Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-27
IN HONOR OF
BENZ. FRANKLIN
Continued from First Pase.)


gurs. waipoIe. Lafayette, FRANKIE, the king
OF Swedens secretary, and Mime. Brilion,
an authoress who dedicated her works to
Franklin
The American minister was familiar
figure OF Passy in those days Often he
would take his orab-stick for walk, stop
ping occasionally to chat with the children
and peasants. Usually his course took him
to the mansion of Mme Heivetius, where.
besides the hostess and her two daughters,
Mines. de Nun and landau. ne was sure
to meet such celebrities az condorcet
Chamfort Raynal, Mabiy and many other
great Frenchmen OF that day. franklin
seldom left Passy. except to fulfill the du-
ties of his mission or to attend the sitting
OF the academic the meetings of his
lodge, 1.-The Nine Sisters.
1t was from the villa that he went, with
some trepidation. to the royal reception at
Versailles where Queen Marie Antoinette
Induced Franklin to remain and dine, and
1t was here, too, that he received, on his
departure for America, the kings portrait
set with 406 diamonds and Marie Antoi-
nettes message directing he be conveyed
to Havre one of her own 'litieries.'
Franklin's eight years In Passy fixed his
memory very firmly in the French mind SO
that the statue is not erected among stran-
gers. The Rochefoucaulds' home Is still
on Rue Franklin; the de Nuns are around
the corner on the Rue de la Tour; the La
fayettes, the de la Roches and many other
old families with whom Franklin associated
are not far away. And so the statue of
the first American minister is at home
among old associations and old friends.
Franco-American Aspect.
The Franco-American aspect of today's
celebration is shown in the composition Of
the committees Of honor, including for
mer American President, Mr.. Cleveland; a
former American Vice President Mr.. Nor
ton; two former French presidents, MN:
Loubet and Casimir-Perier, as well
many other prominent public men, french
and American. The full list OF the hon.
orary committees is as follows:
Honorary president-The American am
bassador, Robert Mccormick.
American members@Grover Cleveland
Whitelaw Reid. Levi P. Morton, Gen Hor-
ace Porter, Wayne MacVeagh and ]. Pier
pont Morgan.
French Membership President Loubet,
ex-President Casimir- rerier, NJ. Jules Cam
bon, French ambassador at Madrid: M j.
]. Jusserand French ambassador at Wash
ington; Baron d EstourneIles de Constant,
member of the senate, and NJ. Paul Appel
member of the institute and dean of the
Faculty of Sciences.
Committee of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES s.
Dalliba, honorary chairman; Lawrence v.
Bent, honorary secretary; Gen. E. r.
Winslow, Edward Tuck Ralph w. Hickox
Ridgeway Knight, Edmond Kelly Paul w
Bartlett, w. T. Dannat, Henry Cachard,
Col. Theo. A. Dodge, Maj. H. A. Hunting
ton William Seigman, S. de Jonge, John
j. Hoff and H. Herman Harjes.
The Artistic Invitations.
The souvenir invitations issued for the
celebration are a most artistic example of
French engraving. In the upper corner is
large medallion of Franklin showing the
lines of his face and his flowing locks Over
5000 of these invitations were issued the
additional demands for them having come
from all directions, people wanting them as
mementos of the occasion. The invitations
read:
You are invited to take part in the BIZ
centennial celebration of the birth of Ben
jamin Franklin, patriot. dipIomatist and
philosopher, and at the Inauguration of his
statue, presented to the city of Paris by
Mr.. John H. Harjes, which will take place
at the Palace of the Trocadero Friday
April 20. 1906, at IL am, under the patron
age of the ambassador of the United States.
the members of the committee of honor.
mittee of organization"
The statue of Benjamin Franklin, which
was unveiled today, is a duplicate of the
one in front of the Philadelphia post office,
which Is considered by many critics to be
a masterpiece, and the best statue of
Franklin ever made. 1t represents Franklin
seated in his favorite arm chair, comfort,
side and a little to the rear of the chair
Is large book. as If it had just fallen
from the hands of the great scientist and
diplomat. Franklns attitude is one of
repOse, and from the expression of, his calm
face there seems to shine forth those char
acteristics of love and kindness which did
30 much to endear him to the people to
whom he went the first representative
of a new republic.