The morning call., 1894-09-02
THE COUNT OF PARIS.

The romantic history of the house of
Orleans will probably close with the
death of the Count OF Paris, who is now
said TO be in eXtremis. That history has
supplied the annals of France with so
much drama from the days of the gay
Prince whose mother declared it was
difficult to amuse him because he did not
eUjOy innocent pleasures to the thrilling
scene when the Duchess of Orleans.
holding this very Count Of Paris in her
arms, appealed to the honor of the
Chamber not to desert the royal family
in its hour of danger, that it may we'll
close in dizziness and obseurity. The end
was prefgured when it was discovered
that the dynasty, after producing a sue
cession of brilliant leaders of men, had
eliminated in dullard.
The father of this Count of Paris was
the Duke of Orleans. who was killed by
being thrown from bis carriage, a gentle
man of high culture, noble instincts and
liberal principles. His father, Louis
Philippe, did service as a soldier and was a
liberal statesman. His father, Egalite,
though Teprobate, was a man of ability
and scholar. 1t was LETT for the Count
of Paris to demonstrate that the strain of
blood which had endured through four
generations was worn out at last. lie
was always copying some one who had
gone before him and blurring the copy.
Because Lafayette had made a reputa-
ton at home by serving under Washing
ton in this countay, the Count Of Paris
volunteered on McClellan's staff. But he
resigned when the hard fighting began. re-
turned home and wrote a history of our
civil war, which is one Of the dullest books
ever penned. After Sedan, he had a
chance to assert himself as a Frenchman
he was admitted to the National Assembly
at Versailles and reinvested with the Or
leans property. But the virus of stupidity
was in his blood, and be embarrassed the
builders Of the republic by forming a
close alliance with the Count of Chambord
and swearing allegiance to dynasty of
which the French were tired, and which
they were ready to fight rather than re-
store. When Theirs was overthrown, the
Count of Paris had an other chance. The
rural population were prepared TO accept
him as bourgeois king; the army was on
his side; the church wanted him; but at
that critical moment he had not the nerve
to say that as between the nation and the
house of Bourbon he was for the former,
and he and Chamb ord were both swept
into nothingness by popular disgust The
Republicans attained the ascendeney, and
they punished the royal pretenders with
perpetual exile. From that time the world
has heard little of the Count; Chambord
died at Frohsdorf eleven years ago.
The Count has six children By his cousin,
the daughter of the Duke of Montpensier.
One of them. young man, whose name
has been more frequently mentioned in
connection with a famous opera singer
than in the political world, distinguished
himself the other day by invading France
in defiance of the law Of exile and was
promptly escorted across the frontier by a
corporal and file OF men. The chances are
that the house will follow the example of
the house of Stuart so far as politics is
concerned. But the Orleans family will
not soon fall into the obscurity which has
befallen the Stuarts, for the simple reason
that its members are enormously wealthy.
Louis Philippe. besides being sage ruler,
was a financier of consummate ability.
His estates were small when he assembled
the throne, but he left his sons vast for
tunes. This is not the place to resurreci
the old scandals respecting the Condo
property. Whatever means the King used
be got it and it is now in the hands OF his
children. Intermarriages have been a law
in the family. Every Orleans marries his
cousin. if possible; thus the property has
been kept together and the aggregate mus
now represent sum that is fabulous
| Whether wealth consoles the descendants
of the house for the stigma of being "mer
without a country" they probably are able
| to say.