New-York tribune., 1920-12-26

i'ahed by Brcntano's.
TNHERE is very romantic tinge
n shout French history from ITS!
3 TO 1871. 1t took the nator
almost century to regain it:
balance after the tremendous upheava
of the Revolution. During that period
governments rose and fell overnight
Bourbons, Oreanists, Bonapartists JOS
tied each other off the throne. After
the fall Of Robespierre and the Jacobins
the French people experienced the blum
dering incompetence of the Directory;
the gorgeous empire of the great Ma
poleon, the stupid reaction under the
Bourbons. the drab mediocrity Of Louis
Philippe, the somewhat tarnished and
shoddy empire of Napoleon III and the
Wild radcalism OF the Commune. III
rally the Third Republic restored the
equilibrium Of the nation.
Romantic Disorder
The picturesque romanticism OF the
epoch is heightened by its very con-
fusion and disorder There is something
quite appealing about state in which
man may readily exchange a throne
for q prison, or Vice versa.
Tho Maruuise de la Tour du Pin is a
hne flower Of the old French nobility,
which came to such an untirnely END
under the regime Of the guillotine. Her
uncle was an absentee archbishop, who
seldom visited the parishioners who sup
ported him, and whose souls he was sup
posed to care for. He preferred to live
in Paris after the fashion Of grand
scianeur. Despite his enormous revenues
he was always heavily In debt. The
Marouise was brought up in the most
exquisite Partisan society. Both she
and her mother held tho post of Dame
du Palais to Queen Marie Antoinette.
Her spirited, lively memoirs convey an
excellent idea Of how fashionable people
ate and dressed and played and lived In
pre-Revolutionary days. Here is de-
scription of the costumes worn by
Partisan beauties at that time:
A Partisan Costume
every one wore heels three inches
high, which put the foot in an un-
natural position; pannier OF heavy
and stiff whalebone, extending to the
right and the left; q coiffure a foot
high, surmounted by bonnet called
pouf, upon which feathers, flowers and
diamonds were piled up, besides
pound of powder and pomade, which
the least movement caused to fall
upon the shoulders"
The marquise gives this frank but
by no means unattractlve portrait OF
herself as young woman:
"I had a mass of light blonde hair,
small gray eyes, with very few eye
lashes, most OF which I had lost
through a severe attack OF smallpox
at the age Of four; l had thin blonde
eyebrows, a high forehead, and nose
which was said to be Greek, but which
vas long and too large at the end. Ny
finest feature was my mouth, with
very fresh lips, chiseled like those Of
an antique statue, and beautiful teeth
which | have preserved intact at the
age Of seventy-one. 1t was said tha
my face was agreeable, that had q
gracious smile, and. Notwithstanding
all this, l could be considered plain
However, large and beautiful figure
and a clear and transparent complex
ion, with q great deal Of color, gave
me marked superiority in all gather
ings, especially by day, and it was GER
tain that | outshone many women ap
yarently endowed with superior ed
yantages.'
Some OF the moro dramatic earl!
events Of the Revolution, such as th'
storming Of the Bastille and the inva
sion of Versailles by the mob, arc re
corded with much indignant comment
AS the period Of the Terror set in If
became quite unsafe for such pro
ncunced aristocra,s and royalists q
the marquise and her husband. Ever
tually they made their escape to Annex
ica with their children, after many ex
citing adventures, which are vividl
described. The marquise, however, Wa
compelled to mourn for her father an
her father-in-law, who perished on tn
scaffold
Visits America
The author gives a pleasant pictur
Of America In 1893. She and her nus
band were warmly received by Geners
Schuyler and other prominent citizen
OF New York, and they lived for tim
on a farm near Albany. Shortly afte
the fall Of the Terrorists they rt
turned to Europe, living alternately 1
rance and In England. Under the rul
os Napoleon they definitely returne
% France. ths marquise's husband er
ering the imperial service.
The marquise met Napoleon on Sc,
erai occasions and, by her own accoun
produced very favorable impressio
upon him. She describes In particuls
one lengthy interview with the En-
peror, in which she protested again,
tho dismissal Of her husband from II
prefecture Of Brussels and secured h
appointment as prcfect Of Amiens.
Characterized by wide social CO,
Acts, clear understanding and an Ii