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Black Republic of Letters

Note - The French Republican Guard Band

Founded in 1848 by the musician Jean-Georges Paulus, the French Republican Guard Band is a military band. Learn more about the French Republican Guard Band.

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"Miscellany" Translation:The abundance of material obliges us to postpone the interesting publication of the "Preface" to a History of Haiti, by our collaborator Louis Borno, to next week.

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In Guatemala
A girl avenges the death of her father – In the aftermath of the troubles that erupted in Guatemala, after the victories of San Salvador, General Barrundia, ex-Minister of War of Guatemala under President Barrios, rebelled against Barillas and had emigrated to Mexico.

Learning that a general amnesty had been granted, he had embarked for Panama on an American steamer. Barillas, informed of the return of his old adversary, demanded his capture. The captain refused unless he received an order from Mr. Mizner, minister of the United States in Guatemala. The latter made the mistake of authorizing the Guatemalan police to seize the fugitive. The general seeming to resist, the agents, instead of disarming him and forcing him to the ground, killed him on board, without the captain protesting.

The next day, General Barrundia's daughter, a great and beautiful person of 18 years, showed up at the United States' minister's house and fired on him with four blows of a revolver. The minister survived, and the young girl was arrested and held incommunicado.

This act of filial love stirred up the Guatemalan population, who took up the defence of its author. The American legation was likely to be ransacked, if the adept police had not stepped in.

It has been announced that the government of Guatemala has decided to exile Miss Barrundia.

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For the Victims in Fort-de-France
In order to give an exceptional attraction to the great festivities that it is organizing for the profit of the victims in Fort-de-France, the municipality of Antwerp has solicited the Minister of War for the support of the music of the republican guard. Mr. de Freycinet having agreed to the request, the music of the guard, under the direction of its leader Mr. Wetge, will leave Paris next Friday the 12th. The voyage will take five days. A magnificent welcome is prepared for the premier French military music by the population of Antwerp, who remember the festival organized last year, in Paris, in favour of the victims of the catastrophe of Antwerp, and which will surely pay the debt of recognition that it contracted with regard to France.

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A Useful Contest
As seen in the notification letter publishing in our last issue, Cardinal Lavigerie, in order to affirm, by way of a useful work, the importance of the anti-slavery congress that will take place in Paris, has just opened a contest for the composition of a popular work destined to indicate the means of abolishing slavery in Africa.

A prize of 20,000 francs is set aside for the author of the work that is chosen as the winner.

We hope that this news will have an impact in Haiti, and that our moralists and our young writers will take part in such a noble literary tournament.

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A Theatrical Marriage
In Denver, a city in Colorado (United States), two actors and two actresses each night performed a scene in which they got engaged. Three weeks ago, in filling these roles, they were so infused with their characters that, the moment that the curtain fell at the end of the play, they had a protestant pastor come on the scene and unite them—this time for real. The public, becoming aware of what was going on, cheered on the four artists, and the orchestra played a nuptial march, and the maitre d's immediately transformed the theatre into a banquet hall of one hundred and fifty place settings.

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A Duel Between Women
An encounter with épées took place Monday morning between two women of loose morals, one of whom was a young American.

The irons had hardly been engaged when Pandora arose unexpectedly, and brought the delinquents with all due gallantry to the police station.

After a severe reprimand, the magistrate sent the two enemies away without having been able to reconcile them.

The épées, weapons of great value, were confiscated.

It is useless to describe the motive of this encounter... Look for the man!

It is, all the same, really too fin de siècle.

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Paulus and General Boulanger
An editor of the Gaulois had an interview with Paulus. — "Ah! The general," the famous singer cried, "I'm associated with him! But, Sir, I did not create General Boulanger, I only consecrated him. I cannot create anyone. All I do is respond to ambitious people who request that I launch them with my songs.

"The public is my master, and I am its valet; in order for me to keep the favour of my audience, it is necessary that no protestation is raised from among the spectators.

"From the moment I took up Boulanger, he was unanimously liked. He was like a painting; he was made, I polished him; so people should stop associating me with him.

"All the more because, as soon as he started being discussed, I introduced variations.

"Currently, it would be just as impossible to sing about Boulanger as to sing about Ferry or Constans."

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Costly Honours
On the 2nd of August, the English warship Truth, having prince George of Wales on board, entered into the port of Halifax. A deputation of residents went on board to invite the son of the future king of England to a banquet that was going to take place in the town. The invitation being made without warning, it could not be accepted, and five midshipmen [English in original] (naval cadets) were charged with going ashore to thank the townspeople and to announce that the prince could not come. Our five rash fellows had the idea to take advantage of the to play a prank on the townspeople. One of them, who looked a bit like the prince, claimed to be prince George. He filled the role wonderfully. He received honours from all and showed himself particularly friendly with the young ladies of Halifax. The banquet was extremely lively; there were toasts to the queen, to the Prince of Wales, and to the fleet. The false prince responded most courteously.

The whole affair would have remained unknown if not for a visit from a delegation from the town that came on board.

The five jokesters were immediately discharged and given over to a war council.

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The Statue of Eugène Delacroix at the Luxembourg The inauguration took place on Sunday. The monument erected to the great painter "by his admirers" is the work the sculptor Dalou. Twenty-seven years after his death, Eugène Delacroix finally has his bronze in this Paris that his genius helped to illustrate. It is our illustrious colleague Auguste Vacquerie who was the initiator and the soul of this act of justice and reparation.

When one wants to erect a statue in memory of a great man, money is insufficient; one also needs the sculptor capable of understanding the model who must inspire him. Photographs, still incomplete thirty years later, and taken at different phases of the painter's life, only gave Mr. Dalou vague indications; he thus had to reconstitute the entire bust, and he succeeded admirably. The features are at once energetic and traced with melancholy; proud and resigned—like the life of the master. The sculptor had the courage to show him in the thick muffler that almost always enveloped the painter's neck. Three great figures characterize and complete the idea of the statuary; the Genius of Art is seated on the steps to the right, where it seems to be looking after the memory of Delacroix; Time itself is charged with the long awaited apotheosis; in his robust arms he holds Glory, and hoist her toward the bust, where she places the palms of immortality. Apollo, in an intense movement of life and truth, turns himself toward the group; he has cast down his lyre and is applauding. The movement of the god is so gripping that one is tempted to applaud with him.

The ceremony benefited from superb weather. And, at the sigh of the monument which stood splendidly in the greenery pierced with golden sunlight, there was but a single cry of admiration among the entire audience.

At exactly two o'clock, the Republican Guard played an overture; at the moment when the curtain that hid the monument was removed, they struck up a triumphal march. Then they played a patriotic hymn to close the ceremony.

Mr. Auguste Vacquerie first presented the monument to the Minister of Public Instruction. The latter replied with a speech by the Director of the Rappel. Then, Mr. Delaborde recounted the now mostly forgotten quarrels between the romantics and the classicists. Finally, after Delacroix's eulogy, pronounced by the critic Paul Mantz, Mounet-Sully read a poem by Théodore de Banville.

The monument stands in the Plane Tree Path, between the palace and the Luxembourg Museum. It takes shape between two magnificent trees; at its base is the garden of the Senate president. The architectural portion, a semi-circular basin, is of white marble; the bust and the allegorical figures are made of bronze, cast as it were from a single piece without a single touch up, best preserves the artists hand.

One believes that the sculptor worked with his whole soul, with the faith of a man convinced there was a great justice to repair, and happy to be chose for this work of reparation. Everyone agrees that Mr. Dalou has just completed his masterpiece, and renowned artists have affirmed that this monument is one of the most beautiful things that French sculpture has produced for many years.

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Note - Jean-Georges Paulus