Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-17
OLD HOUSES OF PARIS.
Liter;sEs ii Landmarks Standing on the
EFT Bank of the Seine

Left Bank of the Seine.
How full of memories are the old
houses on this left bank of the Seine
how they carry us back in the history
Of Paris, with their dates and their
we'll Worn names. We are quickly in
another time, seated with Barley
d'Aurevilly. or With Gustave Flaubert
at the Cafe Tabouret in the Ecloes
Quarter; or still farther back in time
when Moliere and his troop We're driv-
citizens from place to place until the
actors took up their residence in the
Rue des Posses st. Germaine now the
Rue de 'Ancienne Coincide. And at
about the same date in 1859 that the
Coincide Franchise is opened, Francois
Procope opens the Cafe soon becomes
the rendezvous Of the most distinguish
ed men in art, literature, and phil
osophy. This famous literary cafe is
much freuuented by literary men as it
mas been by past generations Of knights
Of the pen. @- #
One part Of the Rue du Mont Thabor
has always, to my mind, seemed one of
the most melancholy Of streets-eN-
pressing the melancholy genius Of Al
fred dc Musset. and especially on a wet
thor of Les Nuts lived for many years
and died at No. 4. Of that street, next
door to the house ono. g. where that
anything but sad writer Washington
Irving. lodged in 1921. shortly after the
publication by John Murray Of his
sketch Book" Between 1874 and 1919
ne poet had lived al % formerly 21bis)
oual Noltaire. in an apartment occu-
pied a the present time by the Able lie
NordeZ. who has restored it to the state
It was at the time his celebrated pre-
decessor lived there, neglecting not
even the color of the wall paper in his
zeal for accuracy. But in 1850 the De
Musset family. as related by Paul de
Musset in the biography of his brother,
was broken up owing to his mother
leaving Paris for Anjou to live in the
Rue Rumfort: Then. wishing to be
near his brother. who had an apart
nent in the Rue des Pyramids, he left
that street and came to reside in the
Rue du Mont Thabor. still accompanied
by that faithful housekeepcr Of his.
Nine. Martellet. nee Adele Colin, who
was to remain with him up to the day
of his death.
Leaving the neighborhood Of the
Latin Quarter and returning to the
r'ght bank OF the Seine. there are still
number Of houses which are identified
with the names Of Worldwide known
names in literature. Space will only
permit of my mentioning one or two.
The house at 1914 Avenue Victor Hugo
Where Victor Hugo died on May %,
will not be overlooked by those in
search of historic buildings When the
author Of Les Miserables' lived there
IN that double, two-storied building
which, though unpretentous in appear
ance, is surrounded by a very pretty
garden, it was i24 Avenue Eylau; and
1t was there that one Of the cIeverest
and yet one Of the most egotistical men
Of the century held those celebrated re-
ceptlons to attend which was the ambi-
ton. seventeen years ago, OF every
Young man Of letters. Then there is the
house where Charles Dickens resided at
the close Of the year 1916. In a letter
to Forster. his biographer, the author
OF David Copperfield" gave descrip-
ton OF this corner house at IS formerly
49, Rue de Courcelles. If remember
rightly. his description was very odd
one; he said something about the
house being the most ridiculous and
unparalleled in the world" 1t was
cross between a haunted castle and a
new kind of clock, one room resembling
tent and another a grave"-such a
quaint description as only Dickens
could have penned.-Pall Mall Maya
zine.