The sun., 1919-11-02

He lived only two years after having
completed and moved into his new
home, then one of the most sumptuous
residences of Paris outside those be-
longing to royalty. The property then
passed into the hands of the Due du
Maine, second son of Louis XIV. by
Nine. de Montespan, and his child wife
the Duchesse de, Bourbon, a grand
daughter of the great Conde, and the
house then became known as Hotel du
Maine.
After the death of the Duchesse du
Maine the property was bought by the
Due de Biron, and it was under the
hand of this celebrated personality
that Hotel Biron. as it had become,
passed through the epoch of its great
est splendor. The Duo was Marechas
de France; he spent a fortune in beau
tifying the gardens, and his property
soon became one of the show, places
of Paris. He had hanging gardens
constructed along the inner walls, like
unto those Of Nebuchadnezzar: there
was a sunlten parterre with japanese
grottoes and gardens; there were trel-
lises and summer houses, flowers
bloomed everywhere and fruits and
vines from every land flourished. The
Due kept open house; he did the hon
ors for titled strangers and celebrated
people generally who visited Paris He
died surrounded by his splendors al
the age of SS without ever having
known the infirmities of age, was a
graceful and entertaining talker and
which has made French courtesy
world renowned.
Was Notorious LauzuD.
The new Due de Biron was the no
torious Lauzun, nephew Of AIarechal
de Richelieu, who had just returned q,
France from America, where he to-
gether with Lafayette had been fight
ing with the American colonists
against the British. Lauzun was up
TO his eyes in debt, a perfect type of
soldier OF fortune. He was a hand
some young man, spirituelle, highly
educated, polished and graceful, gener-
| Gus to fault, and popular with the
fair sex goes without saying. He was
In disgrace at the court because OF his
many intrgues and escapades. II 's
| impossible to go into the history Of
this picturesque personality here and
we Will only say that he, being con
victed of conspiracy against the safety
OF the republic after the execution o.
Louis XVI. and the Revolution. was
| executed on Place de le Concorde De.
cember 81, 1898, aged 46 years. He
ate his last meal with good appetite
inviting the eXecutloner to have
drink In order TO keep UP his courage
His last words were: Faith my
| friends, it is finished; l am off this
time for sure"
During the revolution in 1897 the
beautiful gardens of Hotel Bron,
which had become the property of the
ration, We're turned into a public
pleasure resort for the people There
We're games. balls, fireworks and all
sorts OF merry go rounds installed
where the old Due de Biron had once
| held his revels with his select coterIe
| OF friends, and the beautiful things
were trampled upon and DESTROYED by
the vast crowds OF the common people
In 1906 the scene changed once more
end the Papal Nunzio was instally.
~ AA'N'A i'Aib bN pfutT OF NdIl'lNNl.
ana this occupancy was succeeded ry
the Russian Embassy. on Septemuer
g 1920, the property passed into he
! hands of the Sisters of the Sacra
| C@ur, who continued TO occupy It unu'
July, 1904 when by ministerial de-
cree that organization was banished
| from France.
Sisters Removed ornaments
The first task the sisters applied
themselves 10 on taking over their
new quarters was TO r9hnove all traces
of worldly pomp and magniflcence. The
richly carved woods that ornameuts'
the walls were removed, together win
the many gorgeous mirrors. A coat oi
plain gray paint soon covered over tho
| too beautiful and suggestive ceiling
paintings, and the sisters themselves
! finding the abode too sumptuous for
their life of meditation and prayer,
took possession Of the stables. thosa
also all too elaborate, for their s|ecp-
ing quarters.
From this time on, covering a pei10i
OF over a hundred years the Convent
du Sacrc Gpur OF Paris became cris-
! Continued on Eighth Pa9s