Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-11-16
THOSE DREADFUL PARIsIANs.
The Woman BraiDs of France--HOw
fhe French Bury-HOw the French
marry, Etc. Etc.


The woman. Brains of Frnnce-HOw
the French Bury-HOw the French
marry, Etc. Etc.
Correspondence New York World
PARIS, October l5.-The women OF
France are admirable, the men are
abominable. The former are industrious,
enterprising, full of spirits and adapta-
tion; the latter are idle, volatile, char
acterless and shameless. The salvation
and redemption of France lie in its
women. The rock of their salvation is
business. Industry is to them home,
happiness and domestic occupation.
Men are necessary evils--creatures TO
support, to endure, and to furnish a
pseudo protection to .women-as false
as it is conventional. To. measure q
| Frenchman by the American standard
of politeness and decency is to find him
most sadly failing in both. He monop.
olizes the sidewalks, seizes the first and
best opportunities, is impatient, selfish
and as ignorant of the first principles
of modesty as a cat is Of metaphysics
SO much for the live Frenchman in gen
eral, and alas, the external expressions
of the dead are not in any degree con-
soling.
French taste stops short of French
cemeteries One can find certain de-
gree of consolation, of sentiment at
least, by grave grass-grown, a mound
consecrated by the touch of loving
hands, with flowers that have drawn
their bloom and fragrance from the very
soil lying above the heart OF the sleeper.
In Pere-la. Chaise, where are buried the
poets and artists, the authors and men
of power and feeling who have glori6ed
France, one would hope to find some
expression sweet and tender, II any
where. But Pere-la- Chaise is not only
hard and forbidding, but ridiculous. The
principal avenues are paved like the
streets of New York, and are bordered
with trimmed trees. Close 10 the curb
stones are the tombs, the majority Of
which are in the form Of small houses
If one is curious enough to look through
the grating of the iron doors he will see
the furnished interior, with au altar per-
haps, candles, crucifxes, etc. Aside
from these are lunches of artificial
flowers, photographs, chairs, ornaments
and the like. On the walls are lettered
the names Of the dead, and not unfre-
quently the maiden names Of the wo-
men is specifically given US well as the
married one. The ridiculous feature Of
the cemetery is the form IN which French
grief expresses ITSELF Here and there
are urns on the top of tombs bearing
flowers in full bloom; but everywhere
he ,A nd
GUS designs in metal and glass, wreaths
and crowns and crosses Of black beads
being paramount. Roofs OF sheet.iron
or glass are erected to protect these
glass and tinsel affairs from the elements
The general effect produced is that of a
city of baby-h buses, tricked out with
toys to amuse children for an hour or
two. Ten dollars will buy grave in
Pere.ls Chaise, in which you may lie
undisturbed for five years; 800 will in
sure O perpetual right. A burial com
pany conducts funerals, the charges
being from 81 to $l2O0 or $780, Chap
lains attached to the cemeteries receive
a salary for attending to the gratuitious
service Of the poor.
About the first tomb Of note visitor
encounters is that of Abelard and He.
loise. But it is altogetl er too funny to
weep over. 1t consists of a rectangular
structure, with root supported by col.
umns, formed from the ruins OF the alb
bey which Abelard founded and of which
Heloise was the aboess On the top of
the sarcophagus lie the recumbent
statues Of the two side by side. He
loise, with clasped hands and a radiant
expression, is really pretty, but poor Abe
lard has lost his nose, and looks little
forlorn. Between the iron fence which
surrounds the tomb and the sarcophagus
is a row of flowers. The stone corner
posts Of the fence are completely COW
cred with jackknife carvings. Abouquet
Of ilowers has been tossed through the
fence on the tomb. Near it lies also a
wreath Of evergreens. Upon the sar
cophagus are wreaths Of immortelles, in
black, and white, and yellow. Nobody
has yet shed upon this shrine of disap-
pointed love a wreath Of glass beads,
which token OF grief might call forth a
responsive howl from the stone dog
crouching at the feet Of the statues
From the roof OF the tomb wator.spouts
project from the mouths Of cavernous
looking beasts which guard the four
corners. As was standing By the tomb
in rain storm these spouts poured forth
torrents Of celestial tears.
One OF the prrttiest tombs is that Of
Helene Adrianoii, RgsGian dancer.
The recumbent statue is full OF grace
aad sweetness. The grave OF Beranger.
/" the sweetest lyric poet Of France is
covered with block of gray stone, sur
mounted by his bust in black ma,lle
The inscription is simply that Of his
name, date Of birth and death. The
tomb is lichen.grown, and full Of the i'm
pious demonstrations Of aspiring fools
who have cut their names in the poets
tomb. Balzacs tomb Is quite IS simple,
but its hardness is modified by the climb
ing ivy which has nearly covered il. A
pen lying upon an open book in the
sculpture tells its own story. At the
tomb Of Loumes;ie are a harp aud pen
carved ia gray stone. Over he tomb OF
Alfred Musset droops q willow, and
verse on the tomb embodies his prayer
that enc be planted by his grave,
vent one sunny day 70 see the tomb
Of Napoleon. and contrary 10 ny expec-
tatiou was Impressed. Il is note
'Eorihy how much men from al lauds