St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-17

the last empire, yet many of the
most striking features portrayed in
the novel were to be seen there a
few years ago when 1 myself was a
student in Paris. 1t is by no means
small district that stretches be-.
tween the Rue Bonaparte and the
Jardin des Plantes, but covering,
as it does, the equivalent of at
least thirty of our city squares, it
includes an extensive population.
Some of the characteristic buildings
have been destroyed within the
period that has elapsed since the
three jolly Englishmen sampled the
edibleS and partook of the festivities
of this uniquely artistic region, yet
as l have said, the student Of Du
Maurier would speedily detect nu-
merous evidences of Trilbyness.
The Bohemians that dwell there
have many attractive personal quail
tiles. They are, as a rule, generous,
honest, frank, light-hearted Great
ures, fond of all varieties of amuse-
ment to an extent that an American
may often consider childish. Yet
this very freedom from convention
ality begets dislike of serious re-
SponSibility, and l am afraid that,
if the world had to depend upon men
and women of the quarter type for
its more serious and important du-
ties, it's progress and reform would
be supplanted by stagnation or gen
tI1r fI1rs ll,-
presents this Bohemian life under
it's most favorable aspect. 1t is de-
lightful, in some ways, to read about,
but one might do well not to forget
that the shadows Of the picture are
but family drawn. AS matter of
sober fact, humanity is ever and al
ways the same-no original discov-
cry, L am sure; and the citizens of
the studios and the academies in
clude many varieties of the Great
ure man.
One difficulty presents itself in
Trilby. It's student-heroes are eX-
clusively English. Now, the great
majority of the students in the Latin
quarter are French, yet even the
American students, of whom there
are now some 1,500 residing in Paris,
vastly exceed in number their En-
gliSh cousins. To realize, therefore,
the true characteristics of the aver
age student, one is obliged to COM
prehend the French character This
is very difficult: indeed, almost i'm
possible for an Anglo-Saxon The
Frenchman often seems to be a
realization of Stevenson's dream.
AS DR.. Jekyll, he one minute fills
you with admiration; the next mos.
ment you are Mortified at the sudden
appearance of Mr.. Hyde Doubtless
however, a foreigners surprise is
frequently the result of his inability
to comprehend the national char
acter. By way of illustration, / will
mention that the French are said
to have no word for home. There is
mere distinction without a differ,
ence. Defense du foyer-t'defense of,
the hearthStOne"-iS as sacred an ap-
peal to the French husband, father
or brother as would be the defense'
of home to the Anglo-Saxon So
circumspectly,. indeed, does the
Frenchman guard the privacy Of
his home that it is almost f1npos-
Sible for young man to be admitted
to the freside of a good family, I'M
less in the character of a relative
or of a protested sutton. For this
reason the young Frenchman, espe-
cially when living the isolated life
of student, is effectually deprived
of the society of the better class of
young women, and many of the
irregularities of life in the Latin
quarter are due to this fact.
Again, the studio at which Little
Billee became such a favorite was
evidently one of the smaller studios
The character and associations of
these vary greatly, and frequently
admit of an absence of decorum that
would not be tolerated at the large
academies. At the Academic Jul
liam, where 1 for a long time studied.
there were, in my time, no less than
1000 students. This year there are
said to be 1,500. At these large in
situations no demoralizing frivolities
are tolerated. This is likewise the
rule in all reputable American
schools of art. The national atti-
tude toward women in this country
would not suggest nor permit the
same treatment of female models
as prevails in few of the studios of
Paris and the continent Of course
the models temptations are greater
in Paris. There she lives in the VII
cinity of the studio, and after her
posing is over, she associates with
the students constantly in a spirit
OF jolly companionShip. Here, how
ever, the model comes to the studio
solely for the purposes of her profess
sion. When the pose is finished she
returns to her home, which, as well
as her real name, is frequently un-
known to the artist who employs her.
She has no association with the stu
dents except when posing before
them.
Trilby herself is not the type of a
Latin quarter model. On the con-
trary, the existence there of such a
girl WOULD De by no means prOba-
bic under all the circumstances. Yet
1t is certainly not impossible. 1 have
known myself several models who
resemble her in certain points. One.
especially, a favorite of CaroIus Dul
ran, would at once be brought to the
mind of any reader of Trilby who
has lived in Partisan art circles DUR
ing the last decade. However, the
circumstances, outside the English
mems studio, which surround a
model living as Trilby did, while theS
might not absolutely prevent her
moral development, would certainly
not encourage it. The, tendency
would all be to accentuate the first
false step, and to make every bad
quality worse. Undeniably, never,
theleSS, many poSerS for 'TenSemhla1