was announced in those days, and I
received a card for the opening meeting, which was held in the large
Chatelet Theatre. Victor Hugo presided, and read from a manuscript an
address of some length, in a clear, firm voice. The Russian novelist,
Tourgenieff, was also one of the speakers. He was then somewhat less
than sixty years of age. Victor Hugo was at least fifteen years older,
but, though his hair was silver white, the fire of his dark eyes was
undimmed.

I sought to obtain entrance to the subsequent sittings of this congress,
but was told that no ladies could be admitted. I became acquainted at
this time with Frederic Passy, the well-known writer on political
economy. Through his kindness I was enabled to attend a meeting of the
French Academy, and to see the Immortals in their armchairs, and in
their costume, a sort of quaint long coat, faced with the traditional
palms stamped or embroidered on green satin.

The entertainment was a varied one. The principal discourse eulogized
several deceased members of the august body, and among them the young
artist, Henri Regnault, whose death was much deplored. This was followed
by an essay on Raphael's pictures of the Fornarina, and by another on
the social status of the early Christians, in which it was maintained
that wealth had been by no means a contraband among them, and that the
holding of goods in common had been but a temporary feature of the new
discipline. The exercises concluded with the performance by chorus and
orchestra of a musical composition, which had for its theme the familiar
Bible story of "Rebecca at the Well." A noticeable French feature of
this was the indignation of Laban when he found his sister "alone with a
man," the same being the messenger sent by Abraham to ask the young
girl's hand in marriage for his son. The prospect of an advantageous
matrimonial alliance seemed to set this right, and the piece concluded
with reestablished harmony.

My friend M. Frederic Passy asked me one day whether I should like to
see the crowning of a _rosiere_ in a suburban town. He explained to me
that this ceremony was of annual occurrence, and that it usually had
reference to some meritorious conduct on the part of a young girl who
was selected to be publicly rewarded as the best girl of her town or
village. This honor was accompanied by a gift of some hundreds of
francs, intended to serve as the marriage portion of the young girl. I
gladly accepted the ticket