e principles of
the modern experimental and observational education, Mme. de Genlis
will retain a place as one of the great female educators--as a woman
pedagogue, _par excellence_, of the eighteenth century.

A great number of minor salons existed, which were partly literary,
partly social. From about 1750 to 1780 the amusements varied
constantly, from all-day parties in the country to cafes served by
the great women themselves, from playing proverbs to playing synonyms,
from impromptu compositions to questionable stories, from laughter to
tears, from Blind-man's-buff to Lotto. Some of the proverbs were quite
ingenious and required elaborate preparations; for example, at one
place Mme. de Lauzun dances with M. de Belgunce, in the simplest kind
of a costume, which represented the proverb: _Bonne renommee vaut
mieux que ceinture doree_ [A good name is rather to be chosen than
great riches]. Mme. de Marigny danced with M. de Saint-Julien as a
negro, passing her handkerchief over her face in the various figures
of the dance, meaning _A laver la tete d'un More on perd sa lessive_
[To wash a blackamoor white].

Among the social salons, the finest was the Temple of the Prince de
Conti and his mistress, the Countess de Boufflers. It was a salon of
pleasure, liberty, and unceremonious intimacy; his _thes a l'anglaise_
were served by the great ladies themselves, attired in white aprons.
The exclusive and elite of the social world made up his company. The
most elegant assembly was that of the Marechale de Luxembourg; it will
be considered later on. The salon of Mme. de Beauvau rivalled that
of the Marechale de Luxembourg; she was mistress of elegance and
propriety, an authority on and model of the usages of society. A
manner perhaps superior to that of any other woman, gave Mme. de
Beauvau a particular _politesse_ and constituted her one of the women
who contributed most to the acceptance of Paris as the capital of
Europe, by well-bred people of all countries. Her _politesse_ was kind
and without sarcasm, and, by her own naturalness, she communicated
ease. She was not beautiful, but had a frank and open expression and
a marvellous gift of conversation, which was her delight and in which
she gloried. Her salon was conspicuous for its untarnished honor and
for the example it set of a pure conjugal love.

The salon of Mme. de Grammont, at Versailles, was visited at all hours
of the day and night by the highest officials, princes,