The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-09-16
LETTER ERow EUROPE.
The English Peopie-Their ignorance o6Oa
Ame7ca-AmericdH ia Paris-Parfs
CGfes-ReStdlraats-POrk, Beans
and BI,cfIIeai CAKES, &c, &c.
PAg1s. August u, 1869.


;eati.a 20 remain for a longer time, but
americans who come to this side of the At
-e.a- seaaraliy find the city in which thi:
asF-- is eng written much more to theil
5tl tlan London, aud find l am not au
-. ou to the general rule; whether the
-.-. q circumstance to be set down against
Or TO be stated in my favor, l must con-
,-ss i. London is gloomy. smoky place,
u here the men all dress the same way, act
the same way, and seemingly think the same
way. They have in England their own way
uf doing things, which. for want of bet ter
knowledge, they conclude is the only way,
and the person who does otherwise Is at once
set down as a know-nOthing. EDglish have
strong prciudices about their own country
will hardly admit that there is any other,
and in regard to America evince an amount
uf Ignorance that one who has never visited
England will hardly credit, and beyond the
fact that there is a city called New York.
and another called Boston, seem to know
nothing about America, and do not care to
know more. If the enthusiastic American
volunteers information about his country,
what he states is taken with a very great
amount of allowance 10 many cases strong
doubts are ex pressed as to the truthfulness of
the assertion. / have been asked if Penn
evlvania was in New York. and if there was
good Buffalo shooting in the neighborhood
of Pittsburgh, and only a few days ago
gentleman asked me if living expenses were
not quite small with US by reason of the
game we must be able to shoot. State the
case to them as it is, and as | said before,
your statement is apt to be doubted. There
aIe. of course, Englishmen who have visited
the United States and can comprehend the
Z
admit that its inhabitants are energetic, en-
terprising and Industrious, but they are few,
for Englishmen travel very little, at least
far from home. and for one Englishman that
goes to America, there are forty Americans
cross to this side of the Atlantic, so that in
rrmation about America is not apt to be
disseminated very rapidly by that method.
Nou can find great number of full grown
]. uduners who have never visited Paris, only
:; few hours ride from London. nOtwithstand-
jig the many attractions of the beautiful
&, ty !; but | venture to say that, if Paris was
:s close to New York as it is to London, it
would be hard to find an American boy Of
I years of age who had not visited it.
What | have written may seem to stay at
home. Americans strong assertions, but.
though as much had been told me before |
visited England, / came abroad with the best
feelings in the world towards England and
the English. and though upon my first visit
TO the country l noticed the thing, l refrain
ed from mentioning it, but this time so much
ignorance and prejudice has come under my
observation, thai l cannot help but make
note of it. Meeting this on all sides, it is
not surprising that Americans are eager to
cross the channel to France, where from the
difference in language little is to be expected,
hut where there is evidently more general
about America than in England;
where the people are polite, and where,
from the social freedom Of the city and
many attractions Of the place itself, Ameri-
cans find delight. so much 50, that in the
of the Grand Hotel you hear
the English language spoken almost as much
as you hear French. Amusements Of all
kinds are numerous, fetes and gala days fol-
}ow n constant succession almost the eli
mate charming at all seasons Of the gear,
=. ills time when you are all sweltering in
iaa beat at home. it being cool and pleasant
ucre,) and good living is cheap. Americans
appreciate all these things, and though the
.aa--a spoken of may be superficial, it
- Lee act from the pleasure it in parts
commenced writing it was not my
to have written as much about the
c is nothing | wish to take back and
e.efore 1 offer it as sort of introduction
20 this epistle. l don't like "guide book''
letters, and consequently don't propose to
describe the public buildings of this city,
hut note for your readers some observations
cf some Of the peculiar features of Partisan
life, among the most remarkable Of which are
THE CAFES.
A stranger visiting Paris and arriving at
night, has his attention attracted immedi-
ately by these brilliantly lighted and ele-
gaAtly decorated establishments, located on
every hand and seemingly numberless, fl led
with gaily dressed men and women, and
though crowded with people, there is no
noise or confusion and no unpleasant hustle.
The profusion Of mirrors, the glare of the
many gas Jets, and the gaiIy dressed occu-
pants of the room go TO make up a picture
at once striking and not to be witnessed in
any other city. During the summer season
small tables are placed along the spacious
sidewalks in front of these establishments
and there under cover of an awning, m en-
and women sit, sip their coffee, chatter and
laugh. evidently bent on enjoying themselves
to the fullest extent. Besides coffee, tea,
chocolate, ices, wines, ETC., are served, and
in many of these places of resort seem to
DE Iuo Icdi HOulO Vi many OI CnelT ITeQueQ-
ters, all their leisure time being spent there.
About as numerous as the spirit shops of
London, Liverpool or Glasgow, these cafes
do not present to strangers eyes the sad
spectacle, too frequent in either of the cities
Just mentioned, of blear-eyed, bloa,ed Wis
aged women, staggering from them in fact,
drunken man is quite rare sight upon
the streets Of Paris. Though supplying
bread butter and coffee when ordered No
regular meals are served, and as French peo-
pie seldom do any cooking at home one of
the features Of the city is the
RESTAURANTS,
And as Americans coming to Paris find
something to eat," one of the essential
things of life, here as well as anywhere else,
shall endeavor to give them such informa-
tion as have gained by some little expert
ence. The French generally take, immedi-
atey on arising in the morning. cup of
coffee with a roll and butter; at eleven par
take of a substantial breakfast, and about
five or six in the evening euiOy good din