The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-15
Partisan POIiteness aud British Pro-
prhety.

FFon, he World.
Let Punch toss up his hat, and the staid
Britannia wave her teapot about her comely
head in triumph Let the British oaterjdmi-
las he exceeding glad and the "solid men,
Of our own New England indulge in a sober
joy. The Emperor of the French and his
architectural "Man Friday" the Prelect Hauss-
mann, have announced their high will and
pleasure that during the great Exhibition Of
1867, the versatile and volatile Parisans shall
purge and live cleanly abandon their most
Characteristic naughtinesses, and behave
themselves before company GAS a mark ofre-
spcCt to visitors" we are informed, "a general
surveillance Of the manners, order, and de-
corum of the French metropolis will be
especially enforced" A single one of the
regulations thus proposed to be carried
out must have carried deep dsmay
into the quarter of Notre Dame de Lo-
rette, and made of the Chaumiere mere
CaTthusian waste. "No woman is to be
suffered to go unaccompanied into cafe or
restaurant after dusk" If the British patsr-
.tamiiioS or the Bostonian missionary of moral
ideas desires to take a little supper after a
masked ball, he may do so without fear of
intrusive dominoes or adventurous depordeuSeS.
1t is impossible to eXaggerate the considera-
ton thus shown by the French authorities for
the ways and habits Of their guests. But one
can't help suspecting that the objects of all
this poiteness may not be absolutely delighted
at receiving it, There is such thing as
"being too civil by half" Far be it from us,
Of course, TO so much as hint that the British
pdterjdmiiiaS or the Boston missionary Of
moral ideas who finds himself in Paris would
ever dream of doing as the Parisians do.
The maxim, "when in Rome be a Roman"
is usually interpreted by the true British
or American Protestant to require that he
should lose no occasion of snubbing the ido-
latries and insulting the idolators of
the Popish faith. He bears his pure
testimony against the scarlet woman"
by walking into Santa Maria MaggiOre with
his hat on. And in like manner, of course,
be puts down the modern Babylon by dining
off roast beef or buckwheat cakes with his
family, instead of supping at the MaisOn dor
with ''casuals" from the Rue Bergere. But
will not the pleasant consciousness of a supe
rior propriety be somewhat abated if all the
world behaves properly? What is the use of
being better than the Parisians, if one does not
distinctly see that one is better than they
furthermore, it is a part of the Oriental reli
giOn that 'gOod Bost0nians when they die go
to Paris" But what sort of q reward will
this be if Paris becomes Just like Boston
Putting the best possible construction on the
EmperOr's motives, as we heartily desire to
do, we are yet constrained to fear that in this
special matter he has rather overdone good
thing. 1t is not too late, however, fortunately,
to retrace his steps. Perhaps it would be
worth while for the English and American
Commissioners Cthe majority of whom must
pretty surely have some leisure on their
hands) to unite in a respectful remonstrance
on the subject, and to represent to his Majesty
that, merely as a matter of scientific curiosity
and of international information, the English
and American visitors to France would be
obliged to him to modify his views, at least so
far as to appoint one day in each week OH
which the Parisians may be suffered to give
free course to their native depravity, for the
instruction and edifcation of the rest of man
kind.