The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-05-02
EUGENE AS AN EMPRESS.
A LIFE OF LUXURY THAT WAS
HOMOGENEOUS AND wEAR1soME.
The whimsical and Unsatisfactory
Efforts TO While Away the Dreary
urs-Ixtravagant Dressing.


Hours-Extravaga Dressing.
The life of the Empress Eugenie, Of
France, soon became utterly monotonous
and wearisome. She rose at about $3.50,
and took the late breakfast replacing the
lunch in France, with the Emperor
alone, at II 80. At 2 her ladies came.
In Paris they slept at their own homes,
but in the country residences they had
their stated turns of waiting, and dur
ing that time lived at the palaces.
Among her ladies, of course, some were
more agreeable to her than others; but
she must accept the inexorable turn OF
precedence, and could not choose her
companions.
lay after day she drove out with the
lady whose privilege entitled her to
seat in the imperial carriage; day after
day she went 10 the Bois de Boulogue,
and bowed necessarily to the crowd; day
after day she returned Just in time to
dress for dinner; and then came the
weary evening, where nobody had any
thing to say, if they had dared to say it.
No one could sit down till she gave the
gracious permission; but this she did in
varibly in the case of ladies. Her ready
good nature would have willingly ex
tended the privilege to the gen
tlemen in waiting, but this was contrary
to rules and must not be. So the ladies
sat in circle and the gentlemen ''stood
at ease, tired out before the close of the
evening. When her Majesty retired
scarcely had the last fold of her skirt
passed the door before all the weary at
a., Al, ha
The presence of majesty necessarily pre-
vented conversation; every one awaited
the pleasure of the sovereigns. The En-
peror spoke very little, and in soft,
languid voice; the Empress, feeling that
the general chill would be uubearable If
she did not take the lead. chatted inces-
sanity with a sort of feverish vivacity.
Her voice did not seem to belong to that
sweet face; it was the Spanish voice,
cultural and harsh. She spoke French
with perfect fluency, but with a decided
foreign accent,
The weariness of those evenings be-
came so unendurable that all kinds of ex-
periments were tried to vary their mon
otony. One night the Empress suddenly
took fancy to make artificial flowers,
and a chamberlain was immediately dis
patched, at nine o'clock in the evening, to
procure the necessary material. Another
time one who possessed the most beauti-
full specimens of ceramic art that France
could afford, was seized wih violent
Paesire for ''potichoman c. y ihd this again
mus esatisied Immediately. Reading
&ud va 1onosed. But what book
could be chosen for such an assembly,
Some proposed "Jane Eyre" the we'll
known novel. The Empress was amused,
but the Emperor utterly wearied. Then
they tried "Josephus" and the "Wars of
the Jews" Here the Emperor was in
tensely interested, but the Empress
yawned, and the attempt was given up.
The Emperor was in general more popu-
lar in lhe Imperial household than the
/ Empress; his languid gentleness was in
nobody's way, bat the Empress was often
irritable and capricious. She was Ger
tainly intelligent, but her education had
been neglected, and she cared for no in
tellectual employment or artistic occupa-
ton. She hated music; she had no ia te
for the fihe arts. Even a well-writien
play at the Thl8tre. Erapcais did; not
amuse her. She would fiitve liked the
sma theatres ~-anything in short, that
| could make her laugh; but this undigni-
fed kind of pleasure could not be en-
| ioyed. Her life had been one of constant
amusement-th empty existence OF
watering places and now she was, in
fact, prisoner. She gave state balls,
but they wee filed with such motley
crowd that she could only dance the open
Iing qugdrille and walk through the
foemsss n
Then she gave select private ba Is, but
the absence of the French Mistocracy
obliged her TO invite large proportion
of. wealthy. foreigners Russians, Wal
| lachians, and a so Americans. These were
unknown in French society, and splen-
dor of dress seemed the only means of
being remarked. TO attain this end no
extravaganza seemed too excessive, and
the Empress was blamed as having origi-
mated the lose of dress, which spread in
! all classes and became complete mania.
So far as she herself was concerned,
the accusation was greatly exaggerated.
She certainly liked dress, aud preferred
fragile clouds of tule and gauze TO the
heavy but durable mlgniiicence OF yalua-
BILE la and brocaded stutfs worn 10y
the Bourbon princesses. But the light
clouds in which the fair Empress APP
peared like an undine or sylph were
very expensive, and could only be worn
once. Every one wished 10 be ike the
Empress, and at every ball iilmy dresses
costing fabulous prices were torn to
pieces, but had to be replaced. Hus-
bands grumbled, and the Empress was
accused of running families by setting
the example of extra anee.-Lfagpe 3
Magazine.