New-York tribune., 1893-12-24
TOPICS IN PARIS.
EUGENIE'S VISIT TO ISABELLA.
THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT BARBARA-FRENCHMEN
AND IA UAssE'-FATHDR HYA-
CINTHE PEEACHEs AGAIN.
Paris. December IL.

1t Is probably due TO the alarming frequency
| Of dynamite outrages and explosions or one
| kind and another that the festival OF saint
Barbara has been celebrated here this year with
! so much unusual ceremony and fervor. from
| time immemorial this martyr who was beheaded
| by her own father because OF her refusal to abb
jure Christianity. has been regarded by the
| naval and military Runners their patron
| saint and her assistance is invariably invoked
by the pious French peasantry in great thunder
| storms 10 protect them and their property from
lightning This is due. as far as / can make
| out to the fact that at the moment OF her
| death there occurred. according to the legend.
n great thunderstorm. which her votaries re-
gard IS having constituted "A divine manifesto
ton on her behalf. In every naval and military
| garrison town OF France where gunners or
sappers are stationed. the day was marked by
croat festivities The mess and barrack rooms
were decorated with trophies Of arms and with
laurel and banqucts and dinners wer given by
both officers and All prisoners under arrest
for ordinary and minor breaches Of discipline
were liberated: speeches and songs were the
order Of the day. and general good humor reiGned
Nor was the celebration by any means confined
TO the naval and military artillery corps. who.
when gtinnery was first introduced In France.
used 10 be known by the name OF the order or
Saint barbara. but IL likewise extended to the
employees Of the various arsenals and state
powder and explosive manufactures through
ont the country well as to the various fire
brigadcs That all these should join In the
celebration can he understood. since Saint Bar
bara's martyrdom IL SO closely associated with
pyrotechnical display But It Is somewhat diff
cult 10 comprehend why the brushmakcrs and
racquet manufacturers should have selected the
Young noblewoman Of Nicomcda az their patron
saint since there Is no evidence To show that
she ever manifested any interest direct or
Indirect in these branches of manufacture.
Empress Eugene has been here throughout the
last week and has been made the object of
good deal Of quiet attention on the part Of
several of her old-timc friends. ono ~ the
most notable incidents was the long visit which
she paid to cx-Quccn Isabella Of Spain. whom she
has scarcely since the war OF 1870. Em-
press Eugene was. prior to her marriage,
maid OF honor - Queen Isabella. her mother
the old Comtcssc De Montijo. being lady-in-
waiting Of the Bourbon monarch: and hence
II was that Eugene even after sh" became
Empress Of the French. always retained n GER
tain feeling II Difference and allegiance t. her
former mistress which Napoleon had great dif-
hcul,y In preventing from assuming The form
Of public manifestations II homage scarcely be-
fitting an Empress Of France toward Queen
fcl, so thoroughly tho grandeur II her position
on the French throne when In l'GS she had
the opportunity Of Offering hospitality and
refuge 10 Queen isabella and - the whole royal
family Of Spain driven 10y tho Madrid rcvo'u-
ton into n totally unexpected and unprcpar'l-
for exile. Empress Eugene saw good deal
while here. too II her husbands popular cousin
the Princess Mathilie. with whom she s now
on most excellent terms. All the bitter feeling
that existed between thcm throughout the entire
period II the empire having disappeared Prin-
cesse Mathildc. who Is without exception tho
clcvercst and most accomplished member IL her
family assembled little party - the most
faithful and loyal 4 the adhcrcnts ~ thc Bon
apartist cause - meet the Empress. and the
only younger member ~ the party who cannot
be said II have figured la the "l'l"u times AT
Eugcnic's brilliant court was Count "Goer'
Primoli a son of The now insane Prncosse char
lottc Bonapart-. tho latter sister Of Cardinal
Bonapartc Count Irimol f. a familiar figure
in Partisan society. spending portion II Tho
season each year AZ the hospitahlc house ~ his
aunt Pr1ncesse MathilIc. In whose salons he
formed the acquaintance ana acquired the
warm friendship II the popular novelist Paul
BOurgct lie Is noted as being. with m" pps-
sible exception II the Duc Dc M"ruv. the most
successful amateur photographer IN Eur'i" nnI
has spent enormous sums on various perfected
apparatus connected with this particular fad.
II may be added that he insanity ~ Count
Primolrs mother was brought about by the
sudden death somc aescrt Il T. have been
sulcide) of her youngest and tcst-lovcd son;
and Il IL n sad concidcnc" that her sisters son.
Napoleon Rocca- -ciiovlni. likcwiso committed sui
eide having blown out his brains I'm despair az
the rejection Of his attentions by the beautiful
Duchess Of Marino.
Bv pcrsistonty attrlbuting 10 ~ Constaus
every imaginablo crime IN the calendar In each
daily issue Of L'Intranseeant." Henri Roche
fort has ended by defeating his object. and in
stead of covering the powerful and once-'ircadcd
ex-Minlstcr Il the Interior with obloquy he has
converted him into quite popular parsonage.
His prctcnce Of seeing the hand of Constans IN
nearly every one of the sensational murders
and other fclonics that have been perpctratcd
here throughout the past decade has been
taken up by the criminal classes. who. with
that disposition 10 "blagucr" and 10 Joke In
hcrcnt to the Gallic temperament frequently
make n point of cxcusing Themselves T. their
Judges on the ground that IT is not they who
have plotted the coup but VI. Constants. All
this has suggested witty ballad. published I'm
the "Figaro." The poet refers to n number Of
famous crimes. such AZ those Of I'rado. Prnzini.
Fcnayrcu and Eyraud. and concludes each stanza
with the refrain
Cest Constans qui faisalt le coup
The song terminates with the following ap-
peal to the President:
Carnot. ecoutez ma requtte:
Tous les forcats de rile Nou.
Vculez les rendre Ia Nillctte.
C'est Constans qui faisait le coup
For many years 1t has been standing sub
ject Of complaint among the middle and lower
classes of the population that the shooting rights
I'm the enormous forests owned by the State
were reserved entirely for wealthy capitalists.
mostly bankers. to the exclusion of their fellow
citizens less literally endowed with financial
means. Thus. for instance. the entire forest Of