Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-05-11

turned BY their three distinguished %
foreign guests with great junction Then
came the sumptuousiy sttired maids Of
honor with their sweeping trains, and
the grand organ In the loft over our
heads rang out the Wedding March from
Lohengrin, and when the party left the
church and entered their spacious car
riages for the wedding drive-which is a
feature Of all high caste French we'd
dings-the marriage bells rang out
This was the first time we had ever lis
tened to the traditional marriage bells,
that ancient romantic custom OF the Old
World.
We fingered amid the dim aisles, as the
church is open every day for inspection
Of visitors, and soon guide appeared to
show US over the church and down into
the crypt beneath, where lies 10 stone
cofilue, all that remains OF the former
kings Of France.
The sepulchre of Marie Antoinette was
In dark enclosure where we had TO look
through grated window, and were not
allowed to get any nearer. The monu-
ments were most elaborate, being the
figures Of the individuals themselves,
sometimes reclining In death on the
marble sepulchre, and sometimes sitting,
or standing erect, with their everyday
clothes" on, as in life. The memorial to
Catherine dc Medici and her husband.
Henry II, which was made before her
death, WAS Of their figures reclining un-
der bronze canopy, but she afterward
objected to the nude figures, and had
others constructed with draperies and
robes.
In the body OF the church, at each side
Of the altar. are many more efiigies and
tombs Of royalty, but space forbids
more details. The church itself is grand
ly magnificent, and no feeble words
could do justice to the superb architect
ure aud beautiful artistic stained glass
windows. Before this altar Napoleon
was married to the Archduchess Marie
Louise, and 1t certainly Is interesting 10
stand on the spot where the feet OF this
great general once stood-and also 10
gaze on the walls where Joan OF Arc,
the Maid Of Orleans, hung up her arms,
In the year 1920.
But the most solemn aud impressive
object In all Paris Is the tomb OF that
illustrious Napoleon himself. Though
he was banished and died In exile, his
country has given him far more majes-
tic burial place than any other monarch,
inside the church OF the Dome ce' lava
lides. the highest aud most sumptuously
constructed ediflce Of the kind In Paris.
No Rom.n emperor had ever more
magnificent scpulchre. As you go up
the broad marble steps and enter the
church you perceive In front OF you,
directly beneath the lofty dome, cir
cular wall OF polished IN irble.
You look down into this receptacle,
which Is 20 feet deep and 80 feet In diam
eter, aud on the mosaic floor, which rep
resents a wreath OF laurel. rises In
solemn majesty the massive sarcophagus,
consis .irg OF a single huge block OF
polished reddish-brown granite, weigh
ing 67 tons, brought from Finland at
cost OF $4,000. Words fail Us In AT,
temp ting the description Of this grand
spectacle. Ii Is said that on the occa-
sion Of the recent visit Of the Car OF
Russia, when he gazed on this Impress
i've scene. the car wept.
We have not yet learned where Is the
burial place OF Marie Louise, but the
Empress Josephine Is buried In little
church at Rueil, little town OF less than
1000 inhabitants, about six miles out o.
Paris. A monument which represents
the empress In kneeling posture has
been erected 10 her memory by her son,
Eugene Beauharnias, and daughter,
Queen Hortense, the mother OF Napoleon
Ill.
Another famous burial place is a beau
tiful building, once n church, In the CEN
tire Of Paris. which WAS afterwards con-
verted into n kind OF memorial temple,
and Is now called the Pantheon" and
dedicated to the illustrious dead of
France. The interior Is beautifully dec
grated with paintings, tapestries, col
umns and statues, the finest paintings
done being those by Puvis de Chevannes,
the artist who has done some OF the dec
Grating for our own Boston public IL
brary. Underneath are the tonbs OF
many famous men, and spaces left for
many more.
Mirabeau was the first one inferred
here, more than century ago, then
Marat, the man who perished by the
hand OF Charlotte Cordsy. Rosseau and
Voltaire also, but their tombs are now
empty, the remains OF the two phllosc-
pliers having been secretly removed az
ter the Restoration, ''as kind OF paltry
tombs at ST. Denis"
The tomb OF that wondrous pen paint
er, Victor Hugo, Is the one that most
interests US here. II Is simple and plain,
but has been kept covered with fresh
flowers constantly, all these twelve
years by his grandson. II was his will
that he be buried as psuper, but proud
France could not endure that her great
est genius of the age should receive no
more homage than that, so it WAS carried
out only In the detail OF conveying his
body TO the tomb in the pauper's hearse,
which was completely covered and hesp-
ed with flowers. To receive his body, the
Pantheon, which before had been cOnse-
Grated, was seculsrized, for some say he
was an atheist.
Another most interesting burial place Is
a very old one, near US, In the heart Of
the city. IL contains the tomb Of young
girl about whom some Of you have heard
or read. You will remember that about
ten years ago, book called "Marie
Bsshkirtsefi-s Journal" appeared and
made quite sensatiOn-n0t from Its
possessing any great literary merit, but
chiefly because 1t outlined the daily
life of a young and smbitious school
girl, who was studying at the Julian Art
School, and who was stricken with con-
sumption at an early age; and the narra-
tive of the progress Of the disease, and
the pages of the journal written up to
almost the very day Of her death, make
it an interesting work In some respects.
After her death, her mother-with the
aid Of her master, Julian, who wished to
advertise his studios, IL Is said-publish-
ed the journal, and erected over her
grave the most costly and elaborate
msusoleum we have yet seen In France.
Napoleon's excepted; by which we Infer
that she must have thought her daugh-
ter the greatest genius that ever lived.
The sepulchre Is large stone temple,
surm0unted by an elaborate gold-deco-
rated dome, and on top Of that tall god
crucifix. The outside walls are also dec
GRATED with palettes, stars and wresths of
OF laurel inlaid with gold and on one the
four sides are inscribed the names OF all
her paintings, her name In large letters,
and this inscription, which translated
reads:
"Oh, Marie, oh, white hlyi
Thy being has not entirely disappeared in the
dark night.
Thy spirit is living. vibrating is thy memory,
And the immortal perfume ofthe flower has re-
kn ~ vnna Ia