Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-10

the accounts before the work was finished. At
the present day it costs $4,000 to turn the water
on for a singleafternoon-
Versailles is town of sc. 900 inhabitants. 1t
hes about twelve miles to the southeast of Paris
and is the capital Of the Seine-et-Ois Depart
ment, one Of the sleepiest and sweetest country
sides in France for all 1t is near to the great
capital. From Paris 10 Versailles is region
of suburban proprletors exulting beneath their
vines il not their fig trees Il is a region OF
business men who travel daily on the cars, or
school children who are also commuters. OF bl-
cycle riders. OF clerks who hee the boulevard,
Of amateur chicken farmers. Of chateaux and
little country boxes and the stone cottages OF
peasants.
GARDENS AND PALACE.
At Versailles the town is passed through by
Q short walk leading to the palace; and those
who come must make their choice-the palace
or the gardens. There is no time in one
short afternoon to see the two. Gardens and
palace both speak with uncertain voice of
their originator. The rocco style IN building
and decoration is found in all its spreading
glory here in the Versailles OF Louis XIV. The
puro rocco, it Is true. did lot reach Its height
until his successors reign, but this Is also the
palace OF Louis Quinze, and what one genera
non began the other carried to completion The
100000 style Is always essentially the samoa
decorative style in harmony with the bewigSed
and rapIered courtiers of great monarch who
had nothing to do but idle away refined and
yoluptuous lives with the court ladies ike those
who surrounded Madame de Pompadour. In
such a court life all things center IN the mon
arch' making or love- Louis XIV had
said, .'The state. it is l." and he was never
seen. even by his valet. without his wig. 1t IS
right that he and his wig should have started
the rocOeo style OF architecture and decoration.
The idea was to surpass the great Roman
emperors in their palaces and gardens; the
result was the establishment by Louis himself
OF the Grand Trianon. villa in these very
palace grounds. to which he was wont to flee
from tine frightful inconvenience OF his in
posing palace.
SIMILARITY OF wIa AND ARCHITECTURE.
1t has been said it was Louis XIV's pompous
peruke, with its even parting in the middle
and its long massive curls at the sides, which
gave the idea to the architecture of his time
the peruckenstiI, as the Germans derisively
call it-and the first view of this great palace
ludicrously enough suggests the wig. The
main building is like the head piece and the
two wings that start at right angles from each
end of it are like the long curls that rolled
down ON his shoulders The carefully tended
grounds behind il have the same air of regular
ity and decent tameness. The gardens with
their small park and ornamental sheets of
water remain very much in the same condi-
ton as when first laid out by LIE Notre. the
famous landscape gardener OF Louis AIVs
time. A more artificial style than that OF
lie No+Ie can hardly be imagined His chief
object seems to have been 10 subject nature to
the laws of architecture and TO practice
geometry and sculpture upon lawns, trees and
ponds
GEoMETRIcAL LANDSCAPE GARDEyISG-
Trees and shrubs are clipped to resemble
obelisks and pyramids; others stand straight
and preternaturally slender. like soldiers on
parade; an alley running to the right is balanced
BY an alley running to the left; sheet of water
whose outlines are uny1eldingly rectangular
as thoss of a swimming bath is sustained" by
smaller but no less rectangular sheets of water
planted at its front and back A stone bench
on one side of avenue is matched by stone
bench on the other side, and among them all,
strung IN an exact order like surveyors poles,
are rows of marble statues that have no ex-
preston on their faces and no speculation in
their eyes.
FABULOUS COST.
Viewed merely as a matter Of luxury one
cannot help thinking it was a losing speculation
to build these grounds and this great palace.
Twelve hundred orange trees, growing in great
wooden boxes, are still dispersed over the
grounds in summer time their potted rtificiality