St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-04
VINE AND WIT IN PARIS.
Queer Associations of Frenchmen and
Americans into Clubs for Dining.
Peculiar Feature of Life in the Gayest
Metropolis OF the World.
Dinner Made to Subserve Other Pur-
poses Than Satisfying Hunger.

The Globes Special Correspondent.
PARIS, March %, 1sS6.-The Stanley
Club of which Hon. Robert MacLane.
United States minister. is president, has
invited Mr.. Louis Pasteur TO 4 dinner which
will be given the 14th of April. The club
was founded in 1878 by group of Ameri-
can correspondents in Paris. The god
father was Stanley. the African explorer,
and its first president Mr. Ryan. who was
for many years correspondent of the New
York Herald. After the death OF Mr..
Ryan in 1883. Mr.. Edward King. the poet.
who was the secretary, became acting
president. The members number about
one hundred and twenty, and are princi-
paly Americans, although EngliShmen and
Frenchmen have been admitted.
Another American club which existed
from 1882 to 1884, was called the ''Pen
and Pencil" A few Englishmen were
members, and among the guests entertained
by the club were Mr.. and Mrs. Oscar
Wilde. Now the pen and Pencil" calls
itself THE RamblerS;" but little is heard
OF the gatherings. except that at the fort
nightly dinner, the members try 10 get 1.-THE
worth of their money" Our compatriots
| in Paris seem to think that dinner CLUB
supplies want long felt in the colony.
In this Americans copy the French, rather
than set them an example. for these 'men
dinners" are a fashion. habit, yes, more
than habit. social necessity. In Paris.
existence is pneumatic machine. which
wears out the blood the BRAIN, the heart,
the nerves and the flesh. AS
A CoUNTERACTIoN.
the dinner has been instituted. Friends,
| ,hn 9TH aff ntb
except at marriages or funerals. meet at
stated intervals in some restaurant and eX-
! change thought on the subjects which are
/ of mutual interest. Go to the Continental.
! Lyon dor, Brebant. Vefur, Voisin
Durand's, Notta's or Lamardeley's at Z
o'clock in the evening, and you will be
! asked if you belong to the Macedonia. the
| Cadichormes, the BOurguignons, etc. These
dinners are divided and subdivided ad in
finitum. Each table cover has its own
color. each soup its tendance, each chicken
its own school, each ice its nationality,
each menu its own ribbon.
The oldest diner dedicated to to the
Alliance DIES Arts was the soupe rOignon
(onion SOUP, founded 1924. The members
had but one aim, admission to the French
institute, and for this they aided each
other. Their motto was: C'est Poignon
Strange to relate their motto proved to be
true. for each one had the honor of wearing
the academical robe, and after the last
member crossed the threshold of the insti-
tute i'm lS45. the dinners were finished. p 2
The 'diner BiXio' is composed princi-
pally of academicians, and Alexander Du-
mas is the president. MeiSsionner, John
Lemonne and Charles GARNER are his asso-
ciates. The "diner Maguy" was once the
most brilliant of all thee organizations.
There were Thiophile Gautier Sainte-
Bemr, Paul de Saint-Victior, Tame, Re
nan, etc. and all these eSprits. provided
over by George Sand. The ''Bibliophiles'
and ''Potaufeu" are the two dinners hon
ored by remarkable women. The first has
a member Madame Edmond Adams, and
the second for president Madame Cabritte
Mendis Judith Gautier). CarOlus Duran,
the president of the ''Macedoine," extends
his hand to all talents-painters. comedi-
ans. sculptors. architects, musicians. etc.
Numerous as are the members. their quality
is the best; Jules Claretie, Ed Pailliron.
Massenet. Sally Prudhomme. SylveSi~a. etc.
The Mantle" is another artistic oinner
which has numbered among its presidents
Paul Bert and Bartholdi, and entertained
as guests Gen. Tcheng-ki-T Tong. the celes-
tial Partisan, and Ferdinand de LesSeps.
The invitations are
ALWAYS ORIGINAL DRAWINGS
by two of its members Henri PILE and NJ.
Lalanne. When the Marmite gave din
ner to Savorgnan de Brazza, the menu was
especially artistic and represented the
Congo explorer offering a marmite (kettle)
to King Makoko. The French poets have
their dinners" also; there is the dinner
des timides." and that of "l'homme gin
| la, H.
and ducks alternate with rhymes and SON.
nets. At one time there existed dinner
to which it was very difficult to gain adj
mission; it was called "Auteurs Stills
= (hisSed authors). Flanbert. lola, Dandet
were members and Tourguenieff. in order to
be admitted. took his oath that he had beer
outrageously Missed in Russia for play OF
which he had forgotten the name. 1t Is
not very easy to become a member of these
Z dinners" Some have limited number
. of members like the Academy. where the
death Of an academician is the only mean:
of entrance. Others exact from the cand
dates qualities so rare that the unfortunate
postulants are usually blackballed. Tht
Boulette requires unanimous vote for thu
, admission of candidate. A boLlette little
b ball) of bread is thrown in hat and from
t this the dinner taxes its name.
5 There are as many dialects and rationale
i ties among the French as there are depart
; ments in France. and the Partisan of eacl
I department has his especial dinner. Tn,
4 Auvergnats own the Soupe aux Choux, anC
4 are presided over by Melchissedec of tn,
Q opera and the artist Franc Lami. julie
s Simon and Got of the Coincide Francois,
- fratenize with other Normans at tn
Pomme. The "Diner de FEST" belongs t
: Alsace and Lorraine, and the artist Henne
; is one of
" THE ILLUSTRIoUs MEMBERS.
f The owners of Chambertn and Chabli
o call their ''diner" BourguigenOn, and tn
: Franc-Comtsis, happy to possess Gerom
" and Pasteur, meet at the "Gande" one
: each month. Aurelian Scholl, the witt
; chrOniqueur, leads the Bordelais at tn
: 'Cadichomes." and the Vim d'Anjou is tn
y dinner OF the natives OF Anjou. The Dine
d des Ancicus eleors du lycee de Nantes cele
s broted the other day the arrival Of the neV
, minister of war, Gen. Boulanger. If yo
= have name which terminates with a vowt
! you may belong to the italian Polenta. Re
e nau presdes over the diner cottique, but fC
% the city of Paris the most important is tn
II diner des Parisiens de Paris. There ar
1t some ''Parisians" born in Paris. but the
/ are rare, very rare.
These souvenirs of their native land ar
j. not sufficient for the convives. After eat
> ing vol-au-vent as Bordelais. Auvergns
', or native of Nantes. the majority a FEY
e days later attack pheasant in the qualit
n of painters. actors musicians and writers
l. have spoken of many of these dinners, an