The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-20
MONTESQUIoU'S FAREWELL
THE COUNT MAKES A PERSONAL
EXPLANATION.

Has Succeeded In Rousing the Most Mate
rial People in the World TO Under.
stand the Ideai-He Talks Of Flowers
and Of His Porbear. D'Artagnan.
II was clear that the audience which
gathered to hear Count Robert do Mon
tesquiou-F ezensac's seventh and final
lecture At Sherry's yesterday afternoon
expected something unusual. Very soon
after o'clock the room was filed
and extra chairs had TO be brought In,
and for the first time the Count was not
punctuL Few people came in later. not
moro than q dozen turning up for the tea
after Sinking the lecture. Almost al
present were women. the proportion OF
men being much smaller than at any OF
the preceding readings.
The Count justified expectation BY maxi
ing q personal explanation before begin
ming his lecture. He reminded his audience
OF Mr.. +. Marion Crawford's introduction
OF him seven weeks ago, and OF the Aneri-
can novelist's elaborate explanation OF
who Count Robert de Montesquiou was
and Of his being really professional writer
and not an amateur. He said that the
fact that his audience was listening to him
after all that time proved that Mr.. Craw-
ford was right. and that the Count was some
body. He referred with pride to the most
distinguished member OF his family. his
ancestor. D'Artagnan, the musketeer.
He had felt that there was no occasion
for explanations but that he must prove
who he was. and the presence OF his
that and that he had found his way, into
some minds and some hearts. He declared
that when the thought struck him OF preach
ing ideals to the Americans IL was the dtf-
ficulty and audacity OF his venture that
cessful and was now returning down there |.
"A-bas,' by which he apparently meant
Paris. with the glory OF having attracted
to dream thoughts, 'le reve," the people
most devoted to material interests in the
The Count then intimated that he was
90 we'll pleased with his visit that he thought
he would come again and recited q short
poem he had composed for the occasion.
Then he read the lecture he had PR pared,
was a horticultural salad that the Count
served TO his audience. The thought had
struck him that poets had been influenced
by flowers and he demonstrated his theory
by an elaborate catalogue OF poets who
them in SMILES, from Homer and FL siod
to Nine. Desbacles, Valmore and Count
Robert de Montesquiou-Fez Painters.
too, have had their coloring inspired by
flowers or have painted them. and q long
volume Of poems. lie Chef des Odeure
Suaves,- in which he describes himself
modestly as the Pontif Of revery.' and
recited several Of the poems. He talked
OF roses, and lilies and dahlias and blue
flowers" including that Of the German
romanticists and his own blue hydrangeas
He also assured his audience that flowers
have perfume and told with marked APP
provaI OF Lamarti tines stretching himself
out at full length on the flower beds as q
fitting couch for q great poet
The lecture was pretty long and some OF
the audience began to 60 out as soon as the
recitation Of poetry began. The Count
talked In his usual clear and pleasant tones.
but the poems were delivered with an effort
at Evolutionary effect that was not agree
ahlA