New-York tribune., 1910-12-10
RACINE
A Recent Turbulent Episode in
Paris.

Paris. Decemher -
NJ. Andre Po,1yeyre the Partisan carl
ceture artist whose heavy charcoal lines
impart q sort of heroic intensity TO ms
Rahelaisian humor, has illustrated IA
cine's .Phedrc" with ten daring ana
powerful sketches The Tragedy opens
With Phadre and her husband Theseus:
then comes her guilty. impassloned love
for Theseus's son Hippolytus. her denun-
citation of Hippolytus and the death OF
Hippolytus The appearance of Nj. Ron-
veyre's -'Phadre.'' published by the Eol-
tions du Mercure de France. CONCEDED
with the tumultuous lecture upon Racine
at the Odeon. where NJ. Rene Fauchols,
author of Beethoven boldly criticised
the dramatist with more presumption
than wisdom. NJ Fauchois INSISTED that
contemporary writer's, such as the iate
Henri Becque, author Of La Parls1enne,
were far superior to the lmmoTtai ha-
cine. 4 riot that eliminated IN Tree
fight ensued The overwhelming ma
ioritv OF the public seemed convinced
that the lecturer had desecrated the
memory of the greatest French TRACE
n. NJ
and valuable establishment o. Racinian
literature
Baron de Meneval. Minister PleHlpo-
tentiary and grandson of that Baron de
Meneval who was private secretary TO
Empress Narie-Louise. came into pos
session some years ago of a great num-
Der of autograph letters written by
Queen Hortense to her chaplain. Abbe
Bertrand who was also tutor to her
children. Baron Meneval also inherited
forty-seven letters from the Queens
Younger son. the future Emperor Ma
poleon III. likewise addressed to Abbe
Bertrand. None of these has ever been
published. Many. of the letters of Queen
Hortense deal with her mother, the
Empress Josephine, and Baron de Men
eval has utilized them in his work
..I,Imperatrice Josephine published by
Calmann-Levy. 1t contains a wealth OF
fresh material bearing upon Josephlnes
life and character. The conclusion to be
drawn from this interesting book is that,
in spite of the reproaches justified or
unjustified. brought against her, the at
tractive Creole remains the bonne I'M
neratrice." one of the most popular OF
French sovereigns and the good genius
OF Napoleon" IF Josephine had been my
mother. my father would never have
been in ST. Helena. and l should not
have been languishing here in Vienna
were words uttered by the Due de Reich
stadt and recorded at the time by Baron
Prokescfl- Osten.
1t is singular to note that AL
most Queen More than Queen
and Yelled Queen were
predictions made at different dates to
three girls Of Martinique by negress
fortune tellers. The first of these young
ladies was FRANCHISE d'Aubigne, who
afterward became Nine. de Maintenon
and the morganatic wife of Louis XIV.
The second was Josephine Tascher de Ia
Pagerie, subsequently Empress jose
phne The third. the "veiled queen"
destined TO reign in the shade was
Mile. Dubuc de Rivery. relative of
Josephine Tascher, who was captured
by Turkish pirates. transported to the
imperial harem at Constantinople. and
became the favorite sultana. The Sultan
Abdul-Aziz, grandson of this sultana,
recalled this fact to Napoleon III during
his visit to Paris in 1861, and smilingly
observed: $50 you see. your majesty
we are kinsmen" Consequently the
present Sultan. Mehmed V, is the great
grandson of the Fascinating Creole Mile
de Rivery and a distant relative Of the
many princely descendants of Empress
Josephine in Russia and Italy. Baron
de Meneval's book is replete with fresh
material concerning the influence of
Josephine upon Napoleon, and contains
| many incidents and anecdotes not before
published.