, 1889-09-26
PRESIDENT CARNOT.
How the Executive OF France Looks
and How His Time IL Occupied.

tParls Letter to Chicago Inter Ocean.
President Carnot Is not hard worker
in the sense that hard work Is under
stood In America. He does not bother
himself with details. He keeps sharp
eye OH all that Is going on about him,
but he does not consider 1t his duty TO
perform II clerks work. He would
not dream of working as President
Cleveland used to do and as President
Harrison now does. Like all French
men, hc is late riser. Coffee andr oils
are served In his room. AT . o'clock he
appears In his little study, which leads
from the big reception room In the
opened and OH his desk. He pulls his
easy chair up to q window, putls at u
cigarette, and one of his secretaries in
forms him of the contents of his mail.
Occasionally he dictates replies, and
sometimes he answers letters by his own
hand. The contents of his mail bag are
curious. There are letters on all sorts of
subiccts-some begging money, some
asking for presidential clemcncy. Others
asking for office and still others asking
for autographs.
Tho little room denotes that its occu-
pant Is of n literary turn. There are
magazines on the tables, novels and
newspapers from America, England and
Germany, ~ well as Paris. On one side
VI Iiit Iootl II u ObOhtNst VI llioiNt lN'l-
aturc. A vase of tiowers on the mantel-
shelf perfumes the room. A tiny Scotch
terrier sleeps soundly on rug ut the
door, and q canary chirps mcrrily as IL
basks in the sunshine that comes
streaming through the open window.
At 10 O'clock President Carnot re-
cciyes members of the government,
ness with him. At IL he has de-
jeuner, breakfast, either III the palace,
or he may go out to the house ofa friend.
Dejeuner Is a popular meal, and Carnot
seldom sits down alone. His wife,
children and one or two friends usually
Join him. At noon he receives such yis-
itors as may have business with him,
pie are Americans who hnye heard of
the atiability of the president of La
him and shake hands with him.
To these ho is all politeness
and attention. His manner would do
credit to Chesterfield. lie goes about
the room from one person to another,
Those OF his visitors who have private
or public business with him are taken
into an adjoining ROOM. At | 80 o'clock
such public documents as II Is necessary
for the president to see and sign are
brought TO him. About 2 80 or 3 o'clock
he is free. Sometimes he goes for a
drive In the Bois de Boulogne, or for u
of his time to the great exposition. At
9 o'clock he returns to the palace. He
dimes with his family and usually a
/ friend or two at Z o'clock. He is good
/ liver and his table is loaded with dain-
ties. After dinner friends of the family
are received. Sometimes there is music,
Quite often the president goes to the
| At 4 .sln Ia. rnt t,raa
| Yesterday saw him In the depart
ment occupied by the United States at
the exposition. A crowd surrounded
| him. He was chatting with some
American visitors, and seemed deeply
interested lie is u man of medium
height and ordinary appearance., His
! face denotes fair but not extraordinary
intelligence. His dark beard Is trimmed
in the orthodox French fashion. To the
casual observer he might be a lawyer of
| fair practice or respectable ner-
chant with II goodly establishment on
the Rue de la Paix. lie dresses in good
taste, in quiet colorS. and does not make
much display of jewelry. Occasionally
he wears one of his numerous decora-
tions, but not often. In fact, he is plain
In style and manner to the last degree.
At tho time when the exposition oi
1878 was held Carnot was a very obscure
man. Even lit the time when in the
election at Versailles hc so quietly
slipped into tho chair that NJ. Greyy,
much against his WILL was Obliged TO
vacate, owing to the peculiarities of SON
in-law Wilson, but little was known OF
him outside of France. But Just ut
present he is very comfortable in
the chair that was occupied
by Thiers, MacNIahon and latterly
by Grevy. Theirs went tho way ol
all flesh about the tiue. that Marshal
MacMahon met with his downfall. You
may still see the tall military form oi
the marshal duke at the Cafe 'Orsey
the old haunt of the nobility. But Mac.
Mahon Is done with politics. NJ. Grcvy
may be still seen in his iavorite haunis
of Paris when he is not rusticationg al
his country place in the Jura Mt Mont.
sous-Sandrcy. But no one talks oi
thinks much about Grovy. He is what
King Michael Kelly of Boston would
call u back number.