National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-10-17
FINE ARTS IN PARIS.
THE LUXEMBOuR GALLERY AS SEEN
BY VISITORS TODAY.


AktNfhltu III Ahl7 N'Ni'Hl'hN'Hh''
PANS. Oct. l.-One " the first sights .
that a cultivated American visitor 10 Paris I
always wants 10 see is the Luxembourg gal. /
lery, where over 100 pictures and pieces NJ .
statunry by living artists are constantly on I
exhibition Ever since 1878 the museum
has been lodged in half dozen rooms OF
the old palace Of Marie de Medicis, and all
visitors there will recall how badly some Of
the rooms are arranged. The statuary,
which is ON the ground floor is crowded In
so that Won cannot well see all the pieces,
aud rs for the paintings, on the second floor,
they are, many Of them, in poorly lighted
rooms, and others in narrow aud low
studded galleries The senate, which oc-
cupip, the greater part Of the Luxembourg
palace. has long wanted to Dust the museum,
50 MS to have the space occupied by
1t for its committee rooms. TWO years
ago an agreement was made by
the senate with the director OF the mu-
scum to exchange the present. quarters for
the old urangery, situated in the LuNem-
hourg garden, not far from the palace. The
senate was so anxious TO ret rid oil It's arts
tic ncighbor that 1t offered to pay for the
enlargement and fitting OF tie orangcry.
The bargain was concluded, and the new
quarters are fast approaching completion.
Unfortunately. the space for the works of
art will not he rs great rs II is In the palace
itself, and already proposition has been
made TO add another wing to the orangcry.
In the meanwhile the new building will
have nine rooms, all on the ground hoor,
which Is an improvement over the present
arrangement. one wing has already been
added to the orangery, ANA through this
new part Of the museum the public will enter
from the Rue de Vanguard directly into
the statuury room. All the nine galleries
are high studded, well lighted, ana conNe,
uieutlv arranged. In view of the limited
space there will have TO be wedding out
OF the pictures when moving day comes,
and II will no longer be possible
to have special room for modern
designs and eugraviugs. Whereas some
Of the artists have now half dozen pic
lures in the museum hencefOrth each
painter will be- limited to three. Even with
this limitation there will be great difficulty
in finding room for new acquisitions, and
until another wing Is added to the orangery
aspiring artists will have to wait until some
occupant dies and his tableau is carried TO
the Louvre, or to some provincial museum
When the new quarters are occupied the
director intends to ornament narrow plat
of ground ON the west side OF the Orangcry
with a series Of brunzcs found among the
ruins of the ruilleres, and to begin cab
met Of modern designs. Hereafter all ar
lists Of whom the government has bought
picture will he requested to deposit in the
museum the sketches aud designs used in
it, execution. Ten inches in one Of the
fronts Of the new building are to be occu-
pied by stone busts of the masters Of the
modern French school.
SOME NEW BAL2AC LETTERS.
Admirers of BalZac will he glad to hear
that live unpublished letters of the great
novelist have Just been brought 20 light by
NJ. Dupuntavicc de lleussey, who has
written a very interesting account OF a visit
made by BalLac to the Brittany town oil
Tongercs in ls2S. The previous year he
had embarked upon an enterprise tnat had
nearly ruined him and all his family. lie
had started out In life with the idea that he
could make fortune by reprinting some ol
the French classics, but not being practi-
cal printer it was not long before lac was
obliged to liqudate in order to avoid fail
urea very serious thing in this country
Before undertaking this printing scheme
BalZac had already written at least twenty
romances, all signed by fictitious names
rud. when he found himself overwhelmed
by his first financial catastrophe-he hat
several Others before his dcath-he set res
olutcly to work again with his pen to repa!
the money loaned him by his father ant
mother The first novel Of that marvellous
monument called the "COmedic humane
signed by his name was the ChOuans, which
is the enlargement Of dramatic anecdot
told him about the war OF the Brittany roy
alsts against the first republic. To writ
his novel BalZac desired to visit tn
spot where the scene Of his romano
was laid, aud 10 do so he asked the hos
pltality for twenty days of an old friend q
his family. Gen de Pommereu, royals
refugee, who had been very kindly treate
by the novest's father upon his retur
Fr,r nNilA the revolution. IN
general had recovered possession OF hi
fine chateau Of Fongeres, situated IN III
heart of the ChOuan country, and he d
once extended to Bal2ac the hospitalt
very dclicatcly demanded In lettC
dated from Paris, Sept. !, ls'!S. Whe
the Young novelist arrived at III
chateau he wore such a shabby hat that IL
general Immediately took him to the fir
hat store. l}nlzac spent certain numb
of days visiting the country and gatherir
all the details for his story, ana many
the incidents recorded in his novel are re
facts dressed up by his powerful pen. MN
de Pommereul, who Is stu living, says IN
there then was 40 much kindness, artlc'
ness, and confidence In Balzac's way
acting and speaking that II was impossl
TO know him without loving him. And b
sides he was always in such sad hum
that his cXubcrance became contagious
soon rs BulZac was installed in his mt
quarters he told his hosts that ms he was T.
poorto pay for his board in money he Won
pay them in stories. So each evening
would make up some wonderful tale I'll
was so exciting that the general Won
sometime ask him If the story were y
really true Not "A word Of it, rcpli
Balzac. IAN the personages liz
love, suffer, and struggle in
brain: but II God gives me
they will all be arranged classified, a
labeled in books and some famous boo
YOU will seen BalZuc spent nearly I
months In Brittany, and when he return
to Versailles, where his family were u
living he finished ChOuans. The second
ter Is one he wrote TO Gen de Pommer
when sending him the finished work,
other letter, written in 1881, asks the 70
Offices Of the general in behalf OF his can
dacy In Fougcrcs, for Ballac always wa
ed To he a politician. Fifteen We
nftcrward, in 1916, he wrote to the gene
announcing his intention tOrcyist FOugel
and telling him that he had dedicated
Of his novels TO him. But at that ep,
Balzac was 50 occupied with his work {
his creditors that he never carried out
idea Of reyisitiug Brittany, lie was d
very much in love with Nine. de Hans
who ufterward became his Wife, aud VII
ever he found a spare moment he would
OF To Italy or Germany or wherever
countess happened to be,
DANIEL D'ARTHE,
shortening u Track,