The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-01
SWISS SPKSItR
Of some N0IE
Romantic Life of RosaIie de
Constant.
HER SAD LOVE AFFAIR
Her Modesty Lost Her Hus-
band Nearly Won.

neya and HaVre, Mile. Lucie Achard has
rescued and attractively unfolded in al
its bright intellectual simplicity the life
story of her great-gTeat-aunt, Rosalit
de Constant Geneva, Eggimann & Co.
1902
This sympathetic Swiss spinster. who
was born in Geneva in I75S and died
there in 1894, was the friend and conf
dante of more than one of those peri
patetic literary lights and political ex-
lies who. at the close of the eighteenth
and opening of the nineteenth century
made the shores of the Lake of Geneva
their temporary resting place. To her il
was given to foregather and live or
terms of intimacy with Voltaire Gibbon
Madame de Stael ola trop celebre," as
Rosalie persistently styles herr; with
Chateaubriand; her own cousin. the bril-
liant but elusive Benjamin Constant: BeT-
hardin de St Pierre, chiefly remembered
today the sentimental author Of Paul
and Virginia" and the host of distin-
guished emigres or lettered Rabbins
which thronged the salons Of the aris-
tocracy of Lausanne and Geneva.
During her early youth Rosalie fire.
quently accompanied her parents to Fer
dame Denis, dispensed a free-handed and
free-minded hospitality. much appreciat-
ed by the more progressive elements of
the Genevese aristocracy. but utterly alb
horrent to the conservative burghers of
that Calvinistic stronghold. While the
fascinating Samuel and his pretty wife
rchearsed their roles in the tragedy which
IT was as never-failing delight of their
raI l., aIrr
discourse with some courtier who had
taken Ferney in on his way from Paris
to eBrlin. ST. Petersburg, Vienna, Ros-
allie and her young companions were
given the run of the great philosopher s
study Even during moments of nissan
thropic gloom Voltaire would receive not
only his neishbors. but their children
also The latter he allowed TO amuse
themselves in his library with great
stuffed leopard. which occupied a place
of honor. or to finger the books and
turn over his many engravings zone
cay" says Rosalie, 'perceiving the chill
dren catching beetles off shrub out
side his study window. he exclaimed: oh!
j am so glad. | had but two enemies re-
manning. the Turks and beetles. Gather
ine (of Russia kills the Turks for me,
After her twentieth birthday Rosalie
ilved principally at Lausanne, where later
On the family settled permanently. al
though frequent visits We're made to Ge-
neva. The salon of her aunt, Madame
de ChalTieTe, was for many years the
rendezvous of all that was best in local
and foreign society. and Rosalie was
henceforth thrown into constant contact
German and Russian colonies which made
Lausanne Il mC:e OF less permanent abid-
ing rlace Bridel has left US a pleasing
picture Of the salon of La Chumiere
rs Madame de Ctarriere's modest dwell
ing was called. Here assembled on Sat
urdeys the ueE of letters resident at
Lausann. we'll as distinguished for
eigaers and their acquaintance. Hither
came women. learned without pedan-
try" and :ovHg girls. beautiful with
out pretentiousness." Conversation
readings. music and OCCASIONALLY a lit
tie comedy. or proverb. acted by the hab-
ftues. and frequently the production Of
one of them provided the entertainment
From 1779 to 1877 the influence of this
salon was paramount in the fashionable
world, although the "societe litteraire
which assembled at the house of Glib
bon and his friend Deyverdun attracted
the more serious minded of the strong
sex. Samuel de Constant whose liter
airy aspirations were encouraged by his
gifted daughted. was a frequent con-
tributor TO the "societe litteraire." and
Judging from the titles of some of the
papers he laid before the learned hosts,
a literary indigestion must often have
waited on the feast of reason and flow
of soul. But to return to his interesting
10 daughter
Heart whole, but as platonically senti-
mental as the most romantic OF her fe-
male associates, Rosalie continued to con-
fide her innermost thoughts to the dis
Greet ''cahier vert, although she was
by no means entirely free from the pre-
vailing craze for literary expression 1T
any price. Thank Heaven" eXclaims
Bridel about this period O7sO, our pa
per manufactures are in so flourshing a
condition. and our geese so healthy, that
the enormous demand has not yet caused
famine I'm these two essentials. The
women pass their days composing ro-
mances. their dresses are no longer COW
cred with furbelows. but with scattered
sheets Of manuscript and If one unrolls
q papillotte.' one is certain to find frag
ments of love letters or romantic de-
scriptionq.'
To this passion for her pen. and her
undeniahle facility of expression and
charm OF description. is due the poor
little love story of this homely spilster
OF five and thirty-a pathetic romance.
and one full of Illusion and cruel decep-
ton. although she never met the man
of her dreams face 70 face. Resale has
herself conided 70 us the details OF this
pitiful little story. The lately published
''Etudes de la Nature" of Bernardin de
d. Pierre had stirred her very being. !
The happiness OF love had never come
60 her or only shown itself as a pass
ting and deceptive fash. followed by deep
est gloom The pages of this book now |
revealed to her imagination collective |
beauties which she had only found scat !
tered elsewhere. 4 sentiment OF graft /
tude drew her to the author. who was. 1
moreover. alive. and who professed him. |
self unhappy because he had been IN !
able 10 realize the ideals he had fornu- 1
.sted. One day when she was alone in /
erdnr Il distract her Rlild from . thou