The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-16
EMPRESS EUoENIE.s VANITY.

Scandals of C"snptcgne- Theatrical Nom
usnsnt at Pride and Folly.
Adolphe smith in the rhilasieipilI:l Telegraph.
Whcn. tssfors 1870. I used To read attacks
published against the cnnpirc Compiegne
came i'm for ~ giant share of the
chen a~ssiduously pnt into circulation. L
have often thought that what was said
concerning the corruption of the imperial
court was greatly exaggerated Tor party
purposes. My visit, however. tn h pal
ace of Cotupiegne has not helped tn
strengthen this more lenient view. There
are numerous details i'm the furniture Of
the rooms and the disposition of the apart
ments that suggest dissipation such as was
described mt the time. The apartments Of
che guests were 80 arranged that they
could te visited or could visit each
other without being observed II
wa. the pretty women especially who were
invited when the court went tai Com
piegne, and IL they were cncumbcrssi with
husbands Il was surprising how often the
state mission that compelled them to ~
turn tn Paris ar To travel in the provinces
or abroad. Compcigne is u sufficient dis
tance from Inc capital and no small n
town that newspaper reporters found il
difficult of access. and when they did
reach ~t;ompccigns thei, presence was at
once noticed. Thus the gay ladies' and
gentlemen OF the court had less tn fear
from the indiscrtct bark OF these public
Tuilieries in Paris. So CuInpeigne soon
acquired ~ questionable reputation, which
the advcrsarics of the empire did not fail
Herr, as elsewllere, the cmpress has left
the tracc of her vain and friv 'lO,ls nature.
The place has IA nice little theatcr, which
can seat comfortably 200 PERSONS. Here
numerous gala performances were given,
and the emprcss showed herself of the ut
i"Jx vas nd,n;stc,i unirss sb. wnr, n low.
neck dress. On one occasion. AN old lady
nearly I'd years old, venturcd to put in an
appearance in "a most beautiful dress,
covered with jcwclry of every description.
Nothing could he more rich than her APP
paral and and more diRnificd. but her
neck and shoulders were covered over.
This fact did not escape the empress
notice. In n moment IA messenger was
dispa'eech and th: old lady was
WAS too old To wear "a low-neck dress.
The empress, who was still young in
lady, in spi.e of her diamonds and the
rich rotpc she wore, had to retire into the
privacy of her apartment. The play then
press wcrs. able to contemplate an unbrO-
ken line of bare shoulders. The rigor dis
played by the empress certainly contrib.
uted Ia make the scene one OF uncV,ialPd
~splcnslor. Eight hundred persons dressed
i'm the latest and most cxtrnvagant FASH
seats are equally good and equally we'll
placed, whcrs. the brightest il~luninations
set off the jcwclry To the hest advantages,
certainly must have produced n remark
able effect and have constituted II sort Of
apogcc of those ponnI,s and vanities which
are Called wicked. hut are none the less
eagerly cnvi.,d aud desired.
Brilliant rs was undoubtedly the effect
OF these performances. il did not satisfy
the empress. The tltcater, 10 seemed To-
her, Was too small, too simple i'm its orna-
mentation and general structure. The
vanity at N woman when once aroused is
Unsuitable. One fine morning the mpres
declared that another, u more handsome
and II larger theater must be built. This,
il was ex exclaimed, couid not possibly he
done. There was no place for another
~tlieater in the palace, nor could the cree
ton of a second thcater i'm one and the
same building In, made tai h~arinonize with
the schene of architecture. on which the
palace had been raised. The architect
who made these learned and technical
objections WAS informed that doubt
less their arguments were conclusive.
shat Theoretically they were absolutely in
the right; but. inasuiuch as the. cinpras
wantesi ~ second theitcr, u tlieatcr there
must he, and the building operations had
better begin forthwith. Consequently. at
the cost of S4oO,OOJ of the nations money,
"A second. N larger, "a most ornamental and
magnificent theater was built. The work
was completed. the furniture and fittings
alone WAS needed, and then the first per-
would he given. This was some
y years ago, and that first performance
has not yet taken place. The 100000 good
dollars of the peoples money were spent
who il now am Outcast and an exile. ~
mothcrlcss widow. wandering from place
To place, ever dressed in simple black.
The theater remains in its unfinished
state.