Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1902-03-13
MADAME De STAEt
DIR. II. X. HINDE.

l
world, was Madame de Stael daughter
of James Necker native Of Geneva and
subsequently the great financial min
ister Of the court Of Louis XVI at the
outbreak of the French revolution.
Her mother, Susanna Curchod, was
the daughter Of an humble Swiss
pastor of Crassiet, a hamlet of Jura
mountains, near Lausanne, on lake
Leman.
This mother was a gifted and high
ly educated woman, and made her liy-
ing by teaching in early life. She was
the sweetheart OF the great historian,
Gibbon, at this time living at Lau-
saune, Switzerland, engaged on his
"Rise and Fall of the Roman EN-
pire." Her marriage to Neeker was a
marriage Of affections on both sides.
Their gifted daughter, Anne Lou
ise Germania Necker, was born in
Paris April %, 1866. With such in
| tellectual parentage, the environ
mentS of her Paris home were well
calculated to develop an unusual
character. Under the presiding geni-
us of Madam Necker, the Neclxer
mansion soon became one of the most
popular and influential salons in the
clty of Paris, at that time the literary
and political center Of the continent.
"St. Ouen" was the distinguished
name of their suburban Partisan home,
soon to become the center around
which Swarmed many Of the most dis
tinguished names in European litera-
ture, politics and religion. Necker
himself, at this time, was one Of the
greatest men Of France. A distin-
guished visitor said Of him: "He has
capacity without presumption, gener-
Ioslty without ostentation, prudence
without dissimilation." Some of the
first names we find associated with
this st. Ouen salon are, Button, Nor
montel, Saint Lambert, Thomas, Due
lot, Diderot, La Harpe, D'Alambert,
lGrium, Hume and Gibbon. But 1t
was the precoclous and brilliant daugh-
ter that was to be the magnet around
which circled the beauty and literary
genius Of the French nation, and the
distinguished literoh OF the other
countries There is no more beauti-
ful picture in all literature than that
exhibited in the mutual admiration
and devotion of Necker and his gifted
daughter. This was carried to such
an extent that the mother actually
became Jealous Of her daughter, though
Necker was devoted and loving hus-
band. After the fathers final retire
ment from the ministry OF the French
court he took up his residence at Cop
pet on lake Leman, few miles from
Geneva, Switzerland. Madame de
Stael remained in Paris during the
early stormy days Of the French
revolution and was Instrumental In
rescuing many Of her friends from the
guillotine. She was herself impris-
oned at the Hotel de Vile, and had a
narrow escape for her life. She
joined her parents at Coppet, and
their home was the asylum Of many
distinguished refugees from the hor-
rors of the French revolution. As Ma
poleon came into power she was quick
to discern the character Of the man
and hesitated not TO criticise his am
bilious schemes. He feared and hated
her worse than anybody in France,
and finally vented his cruel spite by
banishing her from French territory.
Most of the years Of her Punishment
were spent at Coppet, where she be-
came the center Of attraction to a
large circle Of distinguished men and
women, not only from France, but
Switzerland. Italy Germany and
England. "Here it was that her gen.
ius and her fortune were consecrated
to friendship and to pity" for she
was as great in heart as she was in
intellect. She had reached an intel
lectual height acquired by few men,
and perhaps by no women, and here at
Coppet, she reigned as queen, as the
great intellects of all countries came
and worshipped at her feet. Partak-
ing Of her generous hospitalities, and
entranced by the charms Of her con-
versation, we find such names as
these: Sismondl, Bonstetten, Benla-
min Constant, Montgomency, Lacre-
telle, Schlezel, ,Gibbon, Byron, Madame
de Saussure, Madame Recamier, Fred
rica Brun, Madame Krlidner and many
others. When she transferred her
salon to Weimar we find gathered
around this dazzling star such men as
Goethe, Schiller, Wieland and the
Duke Charles Agustus, all eager to-
pay tribute to her wonderful genius.
In her "Allemagne" she gives her es-
Innate of these great men.
She admired Goethe as the greatest
genius, but Schiller more for his gen.
ius and character And now IL we
follow her across the channel to her
temporary home in England, at Mick
leham, Surry, we shall find doing hom-
age to her some of the greatest Of the
French refugees, as well as some Of the
first men of England; Of the former
such names as these; Talleyrand,
Guibert, Narboune, Jaucort, Girardin,
Sicard, and NJ. darby This little
coterie of exiles made Mlckleham
famous by their short sojoum. Fanny
Burney, afterwards Madame Darby,
after visiting this French colony, was
farced to own that she had never
heard conversation before. n"The most
animated eloquence, the keeneSt OBJ
servation, the most sparkling wit, the
most courtly grace, were united to
charm her. Madame de Stael is the
cynosure Of these Conversational II
TaIleyrand excels all In bon mots, she
dazzles all by the splendid variety and
happy pertlnence Of her ideas, the
richness OF her style, ans the gener-
Gus enthusiasm OF her sentiments In
a subsequent visit TO England we find
her salon opened at 30 Argyll Place
"a q. n Rn' '.''i'' G"ess ''''!