The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-03-02
Paris and St. Petersburg Have a
Mania for Collecting Them.
THE ORIGIN OF THE CRAZE
Ten Thousand Francs for an Autograph
lctter-A Rusty Old
Sword.


relics of the Father of his Country.
The puzzle to American antiquarians
of late has been how they can all have
But the puzzle is easily
solved. There has just broken out in
Europe a Washingtonian craze almost
as violent as the Napoleonic craze in
our land. Tho be sure, the Napoleonic
craze is an importation, and ii may be
that America will shortly be in the pc
culiar position of importing a Washing
tonian craze. Be this as ii may, the
fact remains that in Paris and st.
Petersburg the Washingtonian mania
has reached an acute stage Figaro,
indeed, is poking fun at it in the gay
capital and asserts that the enterprise |
is intended to rival the fad now in its |
last stages that made diety of the |
First Consul. Nevertheless, the sums |
realized at the sales of the relics of the |
Father of his Country were very heavy.
The Rochambeau family paid 10000
francs for an autograph letter of the
immortal George. 1t was addressed to
their ancestor, the Count, and, natural
IT, was part of the family archives
ORIGIN OF THE CRAZE.
In explaining the origin of the craze
that is playing havoc with the Napoleon
is fad, it is necessary to dwell upon the
fact that the first families of France.
the old nobility as distinguished from
the aristocracy of the empire and the
republic, take great pride in the fact
/ that they alone took up the gauntlet
for our independence. This pride has
nothing to do with any love for Am
erica or for liberty. 1t is due entirely to
l.a he ,ffa hf
came over to help us in the war for in
| dependence were selected from the
flower of Bourbon nobility. Only aristO
Gratis could have been officers then, and,
moreover, to have been sent to America
at all implied the personal friendship of
the king and the glorious Marie An
toinette. Naturally, to be a descendant
of one of these officers implies very
aristocratic lineage indeed. Nay, one
may enter the princeliest houses on the
St German and near the Blois and
find the commissions granted in the last
century by the Continental congress
of these United States framed and
hanging on the wallis conspicuously.
These commissions are countersigned
by George Washington.
Naturally, these proud old mobiles
think a good deal of George Washing
ton. They will show you a rusty old
sword and say that the immortal Gearge
himself presented it to some ancestor OF
theirs. and that it is the greatest OF
their heirlOoms. These people would
sheer at a Napoleonic sword Napoleon
was that upstart COrsican who made
emigress of the old noblesse. They viii
a have none of his belongings. AS every
body knows who has lived in Paris, tn,
great social ambition there is to be re
? ceived by this old nOblesse. They arr
2 the real four hundred of Paris. Since
2 they set such store by their Washing
e tonian heirlooms, it follows that an!
family that aims at social distinction
can further its prospects by investing il
an outfit of Washingtonian heirlOOms
Wares of this description are snapped
up eagerly. This fact explains what t.
7 many collectors has long been mys
terry namely why relics of the Fathe
- of his Country command three times tn
e price in Paris that they do in Londor
n Sometimes, indeed they fetch highe
g prices in Paris than they would in NeV
g York Any collector will tell you tina
+ America has been pretty well drained c
Y it's Washingtonian relics by this tim
" to meet the eager demand of the Paris
ian market.
q LIE SUBLIME WASHINGTON.'
d This brings us to the inception of tn
a Washing tonian European craze. Severe
g weeks ago the young Duke of Orlear
< authorized the turning over of the fan
( lily painting of Washington to the ga
e lery of the Louvre. NJ. de Haussonvill
d who made the presentation speech VOL
t at the time the sword presented b
n Washington to the Count de Grass
az which sword is a Bourbon heirloom.
n de Jacksonville, who is hot monarch
If list, drew his sword from it's scabbard
,- the effective way they have of doir
such things in France, and declared th'
20 never would it be sheathed when ibert
"a called for bravery. Then the old nobi
ii ity, who were out in force, leaped
II. their feet and applauded for lie sublin
49, Washington" The incident had its e
- feet. There ran thrill through Bou
bon circles at the name of Washingto
-. all the more spontaneous and enthus
~ astic since the Napoleonic craze HI
been used for political effect by Il
partisans of the empire. All the famili
70 of the monarchy began a systemat
- exploitation of their WashingtOnis
glories Nine. de Sagan gave a b
IA poudre of a strictly Louis XVI. ordC
va All the families whose ancestors h;
e been prominent in our war of indepe
re dence attended, and they were attir
til in the style of the last century. 1t W
en- all like a picture of colonial times
he Virginia Precisely as the Napoleon
ng craze occasioned the flooding of the ms
ny ket with spurious relics of NapOleC
~, the Washingtonian revival gave rise
srs forged signatures of our first presidel