The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-09
Burial of Adr1enne Lccouyrenr.


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 "Gdipe, :"
and played, despite her disorder, with much
of her accustomed force and brilliancy. 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
was seized with commissions which preced-
ed her death, he held her in his arms and
received her last breath Being an actress,
and dying without dissolution, 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 ofa gifted and bewitching wo-
man, whom all that was distinguished and
Lad loved to look upon. At night
her body was carried in an old coach
(fdcre) q little way out of town, just be-
You'd the paved streets, to q spot near the
Seine now covered by the house No. 100
Rue dc Bourgogne. The Jfocre was follow
ed by one friend, two street porters, and
squad of the city watch. There her re-
mains were buried, the grave was filled 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 we 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
obust 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
road like a cat, was and is utterly desolating
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 poc-
sesed all the virtues except virtue; an6, I'M
happily virtue the gay world Of Poris did
not care for. Nature and history pre-
nounce virtue, whether in man or woman,
the indispensable preliminary to we'll. 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 par1aken of
the sacraments, she had at least left 1,000f
to the poor of her parish. The gay world
dwolt 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
that she had expended the precious treas
ure of her life and genius in very few
years of joyless excitement. that she had
lived in utter disregard of the Interchangeable
conditions Of human welfare, as well 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 was
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 your
profession, until you, the paid servants Of
the king, are treated like other citizens in
the king s SERVICE" They promised him,
but who was to maintain them in the inter-
val! The chiefs Of the company only re-
ceived From a thousand to two thousand
francs year. "They promised" ne wrote
thirty years after ''but. did nothing further
in the matter. They preferred dishonor
with a little money, to hon or which would
have been worth more to them.