with kindred and fellow citizens in place
appointed for the dead, of being taken
out at night and buried at a corner of a
road like cat. was and is utterly desolating
to the French people. Voltaire, for exam
pie, could never face it; he lived and died
dreading it.
And the effect of the great actresses sur
reptitious burial was increased by various
circumstances. That gifted women pos
sesed all the virtues except virtue; and, un-
happily, virtue the gay world of Paris did
not care for. Nature and history pro-
nounce virtue, whether in man or woman,
the indispensable preliminary to well. being,
| and the church was right in SO regardingit.
But Paris loved rather to repeat that she
had pledged all her jewels to help her
lover Zone of her lovers), Maurice de SAKE,
son of Augustus, King of Poland. Paris
remarked that, if she had not partaken of
the sacraments, she had at least left 1,000f
to the poor of her parish. The gay world
dwelt much upon her noble disinterested-
ness in refusing to receive the ADDRESSES of
Count d. Argental, though that infatuated
young man loved her to the point of being
willing to sacrifice his career to her. That
she had borne two children to two lovers,
that che had expended the precious treas
ure of her life and genius in a very few
years of joyless excitement, that she had
iivedin utter disregard of the Interchangeable
conditions of human welfare, as we'll as
those of the highest artistic excellence
who thought Of that? Who could think of
that in connection with such an outrage
upon her wasted remains?
/ Voltaire, who owed SO much to this bril-
liant woman who owed so much to him war
profoundly moved. To the assembled
company of actors, her companions in
glory and in shame, he said, Announce
to the world that you will not exercise YOU
profession, until you. the paid servants o.
i the king, are treated like other citizens II