New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-18
NOTES FROM ABROAD.
SOCIETY IN PARIS, FRENCH AND AMER
CAN.

empty as London ii is still too early to ma many
people in town. In n general way, the difference
of seasons between the two places Is pretty broadly
marked. The Paris vacation begins sooner than
that of London and ends much earlier. Or French
society one hears distressing accounts eve in the
season-nOne left say the croakeTs. no salons open,
nobody giving balls or parties. The Faubourg st.
German cannot forgive the Republic for having
the audacity 10 exist and suks in its gilded halls
and the great doors of its stately cOurtvards open
no more to throngs of guests. The Republicans
would gladly receive, but nobody wishes to be re-
ceved by Republicans, growls the baughty Le-
gitimist. / have seen within the last twelve
month more than one printed protest in tie organs
of the reactionary party against the women OF
the Republic. II meant in their columns nothing
but a yelp of ill-temper, / supposed But am
bound to say have heard the same sort of thing
repeated during the last few days by people who
have no political preiudces against democracy.
Such and such Minister'S wife Is named 80 " i'm
possible; and Deputies wives IN number. Against
the hostess of the Elysee nobody has word to
utter But against some of her guests yon may hear
very sharp criticism 1T was only the other day that
q lady whose Republicansm is above proof was
whispering hard things of some two or three
happy women who had appeared on n certain night
in the Presidents box at the opera They were not
of NJ. Gr6vy's family; the box had been Lent to
them. "And that" added my friend, is what's
the matter. The Presidential box at the Opera is
the most conspicuous spot in all Paris, and he lets
such people appear in it, Probably the woman
kind appertaining to political supporters of his
suggested. "Of course they are" retorted she,
"you don't suppose Nine. Gr6vy would SIT in the
same room with them ~ This female vehemence is
perhaps excessive, but it indicates clearly enough
how strong the feeling is in such matters.
If there be any grain of truth in these complaints
il means only that the Republic wants time to COM
pete it's social organization in France; to establish
social superiority decisive as is its political SUI
periorty. Probably at this moment the ascendancy
of mere wealth is absolute than ever before.
Princes and peers have closed their gates, but the
bankers the magnates of finance and even of in
dustry aud commerce. havo flung theirs wide OPEN
Whatever is most splendid in the ceremonial hos
pitality of to- day is of their creation; and they
have set up all aristocracy which in more respects
than one outdoes tho old. In one of the novels of
NM. Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, published.
think now near twenty years ago, occurs this pas
sage lit is a Partisan of fashion who addresses
bourgeois millionaire:
"You say you are not a caste. No, but You are
dn aristocracy-a brand-new aristocracy whose in
science has already surpassed the impertinenco of
the oldest aristocracy in the world. AT this moment
there is not court-I doubt whether ever there
was one in history-in which people were treated
more CONTEMPORARY than in the parlor Of certain
great banker who in all his life has never gone SO
far as his door to say good-mOrning to more than
two persons"
And if you turn to NJ. Arsene Houssaye's Reco
lections of Alfred de Musset" publishing, you
will find story of the late Baron James de Roths-
child which puts dots on 1.-The rs of NM. de
,on ~ hay M ma hav
had Rothschd in mind. The Rothschilds are not
the only great people in the world of finance Nor
was Baron James the greatest OF the Roihschds.
None the less does he figure in NJ Houssaye's story
as Sa Majestic d'ArgenJ, or His MOEeyed Majesty |
on level with Emperor and Empress in the Tuil |
disputing their Will and challenging
their supremacy in their private drawing-room,-
propOs of next to nothing and for other purpose
than to assert his position of equality.
The NapOleonic spectators long since climbed
to tho top of the social ladder but seldom or never
succeeded III planting their ladders against the
windows of the older caste they wanted to rival.
They would have been glad enough of an entrance,
but what hope had mushroom millionaire of
making his way into the mansion OF a marquis who
10 set foot in the Tuileries in the days of
their utmost splendor II is some four years since
ono of the luckiest and richest and believe least
reproachable of these Bonapartst bankers built a
palace which WAS the marvel of Paris In one way
or another he had made the acquaintance OF a
foreign prince, who need not be named and TO him
he applied to help him on the night Of his house
warming. The Prince promised to come. He
happened to dine that night with old friend who
is head of OF the oldest aud greatest families of
France. After dinner his hostess proposed dance,
of which his Royal Highness is known to be fond.
He had to plead his engagement at the bankers.
Al III fla l1ANn
will not want to stay long, and You can bling back
some people with you'll suppose you will find
somebody we knoww And with this caution in his
ears not to ask doubtful guests the prince departed
and did return not long after midnight with "a
handful Winnowed out of the medley of men who
thronged the great bankers hotel.
1t is a delicate matter to handle, but may per-
haps add that the relations between French
society of any sort and the American colony in
Paris appear to be anything but close There
a time when Americans were supposed to minge
with Parisians-when you heard OF American
beauties at the Tueres, and when a certain part
of our colony had the graRdeS entrees, il nothing
more, at the palace When the Empire broke up,
aud when these ornaments of American civilization
became convinced thar there was little hope of
either Il Bonapartst a Bourbon restoration. many
of them sadly sh ,o off the dust of their aristocratc
feet against the city thus abandoned to mere Re-
pubicanism. and went home. They thought that if
they must live under Republican rule, as we'll live
at home as abroad. Into the more OF less humliat-
ing memories of that period it may be well not
to penetrate too far. Everybody knows that the
American residents of Paris under tho Empire sup
piled not few of the stanchest partisanS of the
Imperial regime. They crawed eagerly to the
steps of throne which Monarchists refused to APP
prolch.
But not even then was there any real fusion be-
tween Americans and French-even French of the
Bonapartist sort. If you read American letters
from paris In thosa davs nuhIc mr. nrivata yor