The Portland daily press., 1882-12-30


bilious, "just to keep down de yellow in de
| complexion" Sometimes she quietly criti-
cised his theories with an: "Oh you know,
Loo. dat's all nonsense" He used to say: "I
was an exile in spite of myself; my wife is an
exile for my sake" She pined in the rue de
Rivoli for The house in Montagu street, and
for excursions to Brighton, which she used TO
call de boulevards, mid de sea in 'front.'"
Louis Blanc treated her opinions with affec-
tionate Difference. He carried chivalry into
bis home circle. A favorte maxim of his was
taken from Mohammeo, who said "Beat not a
woman, even with flower" The apartments
OF Louis Blanc were furnished in a eomforta-
BILE and respectable English style. He liked
the solidity of the square mahog nv dining
table, at which he used to work There were
bookcases all round the room, filled with nice
~ bound books. Decorative art was only in
is infancy when Louis Blanc set up as house
keeper. Many false notes were to be detected
IN the internal arrangements of his home
which was on a fourth floor, he being too poor
to live on lower one. The steel British fen
der, with its highly polished and black-leaded
apron, Jared with the French gilded "dogs"
or chenets, on which frewOod was laid. The
carpet was from Kiddermiuster. 1t used to
drive Charles Blanc out of his senses. Louis
Blanc would, when the objectionable carpet
got upon his brothers nerves, try 10 argue
him into better frame Of mind, and to per-
suade him that there was no such thing as alb
solute ugliDess or beauty. He confessed he
derived pleasure from looking at the kidder-
minister. If he were travelling in some out
landish place, like central Asia, and came sud-
denly upon a carpet like it, his first impulse
would be to kneel down and kiss it, The day
upon which it was put down in Montagu street
he had returned greatly fatigued from deliver
ing lecture. His wife was sitting near a
warm fire and looking the picture Of happi-
ness. When he entered, she started up, and,
after she had taken off his coat, she pushed
back the table from the centre OF the room,
and, with the JOY of child to whom new
paything had been given, cried, 'Look at de
new carpet, Loo Isn't it beautiful" From
that day it was beautiful TO him.
Charles Blanc rode aesthetics to DEATH His
high and absolute ideal rendered him hyper
critical. He taxed the patience of his gentle
sister-in-law il teaching her how to DRESS Just
as if she did not understand better than he
did what most suited her. She had big, full,
ard rather square forehead. AS it was white
and unwriukled it helped to give charm to the
face which it appeared to light up. Charles
insisted upon hair being drawn over it in Pa.
risian style. She was fond of cheap English
stuffs. tastefully made up. Her hypercritical
brother-in-law insisted upon her wearing cost
ly textiles from the looms of Lyons. In her
sumptuous belongings, she often sighed and
looked unhappy Why she was upeomforta-
BILE she thus explained; 81 was not brought
up to go about like queen, and do hate all
those velvets on my back that Charles is so
fond OF. Ii spend all Loo's money now in
looking grand. what will he do when / am
dead? Even if his books go on selling well,
he would be- without me, wretchedly off, for
he is such bad housekeeper, and is always
putting his hand III his pocket to give to his
poor electors. How / wish there were no such
thing as universal suffragel" The weak point
of Mme Louis Blancs housekeeping was her
table. She had German palate, and, as she
did not speak French, she was obliged to keep
q hO lr.1 I, ,s.c.s
stove. Often thought the meat and potatoes,
baked in grease. kept Louis Blanc and his wife
in the doctors hands.
Louis Blanc's mouth, when his face was in
repose, expressed latterly settled sadness, with
mingling of bitterness. When the physiog-
nomy lighted up, this 10 ,k disappeared. Louis
Blanc used to philosophize ON life, death and
ce que Sc troaUe derTiere le Tidedu. BLESSED
are those who believe III Immortality" be used
to say; without 1t, the universe is fearfully
grim riddle" 1t was, apropos of immortality,
observed TO him that Harriet Martineau felt
pleasure in thinking her identity was not to be
continued in another planet. | say Of her."
replied Louis Blanc with animation, what st.
Theresa said of the devil: La nldlheureusei
Etle ma jdmdiS dtnle' She only liked. She
never really loved. l am in despair when my
faith in immortality breaks dow n, and think
that am never to see again either Christina
his wlfel or Barbes. Heaven would be to me
a very heavenly place if 1 could find in it
again Christina and her beautiful kiddermn-
ster carpet which Charles so hated"
Louis Blanc, on different occasions, owned to
me that all the pleasure he ever reaped from
praise or from well-merited success was fee
BILE in comparison to the wincing annoyance
that an adverse criticism, sneer at his ex-
penSe or slight caused him. His sensitive
ness wore him out 1t untitled him for the
Chamber, and, indeed, for all active political
life. He was cast down and discouraged when
his speeches were not reported, and the jour
nalisls in the gallery dreaded. Ia report them.
lt was impossible to summarize them in way
10 give their autnor any Kind OF satisfaction;
and there were few journals that could af-
ford to print everything he sald
His speeches were didactic and so well de-
hyered that nobody would suspect them # not
being extemporized. His memory was natur-
ally good, and was strengthened so much by
training as to become phenomenal one. He
was one of the most anecdotc takers / ever
heard, and, as letter writer, was simply in
comparable. There was so much wit, grace
and Enforcement in his epistles that, however
long they might be they were never lengthy.
AS they We're written in a hand plain as print,
every spark of esprit told at once upon the read
er's mind. Louis Blanc never suffered himself
TO contract a slovenly, illegible style of hand
writing. The pains he took in this matter
arose from wish not to make the printer lose
time IN spelling through his 'copy." He was
"atfame de Justice" and most thoroughly act
ed on the DO as you would be done by" max
i'm. His lively imaglna nation brought him into
sympathy with masses of suffering people
A constant source of unhappiness to Louis
Blanc was his dwarfsh size. The wife of an
English church dignitary once almost drove
hin into state of suicidal frenzy by asking
him, when he was detained in her country
house by a storm, whether he would mind
sleeping in child's bed? Another day, at
Brighton, he was rendered supremely wretched
because he was taken at the pavilion for Gen
eral Tom Thumb. An old lady said to him,
"You darling! must really kiss you" He
took his shor statue from the Corsican side of
the house. Louis Blanc had the softest brown
eyes imaginable, when he was pleased and try
ing to please. But, If his pride was aroused,
they seemed caverns of Boreas. 1 never saw a
more terrific expression of anger than they sud-
denly took one evening at his own table He
was telling Hepworth Dixon, Pierre Veron,
Jules Clarette anc Naquet about Knebworth
and Lord Lytton. Louis Blancs word portraits
were better than his written ones. After he
had brought into relief many peculiarities of
the author of Pelham" Naquet said: "Au
bout du conpte Uous dUez tooJo1trs trouUe sG
SeigReurie bon prince" "QuOi?' exclaimed the
host, who dragged out to great length the short
word. Naquet saw his mistake, and said "Je
Ueu1sdir ainadble cGmdr Gde." "1reS Ginldble
caDadrdde," returned Louis Blanc, when he
had made the toilet of his body and of his
mind. He laid himself out to be charming at
certain hours Of the day. Beyond these hours