398 EUGENE EMMANUEL VIOLLET-LE-DUC. 



nated Professor of the History of Art and Architecture. The merits 

 of the new scheme were acrimoniously discussed in the journals and 

 pamphlets of the day. But the questions at issue were not destined 

 to be settled upon their merits. The sudden and arbitrary manner in 

 which these changes had been made excited the loyal indignation of 

 the students of the school, who, justly regarding the newly appointed 

 professor as the chief cause of offence, refused to listen to instructions 

 which, under other circumstances, they would have received with in- 

 terest and respect. Moreover, the government, by a supplementary 

 decree, issued in January, 1864, hastened to make such explanations 

 and modifications as served, in his eyes, to deprive the new rules 

 of all their value. He at once sent in his resignation, published 

 under the name of Entretiens the discourses he had prepared for his 

 classes, and proceeded to organize, in conjunction with his friend M. 

 Trelat, a civil engineer of great intelligence, an independent school, 

 in which the views he had so strenuously advocated should be syste- 

 matically carried out. In this school, to which the name of EcoZe Cen- 

 trale d 'Architecture was given, he continued to take an active interest, 

 forming one of its board of governors, and preparing for its students, 

 with his own hand, a series of examples for exercises in draughtsman- 

 ship, which have since been published, of unusual interest and great 

 technical excellence. He had also previously, for eight years, taken 

 personal charge of the instruction in ornamental drawing in the Ecole 

 Imperiale du Dessin. 



It only remains to say that the range of his knowledge and skill 

 was not limited to the art which he professed, nor even to the useful 

 and ornamental arts ancillary to architecture, in which he constantly 

 showed himself capable, not only of giving advice to his workmen, 

 but of showing them with his own hands how best their work should 

 be done. He seemed to understand everything, as one of his work- 

 men expressed it, from astronomy to cooking. It is said that while 

 the court of Louis Napoleon was at Compiegne, he was often sum- 

 moned from his work at Pierrefonds to act as master of the revels, to 

 contrive the scenic entertainments, arrange the music, design the cos- 

 tumes, and paint the scenery. When the Empire fell, he devoted his 

 powers and attainments to the service of his country, organizing a 

 corps of civil engineers, auxiliary to the military arm. In this he 

 held the office of lieutenant-colonel, and during the siege of Paris 

 worked night and day, walking stick in hand, directing the repair of 

 the .works as they were destroyed by the enemy's fire. Upon the re- 

 turn of peace, he for the first time began to take an active interest in 



