The sun., 1897-09-26
norrs rRon EnANoE.


Tnentres
PARIS, Sept. 1s.-Tho raepickers and btffns
Of 81. ousn, q suburb Of Paris, who retain more
nearly than their brethren Of the capital tho
peculiarities Of the type made famous by Ga
varni and Felix Pyat, had fete on Sunday that
was pictorial and more than ordinarily inter
estins. Three hundred Of them gathered to
feast and dance and speechify.
It was hoped that they would appear In
their working costumes. Indeed, the invita-
tions expressly provided for that, but at tho
last moment all but one man thought better
Of II and came in holiday clothes, which made
them very much besundayed. The single. ex-
ception was Of the old school, and he at once
became the guest Of honor.
The Prefect Of the Seine, the Mayor OF st.
Ouen, and all the town Councillors were pres
ent at the fete, ate at the banquet, and danced.
The Minister OF the Interior was expected, but
could not come. Pretty girls, by the way,
were thick. Everybody has remarked the
fact that tho girl ragplckers, taking them as q
class, are the prettiest girls in France 1t is
doubtless due.to the outdoor life.
After the feast there were toasts. seemingly
by tho score, for it was midnight before the
last was responded to by NJ Bourgeois, the
king of the ragpickers. His wife, the queen, In
tho meantime, had things going in the dancing
tent. The fete broke up just before daylight
for tho ragpickcrs had to 20 homo to change
their clothes before beginning work. By dawn
they were all out as usual with their lanterns
and baskets.
In commune in the department OF Seine-et-
Marne it has been impossible to find q rosisrs
this year. For 30 large commune, nearly q
thousand inhabitants, tho fact is unprecc-
dented, and 1t seems to indicate that the COM
munity must be a very naughty one.
Every hamlet in France has its yearly ros-
iere, and In Paris, although the institution In
primarily rustic, there several urrondisse-
ments which have many. Even in tho wicked
Montmartre district there is one, but there
they call her a muse, TO be more sophisticated.
rosiere Is really next thing to a saint, II she
fills tho requirements, and Montmartre must be
Ht Of he rosS back
turtles, and the name itself comes from the fact
hat the chosen young woman is the winner OF
the rose Of vrtue-which in this case supplants
the palm But 1t is very much more material
than that because attached to the roso is q
Prize or yhs in 1oarn nr1o
vided for by q fund left to the commune by
some person, usually an old bachelor, or maiden
what the prize shall be given.
A commune has rarely more than one fund,
elected by her girl friends-that is, the young
women of the commune choose one from among
lot Of the village officers. She is never named
by the young men, but infreauently she is ect-
ed by the whole number OF inhabitants, after
having put her name on public list OF can
didates. She is chosen, in any event, because
she is the most virtuous. most industrious, and
most modest" or because she is the most de.
voted to her parents" OF any of tho girls In the
In a little village of the Moselle Valley, othor.
wise given over wholly to manufacturing, there
exists a theatre which has not its counterpart
in the world, unless that OF Oberammergau be
view. 1t has been in existence just two years,
but 1t IS only, now. upon the occasion Of the
people out Of its immediate neishborhood
have got to hear Of It, More than a theatre. II
is interesting because II has been established
with the idea of making IT an educational force
The founder OF this unique institution Is NJ
Maurice Pottecher. whose father owns a large
factory at Bussang. and his idea vas TO elevate
in spirit and in thought the work people OF the
factory and the peasants Of the adjacent coun
try. to implant in .hem love OF country and al
the other virtues by popular dramatic repre-
| sentations. played for them and by them: Ir
this he seems TO have succeeded, at least In &C
far as awakening their lively interest and
Unlike the play of the Passion at oberammer
gau. the plays which have been go far m given given
Ing. no mawkish soodyl BODY lsm. m although each o.
MORAY order The hrst dealt with drunken
ness and the miseries resulting therefrom
%b charity Of T hess psy, n:
| instinct with a direct object. to point its moral
| not in the abstract, like tract or a Sunday
tory and peasant life with which each OF tn,
| spectators, and each OF the actors. too IL
sons at a m mans % very doorstep and hearthside
For this reason, namely. TO Keep everything
| local and familiar and within the, comprehcn
sion OF ALL the plays are written by men who
live IN the village: the actors belong TO the re
| gion by birth and are drawn from the work
shops or from the fields; the scene painters
| mechanics connected
| with the theatre. come from the same source
| Among them one finds besides the village doc
tor, the sChoolmaster, the Government func
ttonaries, the station master, and number o.
shopkeepers and journalists.
As the plays deal only with local Lorraine
| life, the theatre is mode led go that the actua
Lorraine scenery may be used as back
ground in which point the Bus1Ans theatre GtT
ammergau. At first the theatre. intended
only for summer use. was merely frame
| work Of wood inclosing the amphitheatre; witt
| q primitive stage This year, however. 1t ha,
| been largely reconstructed and while still
being an open.air theatre, it has more tn,
| look OF an ordinary playhouse. The amphi
theatre has roof, and the seats for the spec
| tators are rustic benches The scenery. wher
which there Is plenty Of action Natnre her "
when the Fiat" is moved takes in a fine psno psrs
rama OF the Mosellc Valley. with the greer
| Vosges Hills in the distance
Neither the name OF the author of the play
nor those Of the actors appear on the play
| bills. No admission fee Is charged; any bod,
| who wants TO may go, as all the expenses ar,
| borne by the villagers In common. The cos
| tunes are also made by them and charged fo
| at the cost OF the material. In n word. th
| whole thing has become n cooperative bust
ness Of engaging simplicity, and It is only
| pity that It will be spoiled by the tourists VIII,
| will inevitably find their way there soon.
The founder has not reported yet upon th
value of the theatre as moral agent. A curl
| Gus fact Is noted by the local newspaper, how
ever-althongh It draws no inference. TIL
fact is that up to two years ago Bussang ha,
| at least ono annual strike in the factories
| Since the theatre was started 1t has had none
| Perhaps the workmen too busy thinking