New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-30
THE DUCHESS OF BERRY.
TIE PROSPEROUS PERIOD OF HER LIFE.

TIE PROSPEROUS PERIOD OF HER LIFE.
nrHARLEs x by Imbcrt de saint-Amand. With
portrait. PIP. vi.. 305.
This volume will. perhaps. not strike readers 80
fayorably as the ono npoA" Tho duchess Of Berry
and the Court OF Louis XFITI.9 In that case was
rre.cnted Il tru" historic drama Of which Marie
Caroline was the central figure Her snncrlnes'
her bereavements her rise. se"mingly Victorious
over all her troubles had oil tho interest OF ro-
nance But ny bringing the Dnkc OF Bordeaux
into the world, she had completed her work for
France from the point of view taken by herself
and by all adhcrcnts OF the Restoration. Hence
forth she might he an object Of gratitude. o"t
the hopes Of the party to which she belonged oy
nature and convictions gathered about the |hiio
of Miracle" She had saved her family, - 10
sneak, and now she lived In a faryland Of anticl-
nation Tier. temperament and that OF Charles
were admirably adapted to companionship' Do."
loved the pc0pl" in a way better sulted LOT '"0
pages Of romance than for practical modern i.''
IIcr annual income Of 100000 francs after the
cxpcnscs of herself and her household were oe'
fraycd, was expended in gifts to her family. her
companions and her servants, and in aims " INC
poor. She could not endure the sight OF misery
without attempting some measure Of rcli"f. ana
her accounts were almost stca lily ovcrdra"h III
tho effort to tighten the woes Of the masses. III
this she rcsrmhlrd the King, who, to quote INC
words of tho ViscOunt S sthencs d" R0ch"lou-
cauld, "in his noble mprovidcnce OF the in'"ic
considered his civil lis: a sort OF loan' iha'o
nv the nation for the SAX" Of its grandeur. 10 y.
returned in lrxury, magnificenc" and brneh's' ~
faithful depository. h" mad" 1t duty % u~' !,
al, so that, stripped of his property he carrien
into exile hardly enough for the support OIL his
family and some old s'rvitors
The Duchess Of Berry devoted TO the poor an
ordinary and an extraordinary budget. Tho
tenth OF her revenue was always applied TO the
relief Of the unfortunate, and was dcposit"h ny
twelfhs. each month by her First Almoner ms
tithc was distributed with a. much methon AZ
sagacty Madame classified them with her own
hand in alphabetical order, and registered al"
numbered them. Whatever tho hour. she never
adjourned this task to the morrow. The private
secretary then went over the petitions ana pre-
scntcd an analysis Of them TO the Princess. who
indicated on the margin what she wished I" give
This was the ordinary budget of the poor. the
tenth Of Madamcs revenue. But she had De-
sides. an extraordinary budget Of charity for the
unfortunate who were tho more TO be Respected
because they concealed themselves in obscnrity,
happencd that the Princess borrowed in order to
Give more" One winter night. when she was
about TO give q fete she suddenly bethought her
self that many must he suffering from the COLI,
and refused to 90 on with her pleasures until ooo
francs had been sent - each OF the lively" mayors
OF Paris to be expended in fuel for the neeuy.
II France had been faryland all this goodness ana
charity would have met its due reward-p"rp"tuai
Supremacy But France was busy and business
like portion ~ "A workatlay world, In wtich royal
prrsonaccI ns we'll a. others w"r" learning that
they were the employees and not IN" b"neiar'ors
Of humanity Neither Charles nor IN" Duchess
NJ Berry ever learned thi, lesson II" D"rnfSs
held II a. principl" that princes should oe IKE
tlc sun. which draws water from the streams only
% ncturn if in dew and rain She considered her
ci,ll list AZ the property OF nll administered by
her. She was TO 10 seen at all cApositions and IN
all the shops. bnyng whatever was offered that
was most remarkable. Sometimes she kept these
purchascs sometimes she sent them Z, her 1amily
AT Naples, Vi"nnl, Madrid. and hcf letters used
warmly TO recommend in foreign cities whatever
WAS useful or beautiful in France. Sh" was thus
In every way the Pr"vih"nr" VI the h's' VI 'i-
d,is,rv and commerce
Bat one cnn easily 500 that tie principle OF
ioint ownership which worked ONT thus in tic
mind OF the irlnr'SS. mus uu'f WV
differently in IN" mind Of III" people As long
n, ROYALTIES were ROYALTIES by divine right. the
metaphor of the sur was beautiful and agreeable
but il WAS different when gradually IN" people
hraln. convinced that they collectively were
tho source Of I'll" life and health ami happiness
,f tl,. Nation Ncver l"lcss tn" example or IN"
KIM and hi. charming daughter n-aw WAS OF
tI, hest vall" in this. that oif o IN" OH IRA
d,,i,n. of beauty and magnic"ncc they pre-
served from destruction many that were most
useful The freedom Of art and OF literature
not merely from restraint. bnt from thos~ obil-
cations Of nati"ry which had once been uni
ycrsal, was marked for all ae"e ny the merit OF
the works which il iostercd he Ming eiI
co,,,,ucd. protected, persioned the greater num-
,rr Of the great writers and artists who honored
France. What is sometimes call"l in litcratir"
th,. generation OF 1880 would he moro exactly
d,.oribed M the generation OF the Restoration