The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-20
Cercle Agricole Most Exclusive
Social Organization in
Paris.
ny la MARauIsE DE roNTENoY.

BY LA MiRQUIsE DE FoNTENOY.
| + ALI. the fashionable clubs IN
N Paris the most absolutely eX
~ elusive is undou6tedly the Ger
! cl@ ASrcoIe, nicknamed the
! Fomme- de-tcrre. which is composed
entirely OF members of the old terri
its doors tightly closed TO parveaus.
and to any other person. foreign or
native. who does not belong to the
/ old set
man belonging TO the pick OF the dip
| lomatic corps has been allowed TO join.
| but on the special invitation only OF
! the president, who is the Due de Nor
know him TO hear that he has jus, been
Reelected, al the annual meeting o;
the club.
Ills father. the eleventh Duke. VIC
turnien de MorteInart. held the presi-
/ deacy of the Cerc!e Agr.cole Until his
death. which occurred in 1898. Arthur.
twelfth Duke OF Mortemart, is in many
respects very much like his father. a
tr!tie LoUisiQ uatorZeque in his tastes
and manners. which are fully shared
by his wife, daughter of tle House
of the Counts of lIunolstein, and who
Is he!resa. on the maternal side. OF a
large portion of the enormous for
tune of the French Ducal House of
Uzes
The family, the patronymic of which
is Rochechouaa,t. goes straight back
TO the year luis. ana mas IN its direct
ancestry the celebrated beauty Athe-
nais, Marquisc de Montespan. who
played so great role in the life
OF Louis XIV. Madame de Montespan
was. may be recalled to the lovers
Of history, the daughter of the first
Duke OF Monte mart. once governor OF
, Paris. man whose intelligence AMI
savoir-ta:re were famed and whose
other children We're the Duke de Wv
onne, the Marqu:se de Thianges, and
that splendid figure OF those DAYS,
Madame Ad slaide de Rochechouart
Mortemart. Abbes of the Convent of
F'ontevrault. whose hrilliancy and wit
were such that she helped Racine TO
Wit IL. indeed. hereditary in thi.
family; so much so. indeed, that N the
fifteenth century proverb already
chouart aux feuX des escarboucles"
The present duke numbers among his
many distinctions that OF Grandae Of
Spain OF the fist class and is cav
alier di primo cartallo.
Joseph Laurent -Nicturnien de Roche
chouart. Marquis dc Mortemart. Prime.
de Tonnay Charent", is also the worthy
descendant OF a long Inc of mn
prominent in arms. diplomacy ana
| craftsmanship He = married to Mar
| Guer!te- FRANCHISE Marie dc la Iioche
foucauld. of the Dukes of Doud eauville
The domain and the princely title
or IonnaS-cnarente were granted dur
ing the twelfth century to tho Morte-
narts for the use of the eldest son
in his own right. The other members
of the Mortemart clan are known as
Counts and Countssses dc Roche
chouart This il me of the finest
names in Europe. and therefore they
mead not h. Disconnected. especially
since the first Count de Rochechouart
was in his time sovereign Prince OF
Aquitaine. while the AIareschal Due de
IL, M alz 40 T
in 1875 N!ceroy Of sicily. and beat the
Spaniards on land and SEA TO such
an extent that for wears afterwards
! they. brave as they were. actually
finchcd beneath their tanned skins al
the mere mention of his name.
An illustrious house. with family
! tree so great that beneath it's spacious
| shadow i might he said to encompass
the whole real drmoriaI of France
! say this advisediy, since to-day this
has become "velTnt-,book" of small
dimension and precious contents. in no
! way connected with tho brand new
titles the last two hundred years have
brought to the front
There are many curious and inter
esting stories told about tho Young
noble who founded the branch of the
House Of Rcchechouart-N Iortemart and
was later on qualified as prince Of
Aquitaine. He was. II appears an ir-
resistiblc boy, full of fun and mis-
chief and also remarkably handsome.
The happy presage surrounding his
cradle began early to bear fru! II
had been noticed that hardly born.
when upon a tufted silk coverlet. he
Fad instantly begun to throw his fat
little arms about. as IL anxious to crab
The fluffy puffs stitched onto the soft
material, The wise woman" (sare.
femme) who had presided-Angl!ce'
the mdrwife--made great outcry about
this calling out, by my faith this
Seigneut begins early to show future
virtues: he Is one who will one day
surely hold on ito SUGGEST Nor d!d
this prophecy turn ont to be untrue;
for Aimery de Rochechouart, coming
into this world with so much energy.
was at fourteen a man almost full
grown, determined OF spirit possosseo