The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-02
FRENCH LADY OF THE
OLDEN TIME.
THE:

The interest which is being taken in
Napoleonic literature is spreading collater-
ally to the last years of the Bourbon
dynasty. Many years ago the Duchess de
Gontant, who was governess of the royal
children under Louis XVIII and Charles
X, wrote her memoirs, which were read
By select circle, ara admired Tor their
grace, their naturaluess and their amiable
intelligence; they have now been trans
lated into English and are being widely
read. They give the reader a picture of a
life upon which little light has been
thrown.
The Duchess was one of the people OF
title who fed from France at the over
brow of the monarchy she took refuge 10
England. where she endured extreme
poverty, and supported herself and her
mother by painting miDis lures She shortly
afterward obtained employmentin the royal
family, and on the restoration accompanied
Louis XVIII TO France. Her experiences
in exile and in the revolu lionary tumults of
the day had sharpened her wits. Though
she had been one of the first to be pro-
scribed as an emigree she was bold enough
to return to France in the hope OF recover
ing piece OF property which had belonged
TO the Gontant-Boion family. II is the
story of the ci-devant Marquis in the 'Tale
OF Two Cities" over again. She was iden.
| tilted, arrested and for time stood fail
| chance of going to the guillotine.
The charm of Nine. de Gontanrs &C.
count of her life in the Bourbon house
hold springs from the perfect simpl city
with which she declares that all the Bour.
bons were angels and could not do wrong
They were all good and virtuous and i'm
maculate, though there were few of them
whose character could have stood the test
| of our modern standards. They were
mean and false and cruel and selfish, and
they excused their faults to their own con-
science by the plea that they were chosen
| Of God. This Nine. de Gontant approved
as incontroverible. When her husband
was dying she begged for leave of absence
to attend his deathbed. King Charles Z
| refused on the ground that the royal chill.
dren would be Inconvenience by her alb
sence. She submitted, feeling that the
| King could do no wrong and apolngized
| for having a heart in her bosom. This
| same Charles, whom we all know to have
been bigoted. stupid, ignorant, a mere
tool of the Jesuits, she pronounced good
King. generous, noble hearted. one Of
Gods elect. Even in the Duchess oil
| Berry, whose disreputable adventure
| quenched the ardor of the royalists, she
can see no fault, though her own moral.
were irreproachable.
According TO the memoirs, Nine. de Con
tant gave the King advice, which, if it haC
been followed, might have averted the
days of July. 1t is strange if she did
considering her philosophy. and it may be-
suspected that some of her wise counsel,
regarding Polignac may have been ar
aftsrtho ought. In the class to which she
belonged opinions prevailed which made
royal tyranny, aristocratic privilege ant
plebeian snbserviency perfectly logical
The ''grace Of God" covered all. But the
very causes which insured the breakdown
of the system engendered a high standard
of manners and an exquisite polish Of
culture. Everybody was dressed superbly
acted with perfect courtesy, spoke politely
and gracefully; everybody was not only &
model Of department. but was imbueC
with gentIeness and kindly feeling. Nine
de Gontant is reluctant to speak i'll ever
of the monsters Of the Reign of Terror
The world never produced such polite PEG.
pie as the ancienne noblesse; but they
were mighty heavy load for the common
people to carry.