New-York tribune., 1907-11-24
LA FETE DES Morris.
The Day on Which Parisians Honor
Their Dead.
Paris. November Il.


Paris November Il.
La Este des NIorts. which falls on November
> was, AMI always is, ? universal holiday in
Paris. Preparations for the celebration begin
the day before Weeds and fallen leaves are
removed from the resting places of the dead,
and the old Nresths remaining from the last
celebration of the day replaced by new ones.
either of real artificial flowers. II is one "t
The Innet rnDortant fetc da vs. OF the whole year.
and the houses Of dead friends must be put IN
order To receive the visitors who VIII surely
, come. Strangest of ali. to American eyes, are
the little covered baskets. or vases, that are
placed before The doors of some OF the tonipS.
Into these visiting friends drop their cards that
the family Of the dead may know who have pald
their respects. Special services are hetu az 'ti
the churches. and. our of respect TO the DEAD
, all business is suspended.
Every one visits a cemetery on this festival
of beautiful sentiment. If one has no grave
especially dear. there are the graves dear 10
ones friends. which one must visit ana deco
rate. If one has TO friends, one goes Just the
same. and takes n flower, a rose perhaps or
bunch of Volets prepared TO lay the little oher-
| ing OF sympathy on me grave or a once % poe, }
painter sculptor on that Of any man who bore
an honOred name.
This year on the day of the dead Paris was
like a great flower garden. The florists SHOPS
surged their blooms 10 the sidewalks, and ai
all The street corners stood huge flower vans;
the air was fun Of scent. At the gates of the
cemeteries great flower booths stretched far on
either side. piled high with blossoms, and. also.
alas, with the hideous iron wreaths and crosses
that the French. tasteful in 50 many direc-
tions. and oddly lacking in others, use to
decorate the graves of their dead.
Thousands OF persons of all ranks streamed
through the cemetery gates on their loving mis-
sion Except for the preponderance of black
gowns. the crowd was not of sad appearance.
and many Of the low, gray stone buildings
really houses for the dead-were half-covered
with blooming flowers, white lilies, lacs, roses
and yiolsts from the South. with more gayly
colored asters. dahlias and gorgeous chrysan-
themums from home gardens. The inside Of
these little houses is always large enough 10
f.1fra oil 4haT
fortably furnished with tables and chairs. Hero
are often seen favorite articles or ornaments
that once belonged to the dead. and on the
walls are hung their framed photographs. The
altar is decorated with candles and fresh flow
ers. besides the wreaths and crosses of mimic
iron flowers. All these tnlngS may ee seen
through the iron grating Of the doors A few
fine monuments there arc in columns and pyra-
nids but the general plan of the tombs is a low
chapel. with a gabled front. Often the little
plot of ground before the door will be made
simply beautiful by mat of 1owers-perhaps
purple and white asters-the blooms broken off
close TO the stem and set together close and fiat
The effect is extremely pretty and the flower
is so hardy that it's freshness lasts several days
And set high on hill is Pere Lachaise, beau
tifu with the beauty Of age, its stones moss
grown and set irregularly among old trees
Scores Of people this year laid branches of
chrySanthemums the tomb of Lieutenant
FepouX, the i'll fated commander of the sub
marine I.utin The anchor belonging TO the
vessel, found buried in the sand, now rests on
the tomb The walls Of the Columbarium
which contain the ashes of those creInated, were
literally hidden beneath WreathS and masses of
blooming hoWers. on the top OF the hill, in
front of the chapel where one goes to pray for
the souls of the dear departed, is the monument
erected by the French government in memory Of
The soldiers who fell while defending that height
IN 1870-'1l. II is pyramid Of beautiful granite
with four bronze statues OF soldiers the work
of Schroeder and Lefebre. When visiting this
famous place. so filed with romantic history
who does not linger before the ancient tomb Of
Abelard and Helose? There they lie together
side by side, under a Gothic canopy-marble
effgesl An iron railing surrounds the tomb
shutting out intrusion, but over it, sentimental
souls toss lightly bunch of flowers in memory
Of these immortal lovers. Strict truth coYnpels
one TO add that the canopy over the tomb is
quite modern, though included in il are a few
fragments from the old abbey Of which HeIoise
was abbess. And the recumbent figure looked
upon as hers is really that of a woman of the
Dorlnans family, stolen from their chapel in the
old College de Beauvais.
Near this interesting tomb is the grave OF
Alfred de Musset to which sentiment always
attaches itself over it stands a marble shaft
surmounted by bust Of the poet and on its
base Is engraved verse from Of his. poems.
Beloved Balsac sleeps near. and the famous
DUO de Morny, the minister, and the ha.f-
brother of Napoleon III-the original, IL is SAID
OF Mora, in Daudets novel of THE Nabob "
Felix Faure's tomb is composed of a splendidlv
handsome bronze figure recumbent on a marble
slab. It was lavishly flower decked and pict-
uTesquely guarded, all day, by soldiers in full
dress uniform. The French government wisely
recognizes and guards against the always pres
day
Beginning several days before the celebration
OF Les Fete deS Morris there are interesting
ceremonies held at different places in honor of
distinguished dead. arranged by their friends or
by societies. Last year there was a mass in
memory OF the death Of Marie Antoinette held
in the chapel Of St Denis Admittance was by
card, the invitations signed "Un Groupe des
Amis de la Survivance" The "Survivance" is
the Naundorf family who claim to be the de-
scendants OF the of Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, who is said nave escaped from
the custody of the shoemaker in whose hands
he was placed by the revoIutionists and in
whose house he officially died. The cure of
the parish of st. Denis, an old priest with
picturesque white hair celebrated the mass In
mis- talk he drew a pathetic picture OF the dread
fuI sufferings Of the beautiful Queen Two or
three hundred persons We're gathered in the
church 10 listen and to take part in the cere-
monies In the place Of honor was "Ie Roi."
Prince Jean de Bourbon; "le Dauphin" Prince
henrl, lad or ten years, and Princess Made
leine and Prince Charles a brother and sister
OF the Pretender. At the end of the services
all present passed before the family OF the
SurviVance. which was drawn up at the right
of. the door. The Pretender received this hon1-
age with a gracious haughtiness He is Of fine
appearance, with black hair and mustaehe and
a tall. fine figure
This celebration lent peculiar interest IN q
visit made TO the Chapelle Expiatoira heIons
Ing To the Church OF the Madeleine erected on
the site OF the cemetery where Louis XVI and
Marie Antoinette We're buried in 1893 After
ward the ground was bought by a friend and
planted as orchard in order better 10 nressr,a
IL from desecration and insult during the ter