The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-12

the ramin of today, not the gamin of the
romanticists. Victor Hugo's Gavroche-
times have changed.
She initiates the grunts and whimpers,
the supplications for charity of the half
starved women without work; the halt
cynical laments of the demi-nonde, of
mendicants, cripples and paralytics; the
squeezed, oily voice which proceeds from
Threats scaided by absinthe; the hystericai
exclamation of the morbid lady of fashion;
the tongue-tied pronunciation OF the
chtfonieres who clip all their consonants;
the grimaces of degenerate wretches,
whose faces are distorted by the tic dou-.
lereux: the silly smile of the barefoot girl
child: the catchwords and colloquial
oddities of the light-fingered gentry; in
short, the counterparts of all miserable,
fantastic creatures which Callot, Hogarth,
Goya or Steen have ever drawn.
And these limitations are so strikingly
grows restless and involuntarily turns his
head imagining for moment that he is at
Chateau rouge on the boulevard de Lavil-
cite or Fauborg DIES Temple.
And this remarkable gift of depicting
human misery insures her an income of
250, 900 francs year. The Concert Paris
len alone paws 500 france an evening for
one hour from 10 to IL. The rest she
makes in private entertainments from IL
To /, for which she receives $500 francs.
She is seen in the very best circles of
aristocrats and millionaire paryenues,
even tho residents of Faubourg st. Ger
main and ST. Houvie open their doors TO
her
But how can her acknowledgements be
explained? All there is known of her is
that only few years ago she was en-
ployed as saleslady i'll "a shoe store; later
on she tried to get an opening in variety
tneater, but she made complete
failure of the small part which
had been confded to her. Then she re-
ceived an engagement to sing in the
Cafe Japanais for rs francs an evening.
Nobody knows exactly how it came about.
but suddenly she was taken up by circle
of admirers and pushed to the front Al
ready then her most enthusiastic admirers
exclaimed: "She is new revelation of
artp'
After while the papers began to speak
of her. Hughes lie Roux, a journalist of
great ability and a fayorite of the Partisan
houlevardiers, became her Christopher
Columbus. and introduced her TO society
at large. He did not merely write special
which treated her talents in
critical and sometimes even in scientific
manner. At last he hired the Theatre
des Arts, invited the leading literati,
artists. club men and social leaders to a
special matinee, which he opened
with an exceedingly clever lecture on
Yvette Guilbert, convincing the audience
even before they had seen her that she
was the personification of her time of fin
de steele. Among other witty, though
far-fetched assertions, he made a special
hit by comparing his protege to Diana
probably on account of the length of her
tgure) and to female faun.
Since then Paris kneels at her feet All
those whose chief aim of life is to be in
the height of fashion consider it their
duty to adore her. Soon enough artists
who desire that few rays of the sun of
her popularity would fall upon them,
offered their services gratis. Painters
sculptors formed her in marble, bronze
and terra Gotta, and poets and musicians
wrote and composed songs to her praise
and for her repertoire.
Isn't all this marveously stranger True
enough, fin de steele. the appendix to her
name, has made her fortune. But what
is fin de steele? And what is fin de steele
in her?
The eccentric dress, her splendid face
the popularity of her talent, the bodness
of her manners? Hardly. Parisians are
not so easily conquered. their life of pleas
ure is acquainted with those things to
safety. No, there must be a deeper mean
ing to it.
Most likely, it is the nature of her songs
which stamps her fin de steele. They rep
resent the leading characteristics Of our
time. And what are they?
Guy de Maupassant, the excellent con-
noisseur OF modern French society, has
limited at it in all his novels.
1t is a certain delight in being reminded
of the misery and depravity of other hui
man beings. One might venture to say
the desire to initiate Dante, as they re-
joice In descending hand in hand with
this lOng-needed chanteuse into the social
hell of Paris, TO witness how the con-
demned of both sexes, of all ages and
ranks, are tortured.
This peculiar taste-in particular of the
better classes-for the malades of this
waning century have called forth already
the school of impressionism in painting,
the symbolism in recent poetry. and the
purely descriptive element in music.