New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-02


cuehlly denying him 20 his minister's and some
hfnes even 20 the foreign ambassadors, ard en-
couraging him TO forget the responsibilities
which sovereignty entailed-tO regard. in fact,
The throne Of France as a kind of magnificent
slnecure the duties Of whose occupant should be
confined 10 now and then scraWline his sigma
lure at the foot II sheet Of parchment. Hith-
eric the ministers had experienced no difficulty
IN approaching The King when occasion de-
mahdeus now private audiences were things Of
NE past Tor Nine. de Pompadour was invari-
ably present Hitherto affairs of state had only
~ poi,u LOUIS now, under the favorites tuitlon
nI H"u come 10 regard them with something
very Ike contempt. When, not infrequently
AIR one or two unsuccessful applications
eNultIlce mao been granted, and the Secretary
for NAr or the Foreign Minister had begun to
read The memorial which he had prepared, the
KING would glance M Nine. de Pompadour. "a
III Tor encouragement, and then commence to
rally the reader on his eriousness. or burst
Out laughing; and, if indignant at such ill-timed
attention" at the same tin. making wry face
or pretending TO stihe va yn.
II at one stroke she cut many OF the re-
sponsibilities and much Of the glory Of king
ship, out Of Louiss life she promptly filled the
void with what he wanted most pleasure Mr.
Williams speaks Of her genius FOR invention
Genius is undoubtedly the word The King
could not be dull in her company Immensely
entertaining in herself. she also had the wis
dom to look outside herself for the means OF
20 building; she drew painters and authors
around her, and finally inaugurated that Theatre
ces Petits Apartments which was to cost in
one year alone much as half a million livres
but gave the court a sensation such as it had
rarely known before. and prolonged its existence
for something over six years
We need not multiply instances Of her clever
ness and extravaganza. The details are fully
set forth in Mr.. Williams's book. He presents
them clearly that We are surprised at the
conclusion at which he arrives. 1T is extremely
difficult he says. Ito form just estimate OF
the character Of Nine. De Pompadour.' It does
not seem TO in the least difficult. That her
private life calls for very severe condemnation"
adds her latest biographer, III would be idle
10 deny; yet must she not be judged 10y the
standard of morality which obtains to-day"
This is nonsense. The Pcmpadour's private
life public life, and had, on Mr.. Will
ianss own showing, 4 profound influence upon
public affairs. Apart from her responsibility
for the Seven Years War. ii is very doubtful
whether Nine de Pompadour really did much
harm-WhetheT, indeed, the good did not out
weigh the evil The charge that she de-
graded the monarchy may be dismissed; Louis
Nv was quite capable Of degrading it without
any assistance from her Almost are We per-
suaded when read these amazing words that
all the history which Mr.. Williams has studied in
order TO write his book has been completely mis-
understood by him. The Marquise de Pompa-
dour was cancer in the side of the French
monarchy. This cannot last said D'Argen-
son, as he watched the deterioration of the life
around him, and if the old regime could not
last it was partly because the MarQuise de
Pompadour did everything in her power 10 fos-
ter the disease by which il rayaged. 1t is
hard TO have patience with the feeble good
OF her sway. Sin is sin, no matter what the
artificial code of one generation or another may
be. There were contemporaries Of the Pompa-
oour thousands Of them, who knew quite well
the full and dark Significance Of her life. Mr..
Williams himself is aware OF the emotions of
horror and disgust with which her career was
observed while she lived. and We would have
had more respect for his book If he had had the
courage to cal a spade a spade.