The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1854-01-20
ETWe give the following rpcy account
of American living 10. Paris, from the Par
! is correspondent of The National Era.
BHL1 sNTrTH ABR DAD. PARIS.
HOUSE KEEPING.

q
in,Gtle kpick .knacks-lhe, taste eyince
inceveryihing lheIqIiei, In such coliirAi
with our late abode, made me think fc
the momen, We we're al home! 6 IlllaV
lived to learn better 1 The word home
on English word aud has an Englis
meaning Totally uhknownin France. Th
idea of comfort, of seclusioD, Of sacred
ness. all contained in that word Of hope
memory and happiness, have no existenc
here, even. in Imagination, and would b
as as,applicabie % French lodgings as TO
suuyhade OF q bat. 'rbey will keep ou
the sun, the rain, and lIo wind, Gniiffer
cnlly,) but they keep in nolhing--no in
ner temple, Theretic hearth>sone is al
altqr, and the household gods are ,reasur
ed up sacred from common eyes. Ou
gay Parisiens want only q cornorin whicI
TO sleep; the balance Of doings incden
10 life are gotten up in the open air. A
liule dinper party in ,lle street, q break.
fast or supper on the sidewalks, with the
great world streaming by, an afternoon
or an evening in the Boulevard, fuller
les, OF. theatres, are the makings>up ol
everyday life. An Americans house is
his castle -tbere, with wife, children, and
relation, he lives merrily or in stupid
grandeur. The stranger must sound a
parley, sometimes on the outside, before
The drawbridge is lowered and admission
granted. With the French, the houses
are barracks, and the only way to avoid
ihe ntruding stranger is,to evucuate your,
self. Oi course, with such position o!
things, no provision is made for our mode
of life, and sorry ain to write it, oul
happiness. alig .ueniaFeC'a ,s.ass Ia
We employed.a domestic who came,to
lis with an,afnful Of Recommendations,
She could not commence her duties un-
sil the Monday following our removal, ,and
we had two days TO dispose of in the
meanwhile. Mrs. +. came 10 see us two
hours after the baggage was deposited ON
the hlor, and treated me 10 meaning
smile, in return for my child like rejoic-
ings over my new apartments
81 hope you will find them all you an
iicipate," she said ;"but, | have lived sew
vral years in Paris, and never succeeded
in finding myself comfortably situated
Our ideas of comfort are so entirely dii-
ferent from lhose Of this people, ,ba. 10
fiud them glalGed is ont Of the question.
Your chimney smokes"
This was said so abruptly, | looked MS
itnished. We had nol disturbed the
fireplace, gliltering with FURNISHED brass.
found words 10 ask reason for this abb
iupt conclusion. ...-
SAN chinneJs in Paris are nuisancas,
and smoke abomnably. Uu'i late. fires
were luxuries 10 tho majority Of the in
habhanis, and now we have sham fires
prctence for fres-make -belevers. -
Put on wha, you consider sufficient wood
or coal 10 warm the room; and, oflel be-
ing smoked beyond patience, end only
in astonisbingihc residents at your extrav-
agance. You will surely freeze in these
rooms"
Iugain asked why, as lhe apartments
were small, and apparently capable Of
being warmed readily. aoy
,,"The walls Of the house, my dear, ter
inmate at the foor--this story and the
ono above ara mere shells Of Ialli and
plaster; .see," and Of the fac, she soon
convinced us. The balcony, had so re-
Joiced over, rested on the huge walls o.
the building.
''But we descend to the second story
in few days"
"That may be again. The atmosphere
up here is pure-more Than ! can say for
most apartments lower down. Show
them 10 me.
We descended, end, with but two words
ofapology, walked in upon lhe,occu pants
"a customary thing here, when looking
at apartments The lady went on with
her embroidery, and a little girl, under
the hands Of an instructor, looked up ence,
buinev paused in her drumming. We
examined carefully into every r,and
then returned, when Mrs. I. gave me the
result of her observations. 3lJgEmm
a"1'he frs, trouble that Inoice is, thai
you pass ,hrough,h dining>room 10 get
10 the parlor; no Inconvenience TO French
people, but serious annoyance TO US
we are Of retiring disposition when
'feeding,' (excuse the words.) Ia the
nest place, the sun never reaches your
@indows-a sad thing in Paris, where the
winters are composedsof ran-clouds; but
more especially in your apartments where
Lucy's room is without windows aliogeth>
er, with door opening into your beds |
chamber. How the poor child will man.
nge TO dress, ,wo-thirds Of the winter, II
cannot imagine. Again, you are above
some stables, and will be awakened at
midnight by Count Somebody and famiS
ly, returning 10 their pavilion from tle
Opera or ball ;aEd, fiat all nervous, you
will be kept awake by the paving of hor-
ses until morning.
begged her in pity TO stop, and called
her attention 10 the beautiful gardens be-
fore our windows
a "They will look dreary enough when
the leaves fall; but the open space will
afford you air--that is some comfort.-
You tell me you havo engaged a bonne, |
[domeatic y cpnsider her n feFnal 10 Jevo;A