The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-30
COUNTESS
DE POURTALES.
A Sketch of a Celebrated French
woman.
Spoken of by Napoleon III as THE Most
Beautiful Among Many Beau
tiful Women"
Special to THE MORNING. CALI.

PARIS. June u, 1890 = Yesterday the
beautiful Countess de Pourtales attended
the wedding OF her second daughter; to-
morrow her second son will marry Mile. de
Schickler, daughter of Baron Arthur de
Schickler whose fortune is estimated at
S., 100000, and whose home in the Place
Vendome is one of the most magnificent in
Paris Although her eldest sou and daugh-
ter have been for some time heads of FAM
lies" the Countess de POurtales as grand
mother is almost handsome as when
Napoleon III spoke of her to foreign SOW
eregns as 1.-THE most beautiful among
many beautiful women" So popular has
la Comtesse de Pourtales been all her life
that she cannot give dinner cannot at
tend soiree, cannot order a gown from
her favorite couturlere, without the news
being heralded in Paris, repeated in Lon
don, echoed in st. Petersburg and eabled
to New York.
Nine. de Pourtales was nee Melanic de
Bussieres, and belongs to an old Lorraine
family. When very young she married
Count Edmund de Pourtaes, Swiss, whose
ancestors had received their title from Fred
erck the Great. In 1860 she came to Paris,
and although by birth she belonged to the
Royalists aud the Faubourg Saint German,
the Imperalists claimed her as their own.
With so much intelligence and tact did the
Countess steer her bark, all dangers ON a
political sea were by her avoided. Her
friendship for the Princess de Metternich,
the famous Austrian Embassadress, on
nected her with the courts, and when in her
private apartments Of the Compiegue Pal
ace the Countess received representatives
of old nobility, whose castles were in the
neighborhOod, they were admitted and dis
missed by a special staircase. The Empress
heard of these Royalist receptions in her
own home. but she was too fond of Nine.
de PourtaleS to place any obstacle in her
way.
1t was in reality the Princess de Meter
Mich who brought Nine. de POurtaes into
notice as a reiguing belle. Nine. de Pourtales
possessed name, wealth and beauty-all that
Is necessary to conquer high position in
the Partisan world, out with one word
Nine. de Metternlch placed her on a redes-
tai which alone she would have reached
only by
THE EXERCISE OF MUCH PATIENCE.
These two women, Numerically opposite
| in appearance and character, formed a
| friendship that has Outlived their youths.
For some time the Parisians acknowledged
| the beauty and grace of Nine. de POurta-
| les, but refused to admit her intelligence.
L
| because the young Austrian possesses what
| she lacks-esprit and intelligence" said
| the "mauyaises langues."
| Princess de Metternich, "the sage with
! mask of folly" was without doubt the
! most brilliant woman of her time, but who
| could have shown more tact than the Coun-
| tess de POuTtales, when AlSace and LOr-
ralne became the prey Of the invader?
! While in the Place de Ia Concorda they
| covered the statue of StrasbOurg with en-
! hlaIuc pf runnrniOy in no Rua ia RfvnIi
| they sold photographs of the Countess,
| who. by her peculiar head-dreSS, soon made
the Alsatan bow the fashion. Proudly
she wore the colOrS of her conquered flag.
and the mourning crepe rendered the SYM
| Dol sacred, even to the ferceSt defender of
| the Bourbon white standard.
BY the loss of Alsace and Lorraine
Countess de Pourtales became a German
subject, for her property is in Alsace. But
every effort was made by her TO alleviate
the condition OF her compatriots in these
mourning provinces. Emperor William
went from Baden-Baden to her Alsatian
castle, RobeTtsau, and made her n visit of
some days. The Countess charmed the old
airy, rs she had charmed Napoleon and
Eugene, but her only thought was how
this visit might be turned to profit for her
people. AS the Emperor had thus hOnOred
her, the OppTessOrs in Alsace declared
themselves friends of the Countess, and
she was able TO carry ont many social and
phllanthropic plans, and to contribute in SO
great degree to the welfare of the Asa
Iians that her name is revered as that of
saint throughout the province.
The woman, who at one time was sup
posed TO be wanting in strength OF charac-
ter is not only a devoted wife and mother
but
A sKILLFUL FINANCIER AND POLITICIAN.
1t has been wittiiy remarked that the
Countess de Pourtales 'tcan wash her grand
chi foo ham fOn ING ii,t
she can dictate terms for the peace of a
kingdom or place an empire at her feet"
In the salons that are the last footholds
| of aristocracy Countess de Pourtaes is a
| grande dame, and her home in the Rue
| Tronchet, Paris. described by Beaconsfield
| in ''EndymiOn," is fitting frame for such
woman. Statuary, pictures, chefs d'euvre,
| bibel0ts of all kinds, are cast in the shade by
| CHrolus Duran portrait OF the Countess,
| painted when she was at the zenith of her
| beauty. Eyes Of dark blue, complexion of
| lilies and roses, and rich blonde hair, COM
| posed one of the lOyelieSt faces seen in
| this century, while her natural beauty of
| form and face was wonderfully enhanced
| by the ropes of pearls-her favorite adorn-
ment-pearls in feSt0ons, pearls twined in
the hair, falling from the shoulders, encir-
cling the waist, the arms, the throat
| The Countess de POurtales entertains in
royal manner. The decorations at her
| fetes are marvellous, and in all, except the
| method Of entertaining her guests, she has
copied the seventeenth and eighteenth CEN
| turtles. Would you know how a leader of
! society in the seventeenth century amused
| her friends? The MarquiSe de Ramboulllet
| had BOsSuet, and instead of a song, a ser
! mon. One evening, Mt the famous Hotel
! Ram boulllet, gentleman spoke with en-
! thuslaSm OF young eccleSiashc named
| Bossuet. Give him any subject, lock him
| in a room alone, and without books, |
wager that in ten minutes he will be ready
| to preach with eloquence" Accepted"
replied Nine. de Rambouilet, and to the
| College of Navarro a messenger was sent
! for the young BoSsuet. He arrived, waited
! patiently until the subject was decided
upon,- then retired alone, without books,
etc. In ten minutes he reappeared and be-
| gan: In constantia eoncupiscent9 trans
| ertit sensum sine malitia"-for the subject
/ chosen was the passions The young
| preacher was apDlauded, but it is Just as
| well that with the adoption of old furni-
| ture aud old styles of dress we invent new
methods of entertainment.
Countess de- Pourtales has Judic or Theo,
| Jeanne Granier or any other French star,
| and the French women of 1890 receive the
| songs of these dive with the same applause
| as did their ancestors of 1913 the sermon OF
| Bossuet. EnYious women and spiteful men
may say that Mime. de Pourtales belongs to
the 'dowager battalion" and that she is
srandlnot1er, "a lere T. none worthy to
| take her place i'd Tlst social world
| BARONESS ALTHEA SALVADOR
|
ARTIFICIAL ICE.