Evening star., 1928-12-09

~ teau de Versailles. IL is pegln-
IA ming to look rather spruce. 1t
1 "A is no longer the mere hiStor-
ical monument. 1t lives again.
1t is not possible to point out a single
detail which is different from what 1t
has been for the last hundred years eX-
cept for stones replaced in the founda-
ton, new roof here and there or
steam cleaned marbles, but even these
have been so discreetly handled that no
ordinary visitor could say, except in the
case of the marbles, where the old lett
off and the new began.
Money. American money, has made
Versailles look prosperous. John d.
Rockefeller, jr., has given the Versailles
of the seventeenth and eighteenth
century back to France. OF the ST.
OOO. 900 he donated for the restoration
of Versailles, half a million has been
spent on the chateau and more than
ten million francs from the French
treasury besides, and the work OF resto--
ration is at least half done. The most
extensive portion, which shows the
least is finished. From now on the
money will begin to show more.
M. Bonnet, the architect, and his
assistant. M. FrancaStel, took me with
them during an afternoons inspection
of the work in progress, and their loving
care for details showed they were not
missing a chance to put everything
right for 200 years, said M. Bonnet.
To Remove Status.
I'VE are not trying to remake the
Versailles of Louis Fourteenth" said M.
Bonnet. There were many changes
under Louis Fifteenth and Sixteenth
and historically they belong there. But
Versailles was never lived in after the
revolution, so we feel privileged to get
rid of as much of what Louis Philippe
did as we can, and when we are through
we are going to have as nearly as
possible the Chateau as Marie An
toinette last saw 1t"
Any one who has ever visited Ver-
Sailles will remember the statues OF
heroic size placed about almost at ran
dom near the main portal. They are
out of proportion and, though hurried
visitor might not realize what Jared
him they kill" Versailles.
They are coming down. The orig
inal balustradeS, discreet and harmo-
nious. broken here and there now by
| the gigantic square bases of the statues,
will be restored so the visitor to Ver-
sailles of the future who is seeking the
atmosphere of the past will be greeted
will carry his eye right up the middle
of the court. to short fight of steps,
not there now, leading to the marble
court, the center of the intimate life
of the palace.
Saved by Rockefeller Gift.
The marble court was lowered and
the gigantic statues were placed there
by Louis Philippe, moved by the worthy
purpose of creating a historical mu-
scum, but to the twentieth century, in
cluding Mr.. Rockefeller and the archi-
tects, he destroyed the whole symmetry
and meaning Of the building.
1t has taken some restraint on the
part of the architects, could see, not
to begin by correcting the architectural
errors of Louis Philippe, but they went
seriously to work from the beginning on
the big job, which was to save the
building from falling into ruin.
Time and the weather were getting
at the chateau and rapidly turning it
into ruin when Mr.. Rockefeller de-
cided to spend some money on it. To
him Versailles represented an epoch and
one of the greatest artistic periods in
| &he history of Europe. 1t is also the
| MQst-visited royal chateau in Europe.
h money Is thus not only saving a
Visible piece OF history. but Is diving