The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-11
THE DEMoIsELLEs DE ST. cYR.
Pupils of Nine. De Maintenons Famous
Foundation as They Are To-day

Pupils of Nine. De Maintenon's Famous
Foundation as They Are To-day.
Guests from all countries, among
whom were, of course, included the
commissioners general and other repre-
sentative officials of the different ma
tons at the exposition, rather wonder
full to see among Nine. Loubet's visitors
at the first presidential garden party
of the season, held this week, bevies of
quite young girls, attired all alike in a
| costume made, without the slightest at
| tempt at elegance, of plain black bonn
| bazne, with a starched white linen col
| lar, which was quite un-Parisian in its
uncompromising severity, not to say
| ungracefulness. Few of those not very
| familiar with French institutions prob
| ably knew who the Quaker-like young
girls We're. They belonged, however, to
a college which is not by any means
| new departure, having, in fact, histo-
ry dating back to the seventeenth CEN
| fury. This is the institution founded
by Nine de Maintenon, at st. Cyr and
if the sombre dress was unfamiliar to
many guests at the Elysee, the name,
Tess Demoiselles de st. Cyr," recalls
memories of French literature to most
Of us. We have all read how, at the
special behest of Nine de Maintenon,
Racine wrote two sacred tragedies from
which the theme of love was excluded,
so that they could be safely played by
her protegees, and how Esther" and
"Athalie" We're thus first performed by
the "Demoiselles de st. Cyr,' who un-
dertook the entire cast among them
| caJ oil nf hot
allowed to join the company.
The "Demoiselles de ST. Cyr' no
longer are educated at the latter place.
the building having been turned into a
military school for cavalry and infan-
try cadets. Nine. de Maintonon's insti-
tuition has, however, not by any means
ceased to exist, but has largely pros
pered under the altered name, given by
Napoleon I, of the Schools Of the Lee
gion of Honor and possesses three fine
houses with splendid grounds, at Ecou
en-, st. Denis and at Les Loges, in ST, |
German woods. The colleges are i'm
mense buildings, and the gardens and |
parks cover thousands Of acres. This is |
fortunately, indeed, the case, as the |
girls are only allowed to leave the prem
ises on special and extraordinary occa-
sions. The stringency of the rules at |
the Legion of Honor establishments is
altogether in keeping with the severity
of the scholars black bombazine and
white linen collars. The girls are not
allowed out more than two or three
times year, even to see their parents,
and are on no account permitted to
spend the night away from the school.
1t may well be imagined, therefore.
what futter Of excitement there was
among them when they were asked to
the garden party given in Nine Lou
bets name at the Elysea. The girls en-
tered in serried ranks two by two, and,
passing before the president and their
hostess, courtesied pri1nly and all at
once, as if by word of command
Though looking very shy at first, they
soon forgot their school manners, and
he cadets of the Military Polytechnic
college having been told to look after
hem, they danced without pause till
past seven O'Clock and enjoyed them
solves unfeignedly and thoroughly. 9
The young women Of the Legion of ,
Honor are all, by the way. daughters of
military men who have been accorded
hat decoration. The tuition is entirely
rec, and the establishment, though its
course of study is doubtless anything V
tut up to the mark of modern educa-