Show EUROPEAN TOPICS one of the principal features in the historical department of the coming coaling exposition in paris will be a reproduction in miniature of that terrible prison fortress the bastile 11 which is said to have been will built so long ago as 1369 in the reign of the great monarch king charles V during the reign of charles VI the greater part of france passed into the hands of the english and this fortress was entrusted to the keeping of sir john falstaff this was tile the same man whose memory was traduced traducer trad by one william shakespeare a writer of plays who flourished in the reign of queen elizabeth after the fall fail of the english power in france the bastile became the mint and treas ure house of the french monarchy for a time but soon reverted to the original purpose for which it had been built for more than three hundred years the history of the bastile was intimately connected with the history ot of france for there in its terrible dungeon many of the distinguished statesmen of france were compelled to take up an involuntary residence the capture of the bastile by the french revolutionists july has been immortalized by carlyle and those who will be in paris on the of next july may have the opportunity of seeing in mimic warfare the scenes of a hundred years ago preparations for the great ex exposition are going on rapidly the united states seems to have the foremost place among the nations axce excepting ting france american artists have eave been given feet more room than those of any nation except france and when we consider the great ex expense Lense which must attend all american exhibits our youthful nation may well feel proud of the distinction conferred upon her the great exposition will open in may but previous to that time will be given a grand beauty show to which ladies of all countries colors or previous condition of servitude will be eligible these 11 beauty shows are of somewhat Rome what ancient ginand ori in fact lead us back to the days da s of mythology when gods and any demi gods walked the earth the first one of these displays on record is said to have taken place on ida in greece about three thousand years ago three personages 3 one and all idi divinely fair were in rivalry and each considered she had excellent reasons for considering herself the champion belle of that age juno was so very beautiful that jupiter had picked her out from among an all the lovely inhabitants of the elysian fields to share his throne minerva his favorite daughter was of opinion that juno could bear no comparison with herself while venus the goddess of beauty would tolerate aerate no claimant to supremacy in what she regarded as her own exclusive specialty claRy it so happened that these three persons met together at a wedding festival to which all the gods girod 3 and goddesses were invited except Discordia the sister of death who expressed her annoyance at the slight put upon her by throwing into the midst of the party a golden apple on which was inscribed these words to be given to the fairest As might have been expected this caused contention and it was fina finally I 1 agreed that a great beauty show should be held on mount ida and that the shepherd prince paris should be the arbitrator how he awarded the apple and with what disastrous consequences to troy and greece allweis all keis graphically described in the immortal verse of homer the disastrous consequences of this great beauty show should have taught mankind a lesson but in spite of this exhibitions of a similar character have been held in various a ages ej only last year a beauty sto show 11 was held in bel g gium m which ended in a quarrel and zt last february one was waa held in lyons which has caused any amount of dispute in that famous city of silk 11 at the close of this competition the prizes were awarded to two ladles ladies whose faces it is said were so thickly painted that many declare the prizes were given to art A art rather than to nature that bismuth and carmine and powder had been esteemed preferable to harmony of features and natural delicacy of com complexion lexion what a comment is all agis this on the degeneracy and folly of the times when thousands upon thousands of all classes of society become excited over the relative merits of the painted countenances of disreputable women wherever one may go in literary circles in europe he will hear from many only scorn and contempt for those who advocate female suffrage and yet in france the influence of women in politics is perhaps greater than in any other country true a century ago the primrose league of english women under the leador leadership ship of the dukess duchess of devonshire had a mighty influence in the politics of that day woman then as now is generally on the side of reform william vitt pitt son of the geat great earl of chatham was then a young man and leader of the whig party in parliament for some reason it was generally considered by the whigs that the election of pitt would bring not only political lotical privileges but likewise reforms in cookery and domestic comfort indeed some of the ca campaign m g in mottoes of that day such as pitt att and plum pudding for ever sound very strange to modern american ears at the present time the countess de paris is engaged in founding a political association of women under the title la ea league cle as za la rose which will have evidently a great influence on the general elections which will take place in prance france within six months from the present time there seems no reason to doubt the movement will attain a fair measure of success the organization of the league seems to be complete and the appeal of the countess who is the consort of the heir to the crown of france will not be without effect women of france your dearest convictions and the interests and future of your children are at stake most frenchmen will know what is meant by these words and many may resist the league as an alliance between the women and the priests agai against not which the disciples of voltaire have so long contended enrolment in the league of the rose bose will mean to many more than mere assent to monarchy it will imply an embarrassing embar assing connection with the catholic party wifely ingenuity may triumph over marital reluctance still it will not do for the lady leaguers of the rose to be too sanguine the power of woman is great in all civilized countries an and d the means adopted are undoubtedly th the e most effective that could be employed for enlisting that power in the service of the MOD monarchy archy the badge of the league Is ia certainly a beautiful one and so far as circumstances will permit of the free operations of the league the appeal to the men of france should be sufficiently strong for no nation is more fond of parade or ornament J H WARD EUROPE march 18 1889 |