The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-06-22
THE DARK SIDE OF PARIS.
Depths OF Moral and Social Corruption.
Satan supreme-Vhat an American
Woman Saw and Heard.

Depths OF Moral and Social Corruption.
Woman Saw and Heard.
From Paris Letter in the Home Journal
have read somewhere an Eastern allegory,
which told of a lovely enchanted garden,
where fruits and flowers, mighty trees, spark
ling fountains and verdant lawns were COM
bined In supernatural perfection, and where,
to the soJourner therein. The eyes glided on
ward In an unbroken dream of bliss. But,
sometimes, under the dim radiance Of the
twilight heur, or the silver lovellness of sum-
mer night sudden fissure would yawn In the
green sward before the travellers feet, and re-
veal within the intense and horrible lustre of
a sea of liquid fire, for the fair garden had
Deen fashioned by demons, and 1t hoated on
the awful waves of the central lake OF he'll.
And 80 the observant traveller may sometimes,
amid the brightness, the gayety, the charms
OF Paris, descry some tiny opening which re-
veals 10 him the unspeaKable herrors OF the
hideous depths hidden below the brilliant sur
face. -.,..-......
This subject may seem to be one unntted
for discussion by a. woman's pen, and cer-
tainly no modest woman could ever venture
to enter into the ghasLly details, the hideous.
statistics by which she might prove her point
and Illustrate her theme. only wish to con-
template the subject from the common place
standpoint OF On American woman travelling
In Europe and sojourning In Paris for limited
space OF time. 1 desire merely to take su-
peracial view Of the question, and to ask what
manner Of sights and sounds and creatures
are likely to surround the path OF modest
American mairon who may happen to speak
and understand French, and who wishes to
show her young daughter the wonders of that
city which claims to be the metropolis of the
civilized world. The pair may promenade
Broadway and Chestnut street Tor years and
never meet with anything calculated TO dis
gust or annoy them, provided only that they
choose the hours of daylight for their rambles.
Miss Anonyma might, 1t Is true, brush past
them and astonish them with the splendor
Of her rouge and the gaudiness Of her at
tire, and Mr.. Deuceace might possibly
stare at the pretty face Of the younger
lady; but there all annoyance would
end.s But, in Paris 1t is not so. An atmOs-
pnere OF evil hoverS over all things, and
under its influence there spring to light hor-
rors from which modesty and Innocence can
neither veil their faces or avert their eyes.
Let the careful mother, If she will, conhns,ier
daily walks to such elegant and irequented
places Of resort as the B0uleyards, the Rue de
Ia Paix, the Rue de Rivoli, or the Palais Royal,
yet she shall not escape from the vileness,
which surrounds her like O. sea. Acts OF the
grossest lniecency, perpetrated by the we'll
dressed strollers. on the asphalt, or BY the
elegantly dressed children that frequent the
garden of the Tulleriss and the Palais Royal,
viii assail her gaze. Let her strive to take
refuge from such sights by turning to the
windows of a fashionable print shop, and her
eyes will rest on pictures of indescrioable
indellcacy. daintily engraved and colored pic
torial double e7,tendres, and many where the
entendre is not double at all, but where the
purport Of the pictured scene is perfectly
unqueslionable. She flies for escape 10 the
photographers next door, and portraits of
shameless women In attire bettting their
characters are the leading attractions
of the window. The imags-shop across
the way looks innocent enough, and she
turns to that only to behold The immodesty of
vellously executed little groups of clay figures
which stand side by side with staLuettes Of the
Virgin and our Saviour. She enters book
store and purchases some OF The works OF the
leading novel writer's of France, and she sees
upon the utle-page The names OF such large
aud well-known publishing houses as Hachelte
strnctlon by peruslng minute descriptions OF
scenes OF alrociOus vice, II, indeed, The story
does not turn upon the preparation OF some
crime too horrible for her even TO have imag-
loed It's existence. She goes to the theatre,
and from her box at the Gymnase or the Come
die Franchise she beholds untolded before her
scenes of unbridled and unpublished pr0hlgacy
from which Ia to be learned the moral lesson
that to be virtuous is to be stupid and unil-
tpresling, and that 10 be vicious ls TO be bril-
lant, charming and successful In society.
She takes up newspaper, the Figaro, tor In.
stance, aud The anecdotes which crowd 1t COL
umns will bring scorchlng bushes to her al
ready burning cheeks. The trail OF the serpent
Ia over everything. The vice, which 10 other
large cities Ia ike an ucerous sore on an
otherwise healthy body, is here, like scrof-
ulous taint, pervading The entire system. Woe
10 the careful mother If she suffers her fair
young daughter to walk the distance OF half
block In bright daylight In the most fashionable
quarter OF Paris, for French poiteness will be
nt hand 10 insult her youth and Innocence oy
foul words and looks and Insulting touch.
such ia Paris such, doubt not, was sodom.
During those early summer days OF 1870,
while peace and prosperity and :gayety were as
yet the portion OF France, the tneatre-loVing
populacr of Paris were stirred to excitement
by the debut at the Grand Opera of young
danseLse, whose wonderful gifts were said TO
be destined to revive the waning glorles OF
the ballet In France. The young ds6adnte
more than realized the high-wroughc e4pecta:
lions which had been formed respecting her.
Josephine Bozacchl was not yet seventeen
wears of age, but her dancing was the very
perfeclIon of poetic and artistic grace; q re-
vival O. that refined aesthetic style which fed
from the boards of the Grand Opera when
Taglioni retired from the stage. Beautiful,
graceful and elegant. perfectly modest IN
looks and gesture, such was the youthful
dancer about whom all Paris raVed when the