FRANCE.

Southland Times, Issue 3299, 16 January 1879, Page 2

FRANCE.

— •» ■ (from our own correspondent.) PARIS, November 23. I know nothing more painful, or diggusting, than a political lady among ladies; a blue stocking could be tolerated, as far as woman adores woman in society, but a politician in jupons is simply an abomination, and must lead sooner or later to obligatory military service f orour sex, Polii tics rage like ,a pest in this country at present, and commence to upset the working of many charitable societies that were beginning to take root : only ladies of the same color of opinions, blue or yellow, black or white, will now act together, the Jews will have no dealings with the Samaritans. It is common in French churches for ladies to make collections on formal occasions, attended by a .gentleman as steward or chaperon; this duty, which mammas sought after their daughters, and that dress-makers blessed,' with all their hearts, is now regulated on political principles : may the gods whether on Olympus or around the North Pole, interfere in time, before sisters are compelled to establish their right to differ, by a resort to pistols. During Louis Philippe's reign ladies -only indulged in pin-cushion wars, but then these ladies . were isolated ; they-' kept salons, where none "were forced to. visit who disliked to do so, and where you were rather judged favorably by keeping away. - Is a subscriptpn list to be opened, charitable hearts seek therein the occasion.

to indulge in ?; some thing, under the head anonymous, against the 'party, they dislike, the reason why they cannot tell r^another way -to mark contempt or administer a cut, 13 to half invite you to [ a : wedding—- to the civil ceremony leaving you to draw the conclusion f that religion cannot; dospehd -to notipe Republicanism ; other sigh of the times, in the selection of baptismal 'names only those of a political significance are selected. I. have been.. informed of the case of a lady, whose husband is. among the political '^outs," that, ordered her servants not to purchase a ticket for the national lottery. Of course, like French servants, they replied: they would be. delighted to make Madame happy, and at bnce went and invested in tickets. AViseacres say that in January next, when the •Senate, shall have "been renewed, all: this | ; extraordinary and uncomf ortable state of j things will come to an end: ;*; Now, if any institution in this; land was innocence itself, the lottery ought to be, that. Three goodnrillions of the:twelye of francs sub- : scribed have been expended in at beaming prices, articles from exhibitors who were not successful in wiriuing a ..prize,' but not consequently to berregarded. as undeserving one. By a timelyr purchase ; hiirSfße exhibitors have been to cover" expenses, and start in the struggle fpr life with. some ready : money at their . command. I have been allowed to, obtain a Paul Pry- peep at the Palace of Industry, where the prizes, some 70,000, are being equally" divided into "tvvelve classes, and the smallest article— -such as a bottle of blacking or a package of knife polish— j-is as carefully ticketed and decorated as a reaping machine, a family coach, the mer of .diamonds, or the service of plate itself . The prizes are in thousands of cases very valuable, and some of the pictures and pieces of^statuary important products of. art. The work of the drawing will be laborious. One gentleman proposes a machine, to ■•> be worked by steam, that will not only roll out the numbers but print them at the same time— there are articles to suit every taste and to meet every want. Only judge of the curiosity the first prizes excite— the diamonds and silver ware— when the pro-, prietqr of the Priniemps drapery establishment offered to pay the^L^ . lOOf. a day if peiTnitted to merely expose these prizes in his magasins ! And the poor Exhibition ! Death is ever a melancholy subject, and yet it is impossible not to feel sad on witnessing that splendid' palace now converted into a kind of immense railway goods station, with locomotives puffing and whistling, horses neighing, and handcartinen exhibiting anything but . the evidences of Christianity. Subscribers will not find any difficulty, through having no right, to pay a Manies visit to our Carthage. It is as good as a rebus to be given a certain gallery to find the site of - a popular stall full of sunny memories. I have witnessed the departure of the ornamental flowers and shrubs, as tenderly treated as if newly-born babes, the gardeners wearing "all 'round their hats" a ribbon detailing the honors bestowed on their •" nurseries." Butwhatwas still more interesting Was to observe the packing-up of the young oysters. They were bound for Ardcachon or Caucale "to complete," as the guardian told me, " their education." The adults were simply placed in buckets and consigned to the care of those buxom women, in snow-white aprons and cat-fur pelerins, who occupy a sentry-box space in the outside corners of restaurants, armed with a knife to open .the bi-yalyes and a pencil and a scrap of paper to register the dozens delivered. * There are machines for ojferimgthe oysters, but they do not perform the work so neatly as the bowie-knife, and an oyster badly opened loses half its charm as a thing of beauty j though largely consumed at~dinner, : dejeuner is the meal at which oysters find most favor in the eyes of the " natives ;" dqctors since, two -years, largely prescribe oysters to weak ladies, as a change between solutions of iron and bottles of quinine ; but I forget other departures iwur la Syrie. The best conducted trout, the heaviest carp, have been taken from the aquarium arid sent as promotion elsewhere. There was a veteran of a lobster, the sole representative of the first consignment; of salt water crastacae sent to the marine aquarium ; the French called it "St. Helena,": compliment to the fragmentary pensioners, as it hadlostabig claw, some minor ones, and a few feelers : like the Turk it allowed no one near its throne, save a few courtdsans, in the way of whiting and shrimps.; it mercilessly killed its kith and kin. What has been its recompense for braying the battle and the breeze ? He was cooked and served up at the last international lunch given to the Foreign Commissioners. The Bible ., Society has presented the delegates of each nation with copies of the Scriptures, elegantly bound, in their native tongues. The donation commenced ? with Marshal McMahon and. his lady, who graciously accepted the gift; since then, the President, it is whispered, is being inundated with "tracts," which not being exactly understood, are sent to the keeper of the national' archives. Paris really looks very dull after the; departtire of our cosmopolitan guests jiihe principal hotels have the air of displaying hatchments rather than ensigns. I dineda few evenings ago with a friend, at that sumptuous hotel the. Continental. Oh, what a falling off was there, my countrymen,— there wgigA;only tens at the tables where -"'formerly there were fifties. The plan of attending table at this hotel denotice. " Each group of ten persons .^Presrved, as it were, bya distinct set of Waiters, and an exclusive .dinner, though in conformity with the general menu. Thus, there are none of those drying lapses between the arrivals of dishes that spoil even a dinner of herbs with love. •; The Conti- ' nental Hotel will resume, during the winter, an excellent idea given up some years ago by the grand — that of select ooncert on stated evenings during the' winter." It is very agreeable after a wellserved dinner and agreeable company, to retire to reserved seats in a contiguous concert room. Music in France is making greater progress, relatively, than the • drama. It draws the crowd, because cheaper, and has also a vast repertoire of 'first-class works on which to 'fall back, hearing the execution of which never palls. The people are to have their Opera house, that provided for the rich they can only enjoy from the outside. Matters seem not to.be all harmonious in the administration of the subventioned lyrical and dramatic theatres. Faure, it is reported, is not disinclined to accept the direction of the Grand Opera, since Capoul is administering his venture with success. It is a pity to see Faure unattached, he sang lately at the Trocaden, not in the International Masonic concert, but at some charitable representations, and never was he heard to more advantage; he ' passes most of his - time composing xeligious- music, for his own baritone voice. Sardon is considered as a failure ; in the libretto he composed, the Noces de Fernande, a Spanish plot, and set very poorly - to music by M. Defies, an old composer, endeavoring 'to become young. The novelties at the theatres are not many, and those produced are of alight character, treating as they do of incidents connected with the Exhibition. The Palais Koyal leads with the miseries — a plain citizen suffers from the nearest up to the most distant relatives swarming upon him, and actually elbowing him out of his own home. The Revue, at the Varieties, is an extravaganza, hitting off the peculiarities of international visitors. The view of Paris during- the illuminations is a wonderful piece of decorative art, and the conference, delivered ,by an actress, on theatrical peculiarities, is extremely talented. - Half -pay colonels and generals take, it is said, to religion in some countries, and powerfully aid Dorcas institutions. In France these retired braves fair back oh their Horace and Virgil, or devote hours to solve riddles given by the joqrnals. One gentleman is an exception ; he is an ornithologist, and when any of his pets die, he incites bis

friends to assist at the funeral, and after delivering the usual obituary notice, concludes with a lecture on natural history. ; The rigorous season has brought round the opening of the soup kitchens. It has also inaugurated another benefit, that of delirering a ticket on a certain number of apothecaries, who will give the bearer a hot tisane in case his ailment requires it. The Princess of Wales has not been forgotten by the French milliners, they have really brought out the hat of the season in her honor ; it is made of plush or velvet felt, and fits the head closely; the form is draped with a mantilla of lace fixed at the side with a bouquet of flowers' or feathers Bonnets generally are fuller, to correspond perhaps with the three-panier costumes. The Niniche hat is but a modification of the cabriolet, and is made up according to fancy. Felt is'the chief material, either black or the silky pattern, fauve shade. Peluche is in much reqtiest, and harmonises with Indian cashmere. Ordinary dresses are short so as not to touch the ground, and consist of woollens, mixed with velvet, moire, or satin. Blue fox, light as a feather, is employed for bordering ; it disputes the place in general favor with otter. Pearls will compete extensively with diamonds ! this winter ; they are going up in price, jand a pair of .earrings can represent the 1 sum of 60,000 f. The prevailing" coloi's are grey, black, as a matter of course, .is ever fashion-able, and all the varieties' of red ; claret appears to be the very newest popular, shade The black velvet mantle is not dethroned; it is very elegant, and when trimmed with pearl passementenes or, better still, down, looks most elegant. The pretty cloth jacket in drab, known as " coachman]" is very suitable for young ladies ; some models unite it to the Louis XV, large vest in velvet or plush garnet or Eussia'n green. Particular attention ought to. be paid to the buttons — they to ; ; be in fine porcelain, and the painting well executed. •• For very formal dinner {parties, j tablecloths' bordered with Bussian lace are in vogue, with napkins to match ; on other occasions the border is colored. For the service only one color should predominate, all the pieces to mateh — blue, rose, golden, yellow, or red. Crests or initials are no longer fashionable on porcelain ; more fantasy is demanded, and especially a decided leaning to be inspired by the Benaissance designs. There is something new in fans ; they are necessaries. One of the outside ribs contains a smelling-bottle, its vis-a-vis a mirror, while the handle has a supply of rice powder. With such an arsenal, any lady may attack the moving accidents of a ballroom or a theatre, especially the Francais, where on subscription night there is quite a "competition of wardrobe glories. ■ Mrs" J. W. Mackay seems to be cutting out even the oldest French families in the matter, of jewellery. She has a collection of sapphires that those of the. Countess of Paris cannot surpass. With the Big Bonanza at her back, she has no other care than to find out how to riot so much spend as to invest her wealth. "■-■■-. .'■■■' r