The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-04-02
ABOUT PARIS.
Extracts from q: PcEure ny Rev
Matthew Hale Smith.


Matthew Hale smith.
There is but ten hours ride between
the city of London and the ci'y of Par
is, and yet there are not two cities on
the face of the earth that differ more in
manners aud characteristics. The first
thing that strikes you after leaving Lon
don is the attempt to get out OF Eng
land. All is hurry and confusion and
the principal object seems to be to make
your voyage as uncomfortable as posi-
bic. You may have sailed round the
glbe-sailed for year>-and escaped
spa>ickners; yet. in crossing the channel,
you will surely yield to old Ne}tun
The vessels are small. dingy little sloops,
aud to each passenger is appropriated a
small tub; and although YOU may not see
the use OF it when you start, you certal---
Iy will before You complete the voyage.
The first thing that strikes you very
fnrcibly upon entering France, is that
y"u are in the paradise of women, for it
is here that women have equal rights
with The rest of mankind Here she has
the privilege of doing all her own work
and the mems too. When you get in
he city, the frat thing you see is the
police, for they are all over, they know
when you came there how long you are
going to stay, where you came from,
how tall you are, and can guess very
npar y how old you are; have keys to
Eo 1y,,s,, Ill t.,,t
respondeuce, and in fact know all about
you.
The world may say what they like
about the power Of Napoleon, but while
| was here saw him review an army
OF over half million. 1t took him near
ly all day to DO it. Now | have heard
ur men cheer when they see some one
hey like, but | have never heard men
cheer as those French soldiers do for Ma
olton, for he is plucky. They know
he is daring man, ana they will stand
by him as long as he stands by them.
O of the things very remarkable in
Paris land | don't think ever saw it in
any other city, is the care that parents
take Of their children. They have their
amusements as The Older onps. They
have their c"ncerts, their theatres, their
b"oths, and everything tending to amuSp
them; and whatever you may say OF Par
it is the paradise Of children They
are thought something of. A remarka-
bic fact in Paris is that the Emperor
keeps no.hing to himself; he has twenty
| palaces, but only occupies one of them,
and only part Of that. the rest being
brown open to the entire public. He
has miles and miles of garden. yet he
only reserves a small strip for himself
in front of the Tuilleries. When Louis
Phi ip was on he throne he had private
park light in the centre of the city re-
served exclusively for himself, but when
Louis Napoleon asceLded the thlone all
barriers We're thrown DOWNFALL was
open to the people; the peasant had equal
rights with the mobiles.
They don't have any milk in Paris
except what they get from goats. and
thpv tell me- don't know h'w true ii
is-that the goats know the customers
and know exactly how much each ont
ought to have. In the morning they &C
around to each family. knock at the door
untiI some one comes, aud stand still nn
til some one has milked them and wher
they have taken as much as they ough
to have, the goat kicks over tie dish anc
runs away. | will not vouch for the
truth of this.
The common hour of breakfast is l.
M. Tlry dine about or 9 p. m; Is p
prse if they have any supper they have
it the next day.
The omnibus system of Paris is pro
bably the most perfect in the world
There every one is seated and even tn
Empress herself C u not get in an ON
mbus ii it was tuil, and when they ar
full sign is put up on the outside will
he word "Comp!ete' on it, AMI no NOR
are taken i'll An American said he ha'
been everywhere in Paris but to Com
plete," and he had not been able to ge
there yet.
Everybody g'es to Paris. Now
you want to 60 to place where yo
: don't know anything about the languag
and want to get cheated go to Paris.
t you want to 60 to place where ther
are an endless variety of aInusements, 6
. to Paris. If you want to 90 t" plac
where you must not To- k at what yo
eat, but shut your eyes and choke
down, 60 to Paris, but if 20" want to Sc
=. great and learned men, do not 60 t
; France.