, 1869-02-12
PARIsrAN LEE.

Prado, according to the season Of the yedr.
It is called Bullier (Which is the pane of the
proprietor) in the Summer, and in the win
ter the Prado, which is, ! believe, a Spanish
word, signifying such places Of entertainment.
The ballroom is The most elaborated in this
city, aud is perhaps one of the greatest cur
iosities, Il is here that the peculiar dance
called The can-eGA is performed in all its
extravaeanee and Vildness. The establish-
ment Is situated in the left Of the Boulevard
Saint Michel, aud just beyond the garden of
the Luxembourg. Three balls are given
each week, with sometimes, par eztraordi-
nGirc, fourth. % ball nights the entire
Boulevard is encumbered with the streams
Of men and women on their way to indulge
in wild revelry and amusemennt. The saily,
painted facade of the building is Illuminated
in gorgeous style, and an immense crowd of
les nvseru6les, gather in front to admire the
toilets of the gay women as they enter, and
feast themselves upon the strains of lively
music. In all their poverty aud wretched-
ness their hearts are doubtless filed with
envious longiugs at the sight of the gay and
laughing women who hutter in aud out like
bright-colored butterflies. Little do they
dream that beneath all the splendid exterior
which dazzles their eyes there lies more
misery than beneath their own rags aud
poverty. Entrance to the saloon is gained
by fight of steps, some ten or fifteen feet
in depth, conducting to large and brillian.
tly Illuminated ballroom, half subterranean,
and capable of containing several thousand
people. The saloon is entirely rooted over
in the winter, but during the summer one
half is left uncovered, forming quite hand.
some garden, ornamented with fountains,
statues, and charming little alcoves, where
the enamored swain may enjoy some degree
of seclusiOn with his charming fair partner.
Upon first entrance, especially during the
winter, the smoke is to dense that the eye
can distinguish nothing but a confused mass
of humans beings heaving to and fro like an
ocean, and the ears are assailed by din of
human voices which confuses the sense aud
beggars description. doubt if such noise
as goes up from crowded Butler ever
went up from any other assemblage in the
world The crowd at the Butler is not like
any other, except that it is composed of hu>
man beings indeed, it can hardly be said to
bear that resemblance, since 1t is a question
whether medical students and ,eocottes are
human beings or not. Ifthey are they GER
tainly form a distinct species peculiar to
Paris, and to the Latin quarter particularly.
This horrible noise, if noise is not too musi,
cal a word to give to the terrific discord
which bursts through the smoke like thunder
through the clouds, is a compound of all the
sounds which the organs of man, by distors
tion or other means, are capable of produce
ing. Terrific yeps of the men-French
yells, which are not like any other yels, and
what is more, students yells-mingle with
the screams of women, and rise musically up
to the gay and lively accompaniment of the
cliuking Of glasses aud the shufiing of feet.
This magnificent and harmonious flow of
sustained music has for tonigue, or fundaS
mental note, the continuous droning buzz of
more moderate talk and laughter, from which
musical basis the more terrible effects swell
from time 10 time in magnificent crescendos,
Wagner might introduce the Prado, one of
its nights, to add to the effect of some of bis
forte movements, and thereby economic the
wind of his trombOnes and the muscle of bis
crosse caise. 1t is here, in the midst of this
storm of revelry and excitement, that the
French student may be seen in all bis glory !;
here be lays aside all restraint and gives his
whole soul up to enjoyment 1t is here, too
that the women, sharing BY force of associar
tion the utter abandon of the students, lay
aside all the magnificent and stately airs
which they wear elsewhere, and throw them
selves wildly into the vortex of dissipation.
As q general thing, the women who frequent
this ball are women of the quarter-their
name is legion-and who, by constant asso.
citation with the students, have acquired
character almost identical with theirs. There
are, however, many of the upper ten of the
demi>pl who are frequent visitors to the
students paradise and the same cOcotte who
steps tonight in stately dignity and queen.
like robes through the fairy walks of Mabil-
le, may be seen tomorrow at Bullier, in her
short skirt, finging her heels wildly in the
air, and taking excruciatiDg positions, worthy
of the finest contortionist in the Cirque de
lImperatriee. The peculiar Partisan dance,
baptized by the name of can-can, is perhaps
the most exciting of all such species of
amusement, both for the spectator and the
dancer.
1t has but little regularity about it, and 10
the spectator who sees it for the first time,
it has apparently none. 1t thas, however, its
small amount of system, bot the principal
merits of the dancer is within two given
points, the beginning and the end of strain
TO commit as many extraysgancies as possible
and to throw his body into as many unnatur>
al and bizarre positions as the structure of
the human frame viii permit of. A very
fine accomplishment, for instance, is to be
able to throw a back sammersault in the face
of your fair partner, while she .eleyates her
leg in the air until the tip of her toe and
the crown of her bead are upon the same
horizontal line. 1t is not at all inartistic to
be able to double yourself up into knot and
roll upon the foor, while the beautiful
daughters of Terpsichore dance around in
circle after the manner Of the Sandwich
islanders. 1t is . good thing, also, to be
ahla 70 aoitata vour laos. arms. and head