Year: 1872

THEIRS IN THE ELfoEE.


Mr. Thiers is just now suffering good deal
of not very reasonable criticism on account
of his temporary occupancy of the Palace of
the Elysee- Bourbon. IL was the intention of
the Royalist and Legitimist Deputies, when
thew went away to their cbateaux in the prov
inces. to take the fresh air and watch the
coming of Spring, to leave the President OF
the Republic in Versailles to await their re-
turn, and to amuse himself with public busi-
ness. Under no circumstances was he to go
TO Paris. That lovely city lost its character
under the Commune, and no good citizen and
oflice-hoder could be seen with her under
penalty of scandal. Versailles still cherished
secret fear and an open hate of the
capital, and the Deputies were willing to sub
iect themselves to serious Inconvenience to
punish the great city for its suspected revolu-
tonary tendencies. But, singularly enough,
these highly respectable gentlemen only OBJ
jected to Paris as a place to make laws in.
They would not allow the Assembly to be
moved to Paris, SO they went out to Versailles
every morning, and rushed from the House OF
Deputies every evening at the moment OF adj
journment to take the last train for Paris. Their
relations with the beautiful city were strictly
morganatic, comprising only the hours from
dinner to breakfast. But when they dispersed
to the provinces and left Mr.. Theirs an oppor-
tunity to enjoy life for an hour or two of each
day, they looked upon it as gross lmprO-
priety for the President to go to Paris and
lodge himself in disposable palace belong
ing to the nation. They pretended to see
nothing less than treason and anarchy i'll the
fact that he invited some acquaintances to
dine with him and pass the evening at the
ElysGe.


But NJ lie President was quite right. At his
| time of life he is entitled to whatever innO-
cent amusement falls in his way. Paris is
certainly more diverting than Versailles, and,
so far as character is concerned, the republican
traditions of Paris are far less Objectionable
than the monarchical traditions of Versailles


If he is to remain In power long, he must
sooner or later receive officially in some one
of the ancient royal abodes. And if his time
| is short, it is all the more reason that he
| should add one more to the historic assOcia-
| tions of this pretty palace The history of
modern France could almost be written from


the scenes which have taken place within
| its walls and in sight of its windows.


1t was built in 171s, by the architect
Moll6, for the Count d Evreux, who sold it
| to My Lady of Pompadour. the fair ruler of
| the ruler of France. When she lost grace i'll
| those cold and wolfsh eyes, the King sold the
| palace to Beaujon, who, with a stock .iobber's
| lberality, made it a more beautiful and costly
| residence than ever. The Duchess of BOur-
bon bought it in 1856, in the twilight of the
coming revolution, and called it her
"Elysium." When the storm burst, and
France became democratic, the thrifty
State let the casbiered palace as
public garden and lodging-hOuse.
Murat had it for a while, and then the En-
peror took it for his OWN. After Waterloo, ii
was for the moment the residence Of the Car
Alexander, and next it passed into the hands
of the Due de Berri, who lived there until the
dagger of LOuvet struck the blow to his heart
which was intended to annihilate the dynasty
for no one then suspected the pregnancy of
the Duchess. When the Jail bird of Ham be-


came President of the Republic of 1S4S, for
its own dishOnor and his, he went to the
Elys6e to live, and replaced the word "BOur


"bon on the gate with the word Napoleon"
1t was there that, with Morny and ST. Armand
and Fleury, he plotted the coup detat, and
over fire in the library he covered
and shivercd until they had accomplished it.
When the Countess of Teba had informed him
finally that she would be nothing less than his
wife, he gave her this house for the few days
that interyened between their betrOthal and
their marriage. Whenever in recent years, a
neighborly sovereign has visited Paris. he has
usually been lodged in this palace. 1t was
intended that when the Prince Imperial attained
his majority he should leave the CANDY Pavilion
dc Flore, and set up his bachelor tabernacle in
the Elys6e. But Saarbruck and Worth and
Sedan came before that majority, and the
BOnapartes are at Chiselhurst and Theirs Oc-
cupies the apartments haunted by the memo
res of dead and discrOwned BOurbons and
Orleans and Corsicans and Dutchmen. After
all, the world gets on. Not King, nor an
Emperor, nor cOurtesan who has ever lodged
there is worth half so much as the little Presi-
dent, with all his faults


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