Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-08-22
A Practical Letter from Mr.. Hal
stead.
Cor. Cincinnati Commercial.l
D.n,a I,,I,, OK 1e

Cor. Cincinnati Commercial.l
PARIS. July 25, 1870.
Perhaps the prevalent idea of Paris il
the American mind is that of a place Of
opulence and luxury, leisure and feast
ing, splendor and the license of sociaI
liberty. Something should be said OF
the privations of American citizens in
the midst of the sumptuousness and
magnifcence of this city of palaces.
Let us imagine an American traveller
arriving late in the afternoon fatigued
and dusty as usual from the cars, and
able to find his way to one of the many
grand hotels-for grandeur in naming a
hotel is not monopolized in one house.
Shown to his apartment, he is probably
dismayed by its gorgeousness, and recov-
ering, proposes to pull off his coat and
have a fine wash. He discovers, per
haps, quart and perhaps pint Of
water in the room, divided exactly be-
tween little pitcher and large bottle,
but no soap. The servant comes and
hears the call for soap, retires, and pres
emily appears with several specimens OF
the article, and you take your choice and
pay your money. Then the soap is your
personal property; and with economy as
to water-the compensation being a
superabundance of towels--the traveller
succeeds in dampening and rubbing
his hands and face. The next thing is
to get his clothes washed. Probably he
is fresh from ship-board and wants few
boiled shirts within few hours. Be
hold, the washing is not done in the ho-
tells here. The washerwomel have
their views and their private residences,
and must have their own way and their
time. The American style of sending
out your washing in the morning and
having it returned within few hours
has not been introduced.
Our travellers beard is rough, and not
having been trained to shave himself, be
goes forth and seeks q barber, A bar
Der shop is not part of any we'll con-
Quoted hotel in Paris. They are as
foreign to hotels here as bar-rooms are.
If he seek solid comfort every man here
must be his own barber and keep his
own bsr-room. We will suppose that
our traveller, Who mas bonght his soap
and washedin a pint Of water, end who
learns that barber-shops are not CON
nscted with hotels, succeeds in finding
hairdresser Eho permits some young
men who use rayoEs 20 bang. ABOUT his
establishment and do the Shaking, es
they call it. He takes chair to be
shaved and--such \chair. Why, our
first-class American citizens at home
would scorn TO sit in such 'chair 10
have tbsit boots BACKED.
And such a shayel The parbaEiag 9sis
along very wen with the lathering, but
his razor scrapes like a case-knife, and
tho more it is strapped the duller it gets,
and the more YQH complain that your
face is tender fhe sitter grows the wrist
of the wretch who wields the knife.
Presently you are shaven, and then in
vited, with the towel about your neck, TO
step up to the washstand and wash your
maaglOl face, whose roughness at last is
only modified In PLACES. No gentle ma
nipulations with the cunning hand
of the artist who ministers to Yon at
home do not wonder that the people
on The Continent cultivate boards.
Before going further our traveller de-
sires TO eat something, and If ne hap
pens 70 know what he wants, and is able
to order il, he can nourish himself abRh-
dantly, though it is not extraordinary
for Americans to be here fortnight be
fore they succeed il achieving square