Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-06-08
Paris Fallen.

There Is no act of vandalism recorded
by history like that with which the red.
OF Paris signalize the downfall Of thcil
power. That which foreign foe dis
dained to do, has been accomplished bv
them in spirit Of silly spite and ruthless
rufiianisin. No cherished memories 70,
them around the palace of the Tuilcries,
The Hotel de Vile, the possession OF
which synbolixes the authority within
the city, has for them no charms when n
they have been driven from its walls
The Luxembourg and the Louvre, with
treasures of art, are for them hateful
objects, and the instinct of destruction
OF all monuments of the past. relics of
the old regime which they so heartily
detest, burned within them to destroy
every building identified with the
France OF former days. The comedy
around the column in the Place Ven
dome turns out to have been but the
hrst scene of a drama, closing with
destruction Of the finest palaces, public
buildings and churches of the city i'm a
conhagration deliberately planned and
ruthlessly carried out.
1t Is too early yet to form catalogue
even OF the losses TO Paris and to art by
this horrid incendiarism. The Tuileries.
begun by Catherine de Medicis In 1865
and completed by the first Napoleon
the Louvre with its world-iamed pict-
ure gallery, of which the foundations
were laid by Francis |. 1871, and which
also owed its completion to the first
Napoleon, the Palais Royalc, dating
from the seventeenth century, the work
OF Cardinal R:chelieu, and interesting
TO Americans as the place where BEN
Jamin Franklin was received as the en-
voy of the United States to the court of
France; the Luxembourg and the Hotel
dc Vile, also dating from the early part
OF the seventeenth century the church
OF Notrc Dame, on the site of pagan
temple, and itself. although built prob
ably more than five centuries ago, one
of the noblest specimens of the Gothic
architecture these, and host of other
monuments of the past glory and mag
nificeucc of France have vanished In
smoke. The beautiful Bois de Boulogne
was sacrificed to the necessities of the
suffering people of Paris. These glori-
GUS objects of interest To all lovers of
art aud to all students of history have
been destroyed in the madness oil a mob
the worst that ever held temporary con
tiot VI u great CITY,
Paris is not what it was. Perhaps il
will never regain the prestige il held so
long as the seat Of fashion and polite
culture, of art and science, OF learning
and literature. The events OF the last
year have mediicd the glare OF her
glory. All the accomplishments of
which she SO proudly boasted were not
sufficient to overcome the horde OF ruff
iiaus bent on destroying every yestise
of the visible objects which served To
support her claim. Ii is with sense oil
general loss that we discover how false
was the semblance of military glory and
Of aesthetic culture OF which France
made SO confident boast. As long As
IL was undisputsd, the world was really
richer In the possession OF France that
was brave and honorable. learned and
ingenious, supreme i'll love for all that
was beautiful and pleasant TO the senses.
The annihilation OF the visible tokens
OF this supremacy. dissipates also the
false ideas about Paris, aud reveals her
as she is,-brutal, cowardly, ignorant,
ingenious in inventing atrocities, and
devoid alike of respect for the past and
fear Of the future.