The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-09
LA BELLE FRANCE.
sEWsY LETTER FROM MH. KELLEY.
He Tells About the Commemorstion OF the
Destruction OF the Bastiio ana many
Other Things-Thr Present Republic.
Cor the Times by Hon. A. NJ. Keiley)

AixJes-Bains. Sept. 25.-Three days
have passed since the national fete OF
France, but it is, perhaps, worth talk
ing about. In the seventeenth century
| all of Frances fetes were religious; III
the nineteenth they are all revolutionary
What they have. possibly, lost in mo-
tive they have gained in enthusiasm.
| You know the official and sacramental
holiday Of the French is the 18th OF
July, the anniversary of the destruc-
ton of the Bastile, though why, it has
always puzzled me to guess. On that
day. as everyone knows, mob OF thou
sands, half drunk with wine and com
pletely drunk with passion. fell upon d
score of Swiss guards who were dong
their duty as custOdians of the Jail,
massacred them out of hand, liberated
a dozen prisoners and then CALAMITY
pulled down the old fort, from whose
roof "MademOlselle, In the gay Gays
of the religious and dynastic wars. had
trained cannon on her brothers troops.
But why choose such a deed as the
saint day of a democratic revolution
it would puzzle any one but French
man TO explain The Bastile was never
menace 10 the people; but exclusively
10 the mobiles and well-t0-dO-the uniOr-
tunates whom these very revOlutlonlstS
were about to hang and guillotine, while
the kings only imprisoned them.
When the King indited the note l
read lay or two since:
M. the Marquis de Launay. send
Won this letter TO instruct you to receive
in NV castle of the Bastile, lie sieur-,
and to keep him there until further or
ders. Therefore, ! pray God to have
you. VI. lie Marquis de Launay, in his
holy keeping. LOI IL.
name of the class to which the destroyers
of the Bastile belonged In fact, there
is some plausibility in the suggestion
that the mob tore it down because that
was the only way the sans culottess
could get in. Be that as 1t may, 1t IS
quite certain that the only persons that
won any deserved honor in that melee
were the heroic Swiss, who died at their
post Of duty-martyrs.
KELLERMAN's VICTORY.
But for the ODD of September there is
a logical claim to remembrance as n
republican anniversary, for 1t recalls the
official proclamation of the First Repub-
lie. and what is more, it commentaries
the victory of Kellerman over the Prus-
slams, which alone made that proclama-
ton possible. The name and prodigies
of Napoleon soon eifaced, even
in French minds, that engage
ment and indeed measured by
proportional standards, it merits lit
tie remembrance. for it was merely an
artillery fight, and by no means serious
in its losses: but Professor Greasy well
names it among his Decisive Battles,
and il is by no means improbable that
Iictnvt- xt-onl1 loVn hQpu other
wise written for the past century If
the Duke of Brunswick had won at
Nalmy. SO there seemed manifest pro-
priety. when the State resolved TO cele-
brate the 22d of September centenary
this year.
THE PROCESSION.
As processon-Or as two professions,
for one was organized on each bank of
the Seino-as an Oratorlcal or political
eXhibitiOu-as spectacle 1t was a de-
cided, almost n ludicrOus failure.
Madame la Marquse DO, n daughter
of Baltimore, who though many years in
France, maintains triumphantly in her
adopted home the merited fame of her
native city as the paradise of hospitality
and beauty, invited us 10 breakfast
at Marguery' s-whither you must come
to eat SOLE in the grotto chamber, one
day-that from the impFoylsed balcony
we might see the sight So we had the
best view of the right bank procession
possible Our hostess is already French
enough to sympathze with n show, and
in comfortable confidence that was
going to be impressed with the enormIty
of this, she invited me TO time It's passage.
| did 1t occupied exactly twenty-five
minutes. and as the intervals between
the groups were at least a hundred yards
and the pace arrested by three or four
stops, you can imagine the mOderativeness
Of its length.
1t consisted simply of reproductions Of
the military costumes of the last century,
interspersed with five enormous emblem
attic cars bigger than ordinary houses,
and prodigiously, and it must be adj
mittcd, artistically designed and deco
rated. But their immensely rather lent
comic air TO the affair, reminding me of
the association Of Tom Thumb with the
Irish Giant on which the late Mr..
Barnum relied for dramatic effect and
dollars.
PEOPLE IN THE STREETS.
But the people on the streets! The POI
lice say there were a million, and ! be-
lieye it-a gay, gOOd-humOred, orderly,
joyous army thousand times better
worth seeing than any procession. These
Latin peoples are never ashamed TO be
happy, and therein they have vast adj
vantage over us. We not only take
our pleasures seriously" but somehow
seem afflicted by the idea that one cannot
be amused without being ridiculous.
That however, is an advance on the
Puritan notion that one cannot be di-
verified without risk Of damnation.
At night many Of the theatres were
open free. and on many of those asphalt
plains called refugees" where one finds |
security against the reckless driving Of
Paris, men and women waltzed away to
music furnished by the great Paris jour
nails until the dawn sent them to their
daily work
THE THREE REPUBLICS.
The First Republic ended eight cen
turtles Of the Capets The second closed
the bastard monarchy to which Lafayette
stood sponsor The third is undertaking
TO repair. and at the bottom Of their
hearts many Frcnchmen hope to revenge
the catastrophe of Sedan. But the sin
cerest friends Of France are those who
most honestly doubt the permanence
even OF this lusty democracy now "of
age" IL is the fashion to decry B0u-
LANCER. but had he as much civic courage
rs he had military bravery, the reyanche
be undoubtedly contemplated and which