Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09

fuses to pass out. or. after each days ex-
cursion out, slips back into Bohemia again,
with immense content.
But Camille Pelletan. the present minister
of the marine. the chief of the whole French
navy, goes the ordinary case-hardened Bo-
hemian one better. He is accused of in
stalhng Bohemia itself in the palace of the
French marine, and of keeping admirals
waiting while he whoops it up with old
college .chumS.
It is From Choice.
Let us not make the mistake of half the
Frenchmen who read daily jokes about the
great uncombed and unwashed of the cah-
net in nine-tenths of the Paris papers. Let
US not make any mistake about the funda-
mental culture of Camille Pelletan. If he
is tough. it is from choice.
He is we'll born, in a republican sense.
His father. Eugene Peletan, was a "re-
publican of 1S4S." one of the "old repub-
licans" of the Second Republic. And he
died senator of the present republic, full
of honors man of force and probity.
So Camille was brought up in an atmos-
phere of culture and influence. He passed
his baccalaureate examinations at eighteen,
and slipped at once into Bohemia by way
of the law course of the university. The old
senator, living in the suburbs, allowed Ca
mile 500 per month for his Latin Quarter
living. Already at this tender age he had
bath tub story in his life.
1t happened when the young student per-
suaded his father to set him up lin his fur
niture." University life in Paris does not
know the dormitory. Students live indie
pendently in rooms. furnished by them
selves or otherwise. The senator had given
Camille an order to buy furniture from a
big dealer. kind of friend of the family.
With his pals to help him, he naturally ran
UP a handsome bill.
One of the items was a bath tub bought
for decoration" Yet within two months the
hopes of Camille and his pals were center
ing strangely round that bath tub
Naturally Gin the Latin QUARTER they had
sold the furniture for cash, piece by piece
There remained only the tub. Old Adolph
a historic character, a species of bootblack-
commissionaire. and the confidential errand-
runner of the band. had been as far as the
opera district to dispose of it to house.
agents or small hotels.
Back to the Dealer.
Have you sold the bath tub?" became
the daily question.
Who wants bath tub?" he would grum
BILE. Pelletan tells the story today glee-
fully. They had put a price on it, Thew
lowered the price. Il might try the deal
ers," said Adolph. Hitherto they had stood
out against the sacrifice; no dealer would
give half the wholesale value. Till thew
told him:
Sell the tub! Where you can, But sell
it!' And the faithful Adolph, in his bad
X,
1t to Camille on credit
Its my bath tub" the dealer said. He
was honest. Knowing the account to be
gilt-edged, he nevertheless resolved to take
the tub back.
Tell Monsieur Camille that I will credit
his account with the price of the tub 1t
will please his good father to find him so
simple and republican"
If to be simple and republican means to
have no use for a tub, Camille Pelletan,
lawyer, photographer. great editor, deputy,
party leader and minister of the French
marine, surely has acquired a reputation
for republican simplicity 1t is true there
is curious campaign against him at the
present hour curious in this respect, that
nearly all France seems to be engaged in
it. But it is nevertheless a monumental
fact that scarcely paper speaks of him
without a gibe at the baths he is supposed
to do without.
The young Camille loved the life of the
Latin quarter, its gallant adventures, it's
lolling in cafes, its easygoing mixture of
culture and negligence. where goodfeilow-
ship dominates all, and dirty collar
counts for nothing beside witty rejoin-
der.
Continued the Life.
He SO loved the Bohemian life that he re-
solved to keep string tied to it. So when
he finished his law studies he entered him
self for the Ecole des Charles. where they
teach you to decipher old dog-Latin parch-
ments of the middle ages, the DEGREES OF
Charlemagne and Clovis, title papers Of
the time Of Philip Augustus. and so on.
beautifully technical profession in which
one can continue studying for lifetime
preparing. as 1t does for direct historical
This sort Of thing continued until Ca
mile Peiletan was thirty-four years of
says, before began making excursions
t