The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-27

that the embassy does not foiioW the
French fashion. for the French official.
who has begun the day with coffee and roE.
leaves his desk at IL or u or o'clock. ac-
cordlng 10 his individual fancy, and spends
an hour or so at the table. A Frenchman
who fell into conversation with me on an
omnibus yesterday told me he knew many
men Of eighty years who had led active
business lives who were still hearty in mind
and body. I am not surprised in view OF
the deliberate way in which the Frenchman
goes about his work and the seriousness
with which he undertakes the consumption
of a meal recall the fact, too. that
among our own department clerks at Wash
ington are many who have lived through
fifty or sixty years Of public service.
- OFFICIAL RED TAPE.
General Porter's business with the French
government is carried entirely through
the Foreign Office. Once week the repre-
sentatives of foreign governments call on
the minister OF foreign affairs and present
their business to him. If anything import
ant should arise in the interim between the
diplomatic days the ambassador sends re-
quest TO the minister, who replies. indicat-
ing when he can receive the ambassador
specially. These special audiences are hard
10 arrange, because a minister's time is so
much taken up in the Chamber OF Depu-
ties. answering questions and making
speeches in defense Of the administration
that he cannot always be at the depart
ulent. Each of his assistants has an audi
ence with the minister in the morning and
lays before him the contents Of his port
folio. The minister passes on important
questions, signs official papers and disposes
promptly OF each. With these officials the
active business OF the embassy is carried
on IN detail by the first secretary. Mr..
Vignaud was appointed TO his present posi-
ton by President Grant and he has seen
the business OF the embassy doubled since
Minister Washburn's time.
The correspondence Of the embassy with
the Department of Foreign Affairs is car
ried on in English: but when the embassy
wants to ask some little favor for an Amer
lean the request is preferred in French. The
use OF French expedites the business and
saves the French officials the trouble of
translating the letter The use OF English
III the ambassadors more formal commune
cations to the department is required by
the State Department regulations. This
means sometimes delay of three or four
patch goes first to the register, who opens
every communication addressed to the de-
partment and enters II in his book as re-
reived. When the dispatches are assorted,
those from the embassies are sent to the
Translation Bureau to be turned into
French. This is necessary not only because
the regulations require 1t. but because the
high officials OF the French government do
not understand English.
In personal intercourse the ambassador
always converses in French with the public
officials.
THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE.
It is not permitted to the representatives
Of foreign government to communicate
directly with any department except the
Department of Foreign Affairs. If he
should thoughtlessly send the most COM
monpIace request to another bureau. the
reply will come through the Foreign Of
nee with a gentle intimation that the COM
munication should have been sent there. In
this respect our own government Is not so
punctilious, although 1t is the custom for
ambassadors at Washington to transact all
their business with the government through
the secretary of state. There is more form
mality about public affairs in Paris than
there Is in Washington, and President LOU
bet. although he is the most affable in the
line OF the Presidents of France, is not
nearly SO accessible as President McKin-
ley. In fact, the President of France sees
personally very few persons outside the
circle OF his immediate friends and the Of
ficials Of his government In the years of
his service here Ambassador Porter has
not asked permission to present more than
a dozen Americans to the President The
last Of his countrymen to be presented was
ex-President Harrison.
OF his personal intercourse with French
officials and of his social experience here
General Porter speaks in terms of warm
appreciation. In all things he finds a cour-
tesy displayed which makes even the un-
certain burdens of diplomatic work COM
paratively agreeable. The social side of an
ambassadors life is one of its important
sides. This is not recognized officially, and
the United States. unlike other great gov
ernments, makes no provision for the
dwelling Of our ambassador and gives him
no allowance for entertaining. For this
reason 1t is fortunate that in the long line
OF ministers and ambassadors from the
United States our government has been
represented at Paris and London not only
by distinguished men OF great ability, but
by men Of independent fortune. They nave
not only represented our country very ably
in all diplomatic matters. but they have
entertained in a manner that has reflected
credit on their government.
General Porter was especially fortunate
when he came to Paris In finding a mousse
which was well adapted to entertaining
All Paris lives in apartment houses. Indi-
yidual dwellings to let are few because the
owners OF the ground find it much more
profitable to build apartment houses. even
IL they tear down beautiful dwellings TO
make room for them. General Porter found
only three or four fire dwellings to let when
he came to Paris. and IL was his good for
tune to obtain the former home of the
great art collector, Splitter. Many of the
art treasures which Splitter collected went
20 America at the time of his death. Most
OF the collection was sold, but enough of
the furnishings were left in the dwelling
TO make II museum of rare and beautiful
things. With these furnishings General
Porter rented 1t, and added TO them the