Evening star., 1901-11-05
THE FRENCH CABINET
Personal TRAITS OF THE MEN,
BERs OF THE MINISTRY.
of NJ. waideck-Rous-
seau and Others of the Council
of the Republic.

Paris Correspondence New York Tribune.
On September % the waldeck- Rousseau
cabinet, which on June %, 1899, was called
into existence as "a compromise of tenn
porary expediency" to clear away the Drey-
fus clouds, had been In office for two years
and three months, and thus has remained
In power for a longer period than any
otner ministry of the third republic. The
ministry that comes second after the Wal
deck-Rousseau ministry in respect to lon
gevity was that of Theirs, which was con-
stituted on February 10, 1871. and lasted
two years, two months and twenty-nine
days.
The Waldeck- Rousseau ministry is the
ministry of the worlds fair Of 1900 and
of the recent visits OF the Emperor and
Empress Of Russia. Its members have al
ready attained considerable individual
eclat, and as they were such prominent
figures during the imperial ceremonies at
Dunkirk, Compiegne and Rheims. brief out
lines of their leading personal traits may
be OF interest.
M. Waldeck-Rousseau, president of the
council Of ministers, has aged visibly dur
ing his stormy term Of office. He is tall
and was once robust, and except when in
evening dress, invariably wears a short,
loose-cut black sack coat and white waist
coat Like President Loubet, NJ. Waideck-
Rousseau Is good listener and an incisive
questioner. His manner is somewhat cold
and sttn. Besides great tact he has the
valuable gift Of being able to prevent his
visitor from becoming verbose. familiar or
from wandering from the essential points
OF the subject that was the object of the
visit. M. Waldeck-Rousseau seldom ac-
cords more than ten minutes to those who
come to see him; he then rises and, with
a slight bow, indicates that 1t is time to go
away. The prime minister is, nevertheless,
70 1knr o,,6 ,hnv, a~s;,,
with ambassadors, princes or great person.
ages always finds just the right word to
say, and adaptS himself most gracefully to
the esprit and frame of mind of his visitor.
Those who know NJ. Waldeck- Rousseau
well-and Of these there are very few-de-
clare that he is the most fascinating man
in Paris. Last spring, after brilliant and
witty conversation with Prince Radolin,
the German ambassador remarked.
What pity 1t Is. M. Waldeck-Rousseau
that my sovereign has not the pleasure of
knowing you!"
He Never Smiles.
When sitting on the ministers bench In
the chamber of deputies during an interpret
lation M. Waldeck- seems to
wear a mask. He never smiles nor moves
his head. With arms folded he gazes
steadfastly at the orator with a penetrat-
ing stare that frequently causes embar-
rassment. When the prime minister as
cends the tribune to reply he speaks in a
low, serious tone of voice, weighing each
word with deliberation, and saying only
what is necessary. Not a syllable is vast
ed. and he succeeds in winning over the
majority without seeking for rhetorical eff
feet or resorting to the trick of rounding
out his periods. Nevertheless, NJ WaIdeck-
Rousseau's parliamentary speeches make
excellent reading, but when heard In the
chamber they are somewhat monotonous.
The prime minister has great horror of
md hos ain1
Ike for official tours and inauguratio tons
The projects and functionaries are fully
aware of this, and when one of them at
railway station becomes too loquacious NJ
Waldeck-Rousseau w cuts him short by some
brusque question. NJ. Waldeck- Rousseau is
very fond of yachting. He is somewhat of
a gourmet, is an excellent Judge of claret
he Is fond Of brfc-a-brac, and is one of
the best read men in France. He seldom
misses an important article in the Revue
des Deux Mondes' or the "Nouvelle Re-
vue," and when travelling from Havre re-
Gently the two books that he had in hand
during the journey We're La Cite An
tique," by Fustel de Coulanges, and the
'Curiosites Esthetfques," by Beaudelaire.
M. Waldeck- Rousseau has beautiful and
probably unique collection of translucent
enamels. which 1t is believed he will leave
after his death to the Louvre. Until within
few months M. Waldeck- Rousseau used
to read a great deal in bed, but, owing to
trouble with his eyes, he has been obliged
to give this up. Nowadays he has a secre-
tary read to him while in bed, and, after
smoking a few cigarettes, the prime minis
ter falls to Sleep
Importance of DeIcasse.
Next in Importance to NJ. Waldeck-Rous-
seau is NJ. Deicasse, minister of foreign af-
fairs, who has brought to bear upon the
many intricate questions that have pre-
sented themselves during his long tenure
OF office spirit of practical common sense,
fair play and sound intuition not surpassed
by any of his predecessors at the Quai
dOrsay. NJ. Delcasse is almost as small in
stature as was Theirs. He is modest and
engaging in manner and has peculiarly pen
etrating and fascinating eyes, which shine
like Goals behind his glasses. Like PreSi-
dent Loubet and NJ Waldeck- Rousseau, the
minister Of foreign affairs has an intense
antipathy to empty talk and phraseoIogy
He Is a very hard worker, and manages to
master the details of his business and get
to the real gist of matters In a remarkably
short time. He Is a very early riser NJ
Delcasse Is very fond of America and of
Americans. He has an excellent cook and
his diplomatic luncheons and dinners at
the Quaf dOrsay are among the best In
Paris. and his wines are particularly well
chosen. NJ. Delcasse, who began his ca
reer as journalist, Is bright and versa
tile talker. and. without being particularly
brilliant, always has something to say
which is to the point and original.
M. LeygueS, minister or fine arts and
public Observation-Disclosures which COM
prise the Grand Opera. the Theater Fran
Gals, the Odeon and the national museums
OF the Louvre and the Luxembourg-is a
fashionably dressed, smartly groomed man
Of polished but somewhat exuberant man
ners. He is an indefatigabie taiker, and his
speeches form the antithesis Of those of NJ
Waideck-Rousseau. for they are full of
rhetorical effect and invariably terminate
with nicely turned phrases. NJ. Leygues does
not buy many objects Of art. but he has
had dozens Of busts made Of himself by
prominent sculptors. besides quite a num-
Der Of portraits in Oil and pastel. NJ. Ley
gues is the most decorative personality in
the cabinet. He dresses with great care
and his silk socks and silk cravats, which
are bright in color, are always in harmony
with each other. He is proud of his small
feet and Is always well shod.
The Minister Of War.
General Andre, the war minister, who
succeeded the Marquis de Gallifet, is a tall
man of simple military bearing. He is an
earnest republican and has become the OBJ
ject of violent and cruel attacks OF the re-
dictionary Catholics and nationalists who
upheld the Merciers, Boisdeffres, Patty du
CLANS and the etat major of the bygone
Dreyfus bounding days. General Andre
has Soma very bitter enemies in tho htphar