Show CURRENT TOPICS IN EUROPE history and politics are always at war in france the glories of the old monarchy seem like a reproach to the revolution and the daring genius of napoleon who entered as victor nearly every capital of continental europe seems to taunt republican france with weakness in fact there are very tew few historical personages in prance france of whom it may not be said that public sentiment is divided one party claiming that they were the personification of all that is good and noble and the other asserting that they were the very embodiment of evil one personage however seems to have escaped this destiny for more than years joan of are arc has remained a unique and heroic figure in the memories of the peo pe time has consecrated her career and lifted her above the parties of the present day and now that the anniversary of her birth is approaching pro aching a more than usual interest is manifest from the fact that the greatest french actress of the present day sarah bernhardt is about to quit the round of her usual characters in order to appear as the maid of orleans in M jules barbiers drama in some respects it may seem strange that a joan a girl so deeply imbued with the faithana fait hand even the superstitions of the aged age should be an object of hero worship to the free thinking artistic france of the nineteenth century yet there is something flattering flatten ng to the republicans in the boast that when kings nobles and ana priests failed to save france a peasant girl rushed to the rescue and became the liberator of her native land had prince or priest noble or heroine expelled the germans from france iu in 1871 the people would have bowed in homage for the time however est rayed france may be from monarchy nobility or religion she reveres joan for the stai stainless uless patriotism of her career but joan of arc innocent and good was something more than a mere country maid she had courage cou rage capacity capaci ty and lofty thoughts she heard beard voices she saw visions it would be puerile to inquire whether they were real or not they were real to her we must remember that joan was remarkable for her personal purity in an age when the stalled called led christian church was steeped in worldliness and drunk with sensuality an actress who would rightly represent the maid of orleans must realize the heroic resol resolve the calm purpose the pure soul and perfect disinterred ness and simplicity of one of the most moot matchless figures dinall in all history those who have seen madame bernhardt ernhardt 3 in the tragedy of hernani ri r presenting first the new made wife supremely sweet in her crowning hur hour of love and then the woman desperate in her passion and her grief as her young husband is summoned by the fatal horn and doomed to die or those who have shuddered with her thrill of agony in the torture scene of la To tosca will admit that she is at least one of the greatest if not the very greatest tragic actress in the nineteenth century if sara sam bernhardt can proper ly delineate the cha character of the historical virgin of france she will greatly add to her own laurels and teach parisians Pari a lesson that should redound to the welfare of the french republic one can well understand why madame carnot the wife of the Pre president eident is so well loved when we learn of her numerous acts of kindness several hospitals she has richly endowed under her patronage several schools especially for youna ladies have been established and indigent aspiring genius ever finds in her a sympathizing sympathize ng friend her latest proposition is not only to encourage public christmas dinners to the poor and unfortunate but she has ulso also caused to be selected from the twenty of paris two hundred little boys and two hundred little girls who will have the pleasure of spending iding C christmas h day at the ohp palais dedde enjoying a good substantial dinner aud and going home in the evening each with a brand new suit of clothes the destinies of prance france seem at last to be in the hands of a truly good man and noble woman if france is the country of revolutions and spain the land of political proclamations surely russia may justly be termed the home of jubilees jubil ees how few among the masses have known the nationality of benstein Bu of those even who have been delighted with his soul music how few have been aware that in december 1839 then a little boy of ten years of age gave his first public concert in moscow and his heart beat quicker at the deafening applause of an enraptured multitude since then the timid has become the world renowned master skilled in discovering and embodying in heavenly nea venly tones the hidden bidden soul of harmony what has done since then to merit the title of the michael angelo of music is well known among the lovers of that noble art what he has done for russia as an artist and a man will never be be adequately known and the nation does well to honor her noble son not only did Bu benstein eaf establish ablith the imperial academy of music at st gt petersburg but likewise branch establishments in all the principal cities of russia and sue suc ceelen in diffusing a sincere love of music in all ranks especially among the poorer classes thus putting it in their power to raise their souls on the wings of divine harmonies high above the fearful storm in which their miserable mise rabe bei lives are mostly passed Ruben steins virtues as a man and a citizen are fully equal to his fame as an artist wealth came to him in abundance but he has e exchanged it for the opportunity of making his fellows better and happier hundreds of thousands of roubles coubles have passed through his hands bands into those of indigent artists poverty stricken students and struggling musicians to whom his encouragement coura gement has been as the suns warm rays in spring to the leafless oak he now occupies the post of president of the imperial academy and receives a considerable salary all of which goes to the relief of young men rich in nothing but rare genius the emperor has just al lowed him a pension of three thousand roubles coubles which will be sufficient cien t to supply his wants the enthusiasm with which Ruben steins jubilee is being celebrated is positively indescribable it borders border on religious frenzy and certainly realizes the highest form of carlyles Ca ideal of hero worship ladies of cultivated tastes and ample means have subscribed thousands of roubles to defray the expenses of the celebration which will last art six days the vast hall and galleries of the academy are clothed in a wilderness of flowers many of which came from the sunny vales of southern france and italy grand dukes and grand duchesses cabinet ministers and ambassadors occupy the stalls and boxes and en applaud the great musician while telegrams pour in upon him from all parts of the world and monarchs monar cbs and celebrities wish him life and happiness for many years to come the reception of the german emperor K eror by the city of frankfort on the ath h instant terminates in a significant manner the round of visits which the german emperor has made during the year it is difficult to say whether his excursions to distant capitals such as rome athens and constantinople or to thel the important cities of the german fagerland Fa derland such as worms worm darmstadt and frankfort are the more suggestive partly no doubt in consequence of the powerful and responsible reel fusible position he occupies but still OUS more because of his strong and sharply defined benned characteristics the movements of the german emperor are followed by the public gaze with extreme interest and curiosity there is perhaps no city in the world po eo rich in proportion to its size and population as frankfort the former capital of the old germanic confederation it is the home of the the mums the Eri Er angers langers and others who in reality control the money markets of the world and when we read that these great money princes lent their richest tapestries and finest finelt plate to adorn the banqueting hall we may form acme conception of the brilliancy of the reception but to understand the political significance of this visit we should call to mind that berlin the present capital is the city that has at length deprived frankfort of the proud position it held for fora a thousand years ever since the days of frederick barbarossa it ato the spot where the election of the emperors of germany took place there stands the Wahl zimmer or hall in in which the electors met to deliberate and the Kaiser saal where the new made emperors gave their 11 first rat banquet here too ir ic 1848 and 1865 met the constituent assembly to reorganize the ancient confederation and strange as it may now appear it at that assembly both the grandfather of this present emperor and prince bismarck voted against german unity here also 1 the old emperor william I 1 was crowned in 1871 and the treaty of peace was sidnea between france and germany germ ny which gave the provinces of alsace and lorraine to germany it should not be forgotten that for ages frankfort and berlin were hostile to each other neither is it that the present emperors ancestors were favo favorable rabie to german unity until it became evident that prussia could become the controlling factor in I 1 n the german confederation possibly william I 1 11 I 1 does well to seek to conciliate such powerful cities as frankfort and turn his attention to the consolidation of the empire the return of stanley is the one great 11 topic 11 of the present hour the most remarkable feature is his reverent acknowledgment of a higher power which has guided his bis footsteps in central africa he I 1 1 I 1 I in health d says am perfect atad au feel like a laborer of a saturday evening returning with his weeks work done his weeks wages in his pocket and glad that tomorrow to is the sabbath then he proceeds t th this Is has certainly been the most extraordinary expedition that I 1 have led into africa A veritable divinity seems to have hedged us while we journeyed I 1 say it with all reverence 15 after describing some marvelous interpositions inter positions of providence mr stanley concludes the vulgar will call it luck un believers will call it chance but deep deel down in each heart remains a feeling that of a verity there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in common philosophy I 1 began to see that I 1 was only carroli carry ii g out higher plans than mine I 1 endeavored to steer my course as direct as possible but I 1 have been conscious that the issues sues of every effort were in other hands f we thus find in the heart of man mad who has constantly faced death by day and by night for three years a deep conviction of the om omnipotence ni of god it is the outpourings I 1 bugs of a spirit tried in the hour of peril and adversity a grand witness for god in these days of skepticism and materialism J H WARD EUROPE december 1889 |