Paris past & present . house deeply marked in all itsparts by the absorbing personality of a monarchbefore whom the haughty Republic of Venicehumiliated itself, and of whom kingdomsbegged that he would send sovereigns to ruleover them. That monarch, in whom was des-potically incarnated the majesties and vanitiesof his century, built this Chateau so well thatit is still his souvenir, and yet there is reallyvery little of his own residence in existence atthe present time. Indeed there only remainsthe grands appartements du Roi, the Galeriedes Glaces and its two salons, some roomsbelonging to the
Paris past & present . house deeply marked in all itsparts by the absorbing personality of a monarchbefore whom the haughty Republic of Venicehumiliated itself, and of whom kingdomsbegged that he would send sovereigns to ruleover them. That monarch, in whom was des-potically incarnated the majesties and vanitiesof his century, built this Chateau so well thatit is still his souvenir, and yet there is reallyvery little of his own residence in existence atthe present time. Indeed there only remainsthe grands appartements du Roi, the Galeriedes Glaces and its two salons, some roomsbelonging to the grands appartements de laReine, the Chapel, with here and there someportions of the decoration of rooms that under-went alteration or renovation during the reignof Louis XV, to meet the constantly increasingnecessities of the Royal family, or that wereari-anged into superior apartments for theseparate accommodation of certain petites mait-resses, among Avhom may be mentioned Ma-dame Du Barry, Madame de Mailly, Madame. PICTURES FROM THE TERRACE. 201 de Chateaiiroiix, La Pompadour, and otlier reines de la main gaiiclie wlio have lived inthe old Chateau. But if there have been many and importantchanges in the edifice, not so of the park andgardens in which it stands. When strollingon the terrace at the rear of the Chateau onthe days of the grand eaux, that is to say,when all the fountains play; then, and sur-rounded by a crowd of globe trotters or ofnative sightseers, one often overhears speeches,doubtless learned in books and magazines, suchas:— Yes, it is very beautiful, but it is a verysolemn style. Look at it well, it is onlygeometry. Certainly there is sculpture andarchitecture, but made especially with a viewto the trees and verdure. Walls and pyra-mids of foliage—really that is anything butnatural. I think it is very stiif and un-graceful, and so on. Still the picture fromthat terrace has to the writer always had a re-markably fine effect, and he has gazed on itvery of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1902
