the women of the french salons-第29章

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s　the　mother　of　our　own；　and　upon　which　the　world　is　likely　to　remain　hopelessly　divided。　But　whatever　we　may　think　of　its　final　outcome；　it　can　hardly　be　denied　that　this　period；　which　in　France　was　so　powerful　in　ideas；　so　active　in　thought；　so　teeming　with　intelligence；　so　rich　in　philosophy；　was　poor　in　faith；　bankrupt　in　morals；　without　religion；　without　poetry；　and　without　imagination。　　The　divine　ideals　of　virtue　and　renunciation　were　drowned　in　a　sea　of　selfishness　and　materialism。　　The　austere　devotion　of　Pascal　was　out　of　fashion。　　The　spiritual　teachings　of　Bossuet　and　Fenelon　represented　the　out…worn　creeds　of　an　age　that　was　dead。　　It　was　Voltaire　who　gave　the　tone；　and　even　Voltaire　was　not　radical　enough　for　many　of　these　iconoclasts。　　〃He　is　a　bigot　and　a　deist；〃　exclaimed　a　feminine　disciple　of　d'Holbach's　atheism。　　The　gay；　witty；　pleasure…loving　abbe；　who　derided　piety；　defied　morality；　was　the　pet　of　the　salon；　and　figured　in　the　worst　scandals；　was　a　fair　representative　of　the　fashionable　clergy　who　had　no　attribute　of　priesthood　but　the　name；　and　clearly　justified　the　sneers　of　the　philosophers。　　Tradition　had　given　place　to　private　judgment　and　in　its　first　reaction　private　judgment　knew　no　law　but　its　own　caprices。　　The　watchword　of　intellectual　freedom　was　made　to　cover　universal　license；　and　clever　sophists　constructed　theories　to　justify　the　mad　carnival　of　vice　and　frivolity。　　〃As　soon　as　one　does　a　bad　action；　one　never　fails　to　make　a　bad　maxim；〃　said　the　clever　Marquise　de　Crequi。　　〃As　soon　as　a　school　boy　has　his　love　affairs；　he　wishes　no　more　to　say　his　prayers；　and　when　a　woman　wrongs　her　husband；　she　tries　to　believe　no　more　in　God。〃

The　fact　that　this　brilliant　but　heartless　and　epicurean　world　was　tempered　with　intellect　and　taste　changed　its　color　but　not　its　moral　quality。　　Talent　turned　to　intrigue；　and　character　was　the　toy　of　the　scheming　and　flexible　brain。　　The　maxims　of　La　Rochefoucauld　were　the　rule　of　life。　　Wit　counted　for　everything；　the　heart　for　nothing。　　The　only　sins　that　could　not　be　pardoned　were　stupidity　and　awkwardness。　　〃Bah！　　He　has　only　revealed　every　one's　secret；〃　said　Mme。　du　Defand　to　an　acquaintance　who　censured　Helvetius　for　making　selfishness　the　basis　of　all　human　actions。　　To　some　one　who　met　this　typical　woman　of　her　time；　in　the　gay　salon　of　Mme。　de　Marchais；　and　condoled　with　her　upon　the　death　of　her　lifelong　friend　and　lover；　Pont　de　Veyle；　she　quietly　replied；　〃Alas！　　He　died　this　evening　at　six　o〃clock；　otherwise　you　would　not　see　me　here。〃　　〃My　friend　fell　ill；　I　attended　him；　he　died；　and　I　dissected　him〃　was　the　remark　of　a　wit　on　reading　her　satirical　pen　portrait　of　the　Marquise　du　Chatelet。　　This　cold　skepticism；　keen　analysis；　and　undisguised　heartlessness　strike　the　keynote　of　the　century　which　was　socially　so　brilliant；　intellectually　so　fruitful；　and　morally　so　weak。

The　liberty　and　complaisance　of　the　domestic　relations　were　complete。　　It　is　true　there　were　examples　of　conjugal　devotion；　for　the　gentle　human　affections　never　quite　disappear　in　any　atmosphere；　but　the　fact　that　they　were　considered　worthy　of　note　sufficiently　indicates　the　drift　of　the　age。　　In　the　world　of　fashion　and　of　form　there　was　not　even　a　pretense　of　preserving　the　sanctity　of　marriage；　if　the　chronicles　of　the　time　are　to　be　credited。　　It　was　simply　a　commercial　affair　which　united　names　and　fortunes；　continued　the　glory　of　the　families；　replenished　exhausted　purses；　and　gave　freedom　to　women。　　If　love　entered　into　it　at　all；　it　was　by　accident。　　This　superfluous　sentiment　was　ridiculed；　or　relegated　to　the　bourgeoisie；　to　whom　it　was　left　to　preserve　the　tradition　of　household　virtues。　　Every　one　seems　to　have　accepted　the　philosophy　of　the　irrepressible　Ninon；　who　〃returned　thanks　to　God　every　evening　for　her　esprit；　and　prayed　him　every　morning　to　be　preserved　from　follies　of　the　heart。〃　　If　a　young　wife　was　modest　or　shy；　she　was　the　object　of　unflattering　persiflage。　　If　she　betrayed　her　innocent　love　for　her　husband；　she　was　not　of　the　charmed　circle　of　wit　and　good　tone　which　frowned　upon　so　vulgar　a　weakness；　and　laughed　at　inconvenient　scruples。

〃Indeed；〃　says　a　typical　husband　of　the　period；　〃I　cannot　conceive　how；　in　the　barbarous　ages；　one　had　the　courage　to　wed。　　The　ties　of　marriage　were　a　chain。　　Today　you　see　kindness；　liberty；　peace　reign　in　the　bosom　of　families。　　If　husband　and　wife　love　each　other；　very　well；　they　live　together；　they　are　happy。　　If　they　cease　to　love；　they　say　so　honestly；　and　return　to　each　other　the　promise　of　fidelity。　　They　cease　to　be　lovers；　they　are　friends。　　That　is　what　I　call　social　manners；　gentle　manners。〃　　This　reign　of　the　senses　is　aptly　illustrated　by　the　epitaph　which　the　gay；　voluptuous；　and　spirtuelle　Marquise　de　Boufflers　wrote　for　herself：

Ci…git　dans　une　paix　profonde　Cette　Dame　de　Volupte　Qui；　pour　plus　grande　surete；　Fit　son　paradis　de　ce　monde。

〃Courte　et　bonne；〃　said　the　favorite　daughter　of　the　Regent；　in　the　same　spirit。

It　is　against　such　a　background　that　the　women　who　figure　so　prominently　in　the　salons　are　outlined。　　Such　was　the　air　they　breathed；　the　spirit　they　imbibed。　　That　it　was　fatal　to　the　finer　graces　of　character　goes　without　saying。　　Doubtless；　in　quiet　and　secluded　nooks；　there　were　many　human　wild　flowers　that　had　not　lost　their　primitive　freshness　and　delicacy；　but　they　did　not　flourish　in　the　withering　atmosphere　of　the　great　world。　　The　type　in　vogue　savored　of　the　hothouse。　　With　its　striking　beauty　of　form　and　tropical　richness　of　color；　it　had　no　sweetness；　no　fragrance。　　Many　of　these　women　we　can　only　consider　on　the　worldly　and　intellectual　side。　　Sydney　Smith　has　aptly　characterized　them　as　〃women　who　violated　the　common　duties　of　life；　and　gave　very　pleasant　little　suppers。〃　　But　standing　on　the　level　of　a　time　in　which　their　faults　were　mildly　censured；　if　at　all；　their　characteristic　gifts　shine　out　with　marvelous　splendor。　　It　is　from　this　standpoint　alone　that　we　can　present　them；　drawing　the　friendly　mantle　of　silence　over　grave　weaknesses　and　fatal　errors。

In　this　century；　in　which　women　have　so　much　wider　scope；　when　they　may　paint；　carve；　act；　sing；　write；　enter　professional　life；　or　do　whatever　talent　and　inclination　dictate；　without　loss　of　dignity　or　prestige；　unless　they　do　it　ill；and　perhaps　even　this　exception　is　a　trifle　superfluous；it　is　difficult　to　understand　fully；　or　estimate　correctly；　a　society　in　which　the　best　feminine　intellect　was　centered　upon　the　art　of　entertaining　and　of　wielding　an　indirect　power　through　the　minds　of　men。　　These　Frenchwomen　had　all　the　vanity　that　lies　at　the　bottom　of　the　Gallic　character；　but　when　the　triumphs　of　youth　were　over；　the　only　legitimate　path　to　individual　distinction　was　that　of　social　influence。　　This　was　attained　through　personal　charm；　supplemented　by　more　or　less　cleverness；　or　through　the　gift　of　creating　a　society　that　cast　about　them　an　illusion　of　talent　of　which　they　were　often　only　the　reflection。　　To　these　two　classes　belong　the　queens　of　the　salons。　　But　the　most　famous　of　them　only　carried　to　the　point　of　genius　a　talent　that　was　universal。

In　its　best　estate　a　brilliant　social　life　is　essentially　an　external　one。　　Its　charm　lies　largely　in　the　superficial　graces；　in　the　facile　and　winning　manners；　the　ready　tact；　the　quick　intelligence；　the　rare　and　perishable　gifts　of　conversationin　the　nameless　trifles　which　are　elusive　as　shadows　and　potent　as　light。　　It　is　the　way　of　putting　things　that　tells；　rather　than　the　value　of　the　things　themselves。　　This　world　of　draperies　and　amenities；　of　dinners　and　conversaziones；　of　epigrams；　coquetries；　and　sparkling　trivialities　in　the　Frenchwoman's　milieu。　　It　has　little　in　common　with　the　inner　world　that　surges　forever　behind　and　beneath　it；　little　sympathy　with　inconvenient　ideals　and　exalted　sentiments。　　The　serious　and　earnest　soul　to　which　divine　messages　have　been　whispered　in　hours　of　solitude　finds　its　treasures　unheeded；　its　language　unspoken　here。　　The　cares；　the　burdens；　the　griefs　that　weigh　so　heavily　on　the　great　heart　of　humanity　are　banished　from　this　social　Eden。　　The　Frenchman　has　as　little　love　for　the　somber　side　of　life　a