HENRY V. PELTON. 23 
Academy. For fifteen years afterwards it had no fixed 
place of meeting. 
In the seventeenth century poets met regularly at 
taverns in Paris and, in some cases, ladies of rank formed 
literary societies which met at their houses. Such a 
society called La Parvoise, met every evening at the 
house of Madame de Persan, and those who came sat 
each in his own chair under his portrait. Madame 
de Persan’s valet de chambre acted as secretary and sat 
in the middle of the room, before two large registers. 
The visitors then informed the hostess where they had 
been that day what they had seen and what they had 
heard. The news was discussed, divided into two classes 
and then entered into the registers, one of which was 
labeled ‘‘ Doubtful facts’’ and the other ‘‘ Proved facts.’’ 
At the end of a week, extracts were made by the secre- 
tary and written on fly sheets, which he sold for his own 
profit. This was the origin of the ‘‘ Vowvelle-a-la-main,”’ 
a journal which continued until the time of the Revolu- 
tion. 
The most noted tavern club of early times in France 
was called ‘*‘ La Caveau”’ from the name of the tavern 
in which they met. It lasted eighteen years and the 
““New Caveau’’ continued until 1827. The members 
were all literary rivals yet we are assured that, not only 
did they dine in harmony, but after dinner they read to 
each other, for criticism and suggestion, their newly 
written operas, verses and songs without giving or taking 
offence. Ifa member wished to be aided ina new work, 
a day was appointed for reading it and the club assem- 
bled and gave the work the most careful scrutiny and 
the plainest criticism. 
But the most famous spots of literary association in 
France have been the Salons. The Salon is peculiarly a 
French institution, and though in other countries, imita- 
tions have been attempted, nowhere else has it flourished. 
