Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-05-11

Paris Correspondence: NJ. Loubet,
the new president of the French re-
public. has moved into the Palace or
the Elysee without ordering any
changes to be made in its furniture or
decoration. His course is different
from the procedure Of the late Felix
Faure, who ransacked the National
GarGe-Meuble for ancient tapestries,
priceless carpets and historic cabinets
tables, chairs, wardrObes and bed
steads. The late president reveled in
display. He found none Of the ma
tloral treasures too precious TO decor
ate the presidential home. NJ. Loubet,
severe republican of simple tastes,
has ordered nothing but, on the other
hand, nothing will be changed. What
was good enough for Felix FauTe Is
good enough for him.
The palace of the Elysee is itself one
OF the most romantic of the great
houses of Paris. Constructed in 17lS
for the COmte d'EvereuX, it was used
afterward by the beautiful and naugh-
ty Madame de POmpadOur. She gave it
to her brother, the Marquis de Marig-
ny, who enlarged it. During the reVo-
luton it was let out to contractors
for balls, festivals and similar pur-
poses, all joyous. At times it was the
home OF dance and song. The eye of
beauty was no stranger to it, The
roulette wheel clicked within its halls.
Murat lived in it. Napoleon retired to
1t after Waterloo and in it signed his
abdicatiOn. Then the Duke Of Wei
iington took up his residence in it. The
emperor of Russia was lodged in it in
1915. It was inhabited by the Due de
Barry at the time of his assassination.
Prince Napoleon plotted the coup
d'etat in what is now the library. 1t
has seen many alterations or addi-
tons since the beauteOus POmpadOur
look sunbaths at the windows of what
Is the bedchamber of the austere Lou
bet.
The care of the palace of the Elysee
falls on NJ. de Gourlet, inspector of
national palaces, who is responsible
for all the furniture, the carpets, cur
C<iIIlo, ldpCSlI 46S anu udISlIlSS 81 rs
as they are in use by each president.
On several occasions he was much en-
barrassed by the impulsive generosity
of Felix Faure. At the time Of the
visit of the car of Russia, the czarina
expressed admiration for a certain old
Gobelin tapestry. Permit me to send
it to you" exclaimed the gallant pres
ident. NJ. de Gourlet was worried
when the order came to pack it up.
He had to explain to NJ Faure that
while all these fine historic things
were his to use and even to abuse,
their real owner was after all, the
French nation. NJ. Faure was highly
incensed. but when it was suggested to
him that a copy could be made, as
good as the original. by the present
day manufacturers, he showed relief.
The inspector of national palaces, Of
course, meant that the copy should be
sent on to ST. Petersburg It appears
that NJ. Felix Faure misunderstood
him. At any rate, it is a question
whether the CZarina has the original or
the copy. The responsibility Of such
officials as NJ. de GOurlet is great. This
is why, On the accession Of each new
president, complete inventories pre-
cede a survey If the Elysee, in which
the new president takes part. to indi-
cate whatever changes he desires.
On the present occasion NJ. and Nine.
Loubet were accompanied by NJ. de
Gourlet, inspector Of national palaces.
NJ Loubet, director of the Garde-Meu-
Bile, and NJ Des Chapeles, the chef de
bureau des beauX-arts. 1t is the bust
ness of the last-named official to sup
ply the president with paintings, mod
ern and ancient, and to keep the fres
Goes of the Elysee in repair.
The first thing to decide was the dis
position of the private rooms. NJ.
Faure had kept the private reception
cabinet Of NJ Carnot, while completely
modifying its style. In the time Of
Cannot it had empire furniture, while
along one side of the room ran a large
library. NJ. Faure ordered this library
moved to the bureau of his secretary
general and replaced it by a superb
Gobelin tapestry. NJ. Loubet, being of
studious taste, like NJ Carnot, has
called the books back. Under the
Faure regime the severe empire furni-
ture followed the library, being re-
placed by the gorgeous Louis XIV. style
that, curiousiy enough, NJ. Loubet has
retained.
The chairs and sofas do not really
date back to the time of Louis XIV. The
woodwork was carved in the time OF
Louis Philippe, while the covers are
old Louis XVI. silk. The window lam
brequins are real Louis XIV, with val
ances Of Gobelin tapestry. And all the
gaudy cabinets and writing desks and
carved and gilded tables are pure ex-
amples of that ford time, including
relics from many a noble chateau pill
LACED in the revolution. One of the
large mirrors. with its frame, was made
for the POmpadour The central com
mode, holding little articles OF bric-a-
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