The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-23

LOT SUCH the lake
seemed To be- and | landed at
the village OF Coppet No stretch
OF words could paint the scene bchcid around mo
ne biue water seemed to of into a pink
houncc when II skrtcd the opposite shore and
inc mountains ran down into it bathed mauvc.
And this vision Of ovclness and inconprehen-
sioty without any change had been the con-
slant panorama on the days that were not grey
that had been in the view the men and women
who had made the shores OF Geneva famous
from Julius Caesar to the time of Bonvard. Vol
ta!rc, Calvin, Rousseau, Madame Necker and her
daughter, Madame dc Stacl
And now here was looking upon the Cas-
tie Of coppet in which had lived that wonderful
Woinhn Madame de Stacl, who became possessed
OF II In 1904 when her father. the great Necker"
died y little path was to be mounted leading to
inc castle crossing the village streets with their
arcaded houses. There a front court To be
passed through at the entrance. and then a vault
ed passage to still another enclosure between
ancient circular towers. ana in another moment
was privileged visitor at that hour and stood
In the hall doorway looking into the library
room. where Madame de Stacl gave her recep-
ti"ns, and acted in comedies. and paid hom-
age as the intellectual queen OF the day. 1t was
furnished as it was when she lived there-as were
all the other rooms of the housc-even To the
state papers presented to Louis NNI by His
Ma1estys Minister. NJ. Nccker.' y screened door
opened into the bedroom containing a sofa. arm
chair and bed Of the Louis Seize style and vari-
Gus small objects once familiar to her friends on
the wall are fine portraits of Madame de Stacl and
her father ana of Madame de Recamcr on her
death bed small room adjoining this
Madame de ReCamers
had been more or less intimate with the
history and times of Madame lie Stacl. but after
this little journey to her former home. whilst
was residing in Geneva. became deeply inter
ested in her personality and in the whole sur
rounding region with which ] became delight
fully familiar. 1t was only few miles to Cop
pet. and Just beyond Lausanne. where Glib
bon lived most of the time and which had so
much To do with Madame de Staels career-be-
cause he lover of her mother Nine.
Ncckcr, who was constantly under the influence
of the great historians thoughts but whose af-
lection for him of absolute proprety,
Now to Madame de Stae concerning whom
we have only To do She a woman of the
world and force in politics She NIGH, indeed be
considered the forcrunner Of the modern woman"
ambition of To-Day.
She the daughter OF JACQUES Necker
the Minister Of Finance under Louis XVI Her
mother was known as la belle Curchod" | do
not that it is necessary dwell on the do
mestic relations of the Necker household even if
it is recorded that the daughter and father threw
she very young she assumed all the fornali-
ties of grown-up people, was surrounded by liter
airy people of distinction, and put down her ideas
concerning them in Il diary before she had reached
young womanhood. In article Jean jacques
Rousseau she wrote, "a guilty woman may love
virtue, but she should preach about it,"
AS Mademoselc Gernanc Necker she had
many suitors. prominent among them William
Pitt and General Ciuibert But she finally ac-
copied Eric Magnus, Baron de Stael Holstein
mothers. Germanc did not love him. although
in her novel, which had a great deal of herself
in 1T, "Delphine," she declared that a happy mar
riagc was the dream of her life She was not
beautiful woman. but she had magnetic person
ahty and ceverness that should have won her
hearts desire AS Madame de Stael she found bcr
husband an intellectual mesalliance. Sometimes she
lived with him and sometimes she did not. Dur