Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-03-13
PLACES IN PARIS.
Jardiu MabiIIe.

Have | described Mabille? am half
afraid of that shrine. Well, Mabille is
a garden Just off the Champs Elysees,
where you pay an unusually large fee for
entrance. There are one or two small
fountains, wooded walks a shooting gal
lery, little alcoves, where you may sip
coffee or what not, and profusion of
colored lanterns blazing everywhere, and
painted canvas that looks like endless
forests, and innumerable mirrors fash
ing the light to and fro. In the centre is
a band of musicians and a boarded
dancing floor. This is the Jardin Ma
bille-Mabille himself at the door, with
his keen, Oriental face, taking in the
money. 1t is summer garden, aud the
music and dancing are under the stars.
Well, Mabile has in his employ several
Young women with hard, leering faces,
and several young men with shiny
hats, who mingle around in the
crowd as though they had paid to come
in and are really visitors. When
the music commences generally the
music of that harmonious imp or Satan
musician Offenbach) the young men and
women, evidently in the easiest and last
stages of virtue, rush upon the boarded
floor and dance peculiar dances-the
can-can," among others-not much
more indecently, however, than | have
seen it on the New York stage.
DANCING HALLS IN THE LATIN QUARTERS.
A new instructive exhibition to those
of our countrymep who are curious
about the manners and customs of
the nation will be found over in the
Latin quarter, in the dancing halls near
the Luxembourg. There is low en-
trance, generally guarded by gems
darmes. A circular sun of blazing red
light indicates the way. II you are Gu
rious and pause a moment, you will see
In the light thrown into the night by
the lanteras the figure of soldier in
bronze on pedestal, in the attitude of
command, his hand pointing to some
imaginary foe. This bronze figure rep
resents the famous MarShalNey. and on
this spot, where you may stand and hear
the fddling and the dancing, Marshal
Ney was shot by French soldiers under
Lous XVIII. for having commanded
French soldiers under Napoleon. This
dancing hall on Sunday evening, when
the clerks are in abundance, or on Thurs
day evening, when the students come in
numbers, is not without its attractions to
the observing Aperican mind. You en-
ter under the radiating lights and 60
down o pair of greasy stairs, and see on
the loor of the hall between two and
three thousand people, mainly young
men, who are studying" at the schools
in the Latin quarter. The romp and
noise and cIatter, the buzz and hum of
loud conversation, song and repartee,
smoking and drinking continues, until
the music strikes up and the multitude
dissolyes into a mass of dancing human
itv. As 10 the dancing, | cannot say
more than that It's very wild, with q ten
dency to the can can and other improper
manifestations, and / have heard my
brethren condemn it ia strong
terms. There are other dancing balls
in outside sections, and one especially
on the Rue 81. Honore, much iTsauented
by our countrgMnp, almost opposite !
where Robespierre lived With Duplay,
the carpenter, and rnled France fr9w ? !
gaFset gith no carpet on the floor.