no exclusion, save on two grounds-those | the problem quite justify the means taken of poverty and intelligence. There is a to solve it? Might not enough be inkind of intellect admitted into this gor- ferred from the antecedent history of geous coterie, but it is intellect in livery. those who are the subjects of it to disThe dramatic author and the dramatic pense with the necessity of a nearer excritic are now as much appendages to the amination? Take a number of women dramatic courtesan as her coachman and of the lower classes from the different her femme de chambre. Where profes- provinces of France-with no refinement, sional reputation depends on scenic ef with a mere shred of education, and with fect, and scenic effect depends upon the but small claim to what an English eye équivoques put into the actress's mouth would regard as beauty-but compenand the applause with which their de- sating for lack of knowledge, education, livery is received, the man who concocts and refinement by a vivacity and a cothe équivoques and the man who criti- quetry peculiarly French. Take these cises their delivery become equally ob- women up to Paris, tutor them as stage jects of attention to the actress who is supernumeraries, and parade before them looking out for a clientèle. Saving these the example of the arts of the more sucnecessary exceptions, these assemblies cessful lorettes. The rest may be imare composed of rich old men anxious agined. From these general premises it to dissipate the money which they have is not difficult to conjecture the product made, and rich young men as anxious to obtained; to conceive that manner on dissipate the wealth which they have in- which jeunes gens dote, a manner made herited. And now we hear that the up of impudence and grimace; that repwives and sisters of these men seek ad- artee which mainly consists of a new mission to these Paphian halls. slang hardly known two miles beyond the Madeleine; those doubles entendres of which perhaps memory is less the parent than instinct, and that flattery which is always coarse and always ve nal. It would be erroneous to say that we have here given a complete pict ure of the class which certain leaders of Parisian fashion wish to study. There are, in the original, traits and features which we could not describe, and which it is unnecessary for us to attempt to describe, as they are portrayed in the pages of the satirist who has immortalized the vices of the most corrupt eity at its most corrupt era. Juvenal will supply what is wanting to our imperfect delineation. English ladies may read him in the vigorous paraphrases of Dryden and Gifford; while their French contemporaries may arrive at a livelier conception of what we dare not express, if only they stay till the supper crowns the festal scene of the masked ball. If they outstay this, they will have learned a lesson the value of which we leave it for themselves to compute. It is, indeed, not an unnatural, though it is far from a decent, curiosity which prompts ladies entitled to the reputation of virtue to examine something of the life and domestic economy of those ladies whose very existence presupposes an entire repudiation of virtue. The married women naturally desire to know something of the manners and mien and language of the rivals whose arts have diverted their own husbands' treasures into alien and obnoxious channels. When a wife hears that her husband has, at one magnificent stroke on the Bourse, carried off one or two millions of francs, she is curious to ascertain the process by which no inconsiderable proportion of these winnings has been "affected" to the payment of Madlle. Théodorine's debts or to the purchase of Madlle. Valentine's brougham. And the anxious mother, who has long dreamed of the ceremony which might unite the fortunes of her dear Alcide with the dot of her opulent neighbor's daughter, is tortured between the misery of frustrated hopes and curiosity to understand the motives which impel Alcide to become the daily visitor of Madlle. Gabrielle in the Rue d'Arcade, and her daily companion when riding in the Bois de Boufogne. Certainly the subject is a very But does the solution of curious one. It is idle to say that curiosity of this kind is harmless because it is confined to a few. Only a few, indeed, may have contemplated the extreme step of being present at the saturnalia of the demimonde. But how many others have thought of them and talked of them? - SIR MORTON PETO, BART. To how many leaders of society are the | radation which they court by showing doings of these women the subjects of that even a mixture of vapid frivolity, daily curiosity and daily conversation? sensual indulgence, and senseless extravHow many patrician-or, at all events, agance is insufficient to corrupt a nation, noble dames, regular attendants at unless also the female leaders of society mass, arbiters of fashion, and ornaments conspire to select for their notice and of the church, honor with their inquisi- admiration those creatures for whom the tiveness women of whose existence, law of the land would better have protwenty years ago, no decent French wom- vided the supervision of the police and an was presumed to have any knowl- the certificate of professional prostituedge? And do these noble ladies sup- tion. When virtuous women of birth pose that this curiosity is disregarded by and position rub shoulders with strumthe adventuresses from Arles or Stras- pets, protests are useless and prophecies burg, Bordeaux or Rouen, whom suc- are superfluous; for the taint which goes cessful prostitution has dowered with before destruction is already poisoning lace, diamonds, carriages, and opera- the heart of the nation. boxes? Do they suppose that the professed admiration of the young Sardanapali for the ex-couturières and ballet-girls of Paris has not a more potent effect when combined with the ill-concealed interest of their mothers and sisters? And what that effect is on the men in one class, and on the women in another, a very slight knowledge of human nature is sufficient to suggest. That girls of moderately good looks will contentedly continue to ply the shuttle at Lyons, or to drudge as household servants in Brittany, or to trudge home to a supperless chamber in Paris with the bare earnings of a supernumerary or a coryphée at a small theatre, when a mere sacrifice of chastity may enable them not only to ruin young dukes and counts, but to become the theme and admiration of duchesses and countesses, is a supposition which involves too high a belief in human virtue; and the conditions we have named are found to be fatal to the virtue of the poorer French women. And as for the men, what must be the effect on them? Debarred from the stirring conflict of politics; exiled, so to speak, from the natural arena of patriotic ambition; knowing no literature save that of novels in which courtesans are the heroines, and caring for no society but that of which courtesans are the leaders; diversifying the excitement of the hazard-table and the betting-room with the excitement of the coulisses; learning from their habitual associations to lose that reverence for women and that courteous attention to them which are popularly supposed to have at one time characterized the gentlemen of France-they partially redeem the deg THE advent to our shores, a few months since, of Sir Morton Peto, is still fresh in the public mind. It will be long remembered with interest and pleasure by many public men and private individuals. His coming had not been heralded, but his rapid journeyings over our widely-extended country were marked by continuous ovations at the hands of multitudes of our most prominent citizens, who delighted to do him honor. He was received and welcomed with great respect and cordiality whereever he went. He looked on the faces of multitudes at different times and pla ces, as he addressed them in eloquent words. But his stay among us short, and he soon disappeared, leaving behind him many pleasant memories and his own handsome face, which, by his kind permission, we have the pleasure to perpetuate and send abroad over the land as an agreeable adornment to The ECLECTIC, and the gratification of his numerous friends. A brief biographical sketch can hardly fail to add interest to the portrait of a man so highly respected. was SIR SAMUEL MORTON PETO, a native of Woking, Surrey, was born in 1809. He is descended from an ancient Norman family, well known in England for the past five hundred years. We infer, from what we can learn, that his name, originally Peteaux, may be found among the followers of William I., about the time of the Norman conquest. But Sir Morton is the architect of his own name and fortune, without such a tracery. In his youth he served an apprenticeship of seven years, with his uncle, Mr. Henry Peto, an extensive builder, and on his death, in 1830, he succeeded, when just of age, to a moiety of the large business; his joint partner being Mr. Thomas Grissell, another nephew of the deceased. Mr. Peto at the same time came into possession of much property by his uncle's will. The partnership was dissolved in 1845, Mr. Grissell continuing the erection of the Houses of Parliament, the greatest of the many public buildings undertaken by the firm. Since that time, Sir Morton has constructed a large portion of the leading railway works in England, and also in Canada. Among his most important works should be mentioned his completion of the Norwegian Grand Trunk line, and the Royal Danish line in 1854. Upon the opening of the latter, Sir Morton received from the hands of the King of Denmark the Order of the Dannebrog. From 1847 to 1854, Sir Morton represented the City of Norwich in Parliament, when he retired in order to help the British Army out of its peril, by the construction of a railway in the Crimea. Passing over other incidents in the history of this remarkable man, we shall best subserve our purpose in this brief sketch by quoting the eloquent address of Cyrus W. Field, Esq., at the banquet given by Sir Morton to our citizens, on the eve of his return to England. The address embodies the leading facts of interest in his personal history: SIR MORTON PETO, AND GENTLEMEN: I have been requested to perform a very pleasant duty, to express our acknowledgments to our host for the courtesies of this evening, and for the services which he has rendered to our countrya duty for which I can claim no special fitness, except that, as it has been my fortune for some years to pass much of my life in England, it has been my privilege to know him louger than most who are present; to know him where an Englishman likes best to be known, at home; and to share his kindness and hospitality. It is but a few weeks since he landed in this city, and then first set foot on American soil; and within that brief time he has become acquainted with perhaps the greater part of those who are his guests to-night. But some of us have known him for years as one of the men whose energy and enterprise have carried British capital all over the globe. Familiar with his past history, you will permit me to recall one or two incidents of a remarkable career. Fourteen years ago London attracted visitors from all parts of the world to witness an Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations. That great exhibition has been ascribed chiefly to the patronage and support of Prince Albert. And so indeed it was greatly indebted not only to the personal and official influence, but to the rare intelligence, and to the sympathy with all Science and Art, which distinguished the late Prince, whom America as well as England mourns. But there is another chapter in the history of that enterprise, which is known to but few. When the design was matured, and Sir Joseph Paxton had drawn the plan for the building of the International Exhibition, which was to be the wonder of the world, there was an unpleasant want, which often checks great enterprises-the want of money! The Bank of England was willing to advance the whole amount upon good personal security. To raise this a meeting was held in London, at which many gentlemen of wealth and many of the nobility were present. To the call for subscriptions, one and another responded with a pledge of a few hundred pounds. This was poor encouragement for a work which demanded half a million sterling. At length there rose a gentleman, not then so well known as he is now, who said they might put him down for £50,000! Everybody turned to look at the stranger whose offer threw them all into the shade. The Bank of England was ready to take his bond for the amount. This bold offer electrified the meeting, and roused others to greater liberality. "And thus," said my informant, a most competent authority, "the great Exhibition of 1851 might have proved a failure but for the prompt liberality of Sir Morton Peto." 99 Again, three or four years after, the allied armies lay embedded in the mud before Sebastopol. Everything had to be carried on men's shoulders. To trans port cannon and munitions of war was impossible. Sir Morton Peto then sent to the Crimea a competent and efficient staff of engineers, and in twenty-one days had a railway complete, and trains running from Balaclava to the heights around Sebastopol. For this service, which was worth millions to England, he refused all compensation or profit, feeling rewarded enough by the service he had been able to render to his country; but for this patriotic act her Majesty felt pleased to confer upon him the honor of a Baronetcy. And thus for many years there have been few undertakings of moment in England which have not been indebted to the public spirit and generous support of the same large-minded and largehearted man. To speak of all the enterprises in which he has been engaged would take the whole evening. One of the latest and most novel is the carrying out of underground railroads in London, which when finished will complete an entire system of these roads under that metropolis. When they were projected, it was a bold undertaking, and the result seemed doubtful. But one section, four miles long, running right under the heart of London, has been completed for two or three years, and has proved a perfect success. It furnishes an example which we might follow with benefit, thus bringing together the most distant parts of our long and narrow island. The success of the first in London has led to very large extensions, which are now in progress, and which will run in every direction, mining that great city like the passages in the catacombs under Rome. While speaking of the enterprises in which Sir Morton is wont to engage, you will permit me to name another gentleman who has been his associate in many of these undertakings, and to whom I owe a debt of personal gratitude. I refer to Mr. Thomas Brassey, a name of power among the moneyed men of England. When two years ago I was in London, struggling to revive the project of the Atlantic Telegraph, I found it hard to restore the confidence of the British public. Men of capital stood aloof. In this extremity, looking around for some one who should be a tower of strength to the enterprise, I was directed to Mr. Brassey, one of the largest capitalists of England. For two hours he questioned me in regard to every detail of the undertaking; and at the close said: "It is a great international work; it ought to be done; and I will be one of ten men to furnish the money to do it." That offer of sixty thousand pounds, backed up by another of equal amount, from Mr. John Pender, member of the English Parliament, led to the formation of a company that took the balance of the capital for the expedition of last summer, and a large sum in that now preparing for the next year, which, with God's blessing, cannot fail of success. These are the men whose footprints are seen in all parts of the world: in Europe, in Asia, and America; who lifted in air that mighty bridge which spans the St. Lawrence; and who at this moment are building railroads in Germany, in Russia, in Italy, and in South America, besides their large enterprises in our own country. Such undertakings could not be accomplished by individual capital alone, however great. But it is to the honor of our host that by a long career, marked alike by commercial sagacity and the highest integrity, he has inspired such confidence, that capital comes forth at his call almost without limit. And since I have alluded to this point of character, let me add that it is not for wealth alone, or enterprise, that our friend is known. The name of Sir Morton Peto is a household word through. out England for benevolence. He has probably helped to build more churches than any other man in Great Britain. With the same liberal hand he gives support to schools for the poor, and to many charities. He is also a public man, and member of Parliament. For seventeen years he has been a member of the House of Commons, where, besides all the services he has rendered to his own country, he has been a faithful friend to ours. This is to us a very grateful recollection, especially at this time, and has made us give him a hearty welcome to our shores. No Englishman can come to America without seeing that there is a feeling of soreness toward England, from the course of some of her people during the war— for their indifference, if not their hos tility. But let us be just. Amid foes and detractors we have had many true and steadfast friends-friends whose faith did not falter, even in the darkest hour. Among these, in the House of Commons, standing beside Richard Cobden and John Bright, was found Sir Morton Peto. Such Englishmen are always welcome here. If Americans are quick to resent injury and injustice, they are also prompt to recognize true friendship, especially that shown in the day of adversity. Now, gentlemen, we have had lately an English invasion of our country. But it has been an invasion marked by no sound of cannon and followed by no track of blood. It has been a mission | of Peace and Friendship, to which we always give a cordial greeting. Eight weeks ago these Englishmen landed upon our soil as strangers; they are here tonight strangers no longer. Welcomed as they have been by President and people, they will carry back with them, we trust, only happy memories, and a friendship for this country second only to that true and loyal affection which they bear to their native land. I have the pleasure to propose the health of Sir Morton Peto. May he live to witness the completion of the great works he has undertaken; and may his railways in America, while yielding substantial returns to himself and his friends, prove to be bonds of union between the two countries. O YE dead! O ye dead! ye are lying at your rest; Reaching downward grow the rootlets of the flowers and the heath, I look upon the sunshine and the sea-waves as they roll, Do you know the change of seasons, as of old they come and go- Do you find a thrill of sorrow, as the husband or the wife Do such earthly matters move you? You are passed from hence away, And you look down on the whirling of this life with calmer eyes, That have learnt to bear the measure of Eternity's surprise. Are you near us? Can you see us? Can you watch us in our ways? Do you, knowing all things better, wonder at us in our strife, O ye dead! O ye dead! young and old, and small and great, O ye dead! O ye dead! small and great, and young and old, -Chambers's Journal |