Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-11-12
PARIS.
It's Beauties and its Horrors-spIendid
northumberland Ruins-Catacombs
-Tombs of Lafayette aud Ney-Freneh
Soldiers and Policemen.

HeT SOlue Vi MS ODSerNdlIOl az lhS HleliCl
capital, will prove of much interest to our
readers, although its writer is already back
again among his home friends
PARIS, Sept. s. 1873.
MY DEAR y: TO write about city
like Paris, and people like the French,
when so much has already been written,
and read on this subject, is hard task,
especially if we expect to coin anything
new, and yet, either the city or the people
furnish a subject with ample materials for
q dozen letters. Paris is certainly the clean
est, brightest city have ever seen. Its
streets are broad and well paved, with very
many boulevards-streets with trees lining
each side, and the entire place wears the
appearance of being in its best clothes
dressed up for Sunday sll the time. You
know it is noted for the beauty and eXtrav-
agance with which It's public buildings and
palaces have been erected. A soft light,
nearly white sandstone, is their building
material; it gets very hard when exposed
for time to the air and is sufficiently du-
rable. They first build their houses ofthis
stone, with thick walls-then it cuts near
ly as easily as soapstone, and workmen cut
and carve it into beautiful designs and
hence they have handsome stone build
ings at very little more expense than if
built from brick.
The handsomest monuments, fountains,
here, and it is we'll said that this is the
fairest city on the globe. And oh! how
wretched must be that poor woman who
comes to Paris and has no extra cash to
spend. Tantalus himself furnishes us fit
comparison for what they must suffer, as
they see square after square, street after
street, mile upon mile, of ribbons, laces,
silks, hats, bonnets, dresses made and
unmade, every thing from the plume of
woman's hat down to the most eXtravagant
and uncomfortable shoes, and all of the
most equisite character. All Paris, is one
vast millinery establishment, gotten up in
the best of taste, and regardless of eX-
pense. Wax figures stand in the windows,
wearing mountains of silks and laees, and
looking at them, one involuntarily says,
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these"
| might 90 on to describe the public
buidings-the churches, the Palas Royal,
the Louvre, with its miles of statuary
paintings, frescoes and antiquities; or the
Champs Elysees, withIits gardens of beauti-
full flowers, fountains both marble and
bronze, statuary, DC, &C., with the "Arc
de TriompheO at one end and the black
ened walls of the ruins of the Tuileries at
the other And / will here say that while
France is very beautiful, and especially
Paris, and the French are reckoned among
the most refined and cultivated people
among lue ClNllZeu udllOuSi YET Wien you
stand by the ruins of the magnificent
"Place de Vendome," and the Tuileries
and the ruins of st. Cloud, and see what
has been done oy Erenchmen but a short
time-done by men of to-day-sanctioned,
encouraged, aided by many of these very
men. that are now passing you every mo-
ment, you feel that they almost deserved
theiterrible5 punishment that was melted
out to some of them by their own people
when they were shot down by scores with
the mitrailleuse. Or if | desired q more
terrible subject, might tell how the cata-
combs are cut out of the white sandstone
under the city, how they quarry out their
building stone as miners mine for coal,
leaving pillars at proper intervals to sup
port the city, and how these underground
streets are lined with a greater, and more
quiet crowd than you find above. The
bones of three millions of people are
neatly corded up like cord-wood, on each
side of the way you pass along, and many
CHASTITY grinning skulls arranged in regular
rows look out at you through the dim
light of the candles. But let me talk of
the living.
The acts of vandalism, of which have
spoken, are not the exception to the char
acter of the Frenh, but are, as you well
know, in keeping with their past history.
With that history, the revolutions, the
reign of terror, the reign of the Commune,
y
shall not attempt to enlighten you on his
tory, let me refer to some historical names
and incidents and suggest what / believe
to be the cause of this semi-insanity of q
people. 1 visited the tomb of Lafayette.
who, with heart-feeling, the oppression of
our ancestors, and beating for the liberty
OF the human race, gave his youth, his
strength, his LIES labor for freedom and
liberty, and by his nobility of soul has made
his name immortal. He sleeps in an UNI
kept grave in the backyard OF dilapi-
datad nunnery a single limestone slab
covers his ashes, and on tits incribed only
the name of himself and members OF HIS
family, with the dates OF their deaths. L !
went to Pere lie Chaise, found a grave UNI
marked by single stone-nO name to
designate whose bones were resting there
only small iron fence enclosing a few
flowers, and this is all that marks the rest
ing place Of that grand old hero, the loved
chief Of the "Old Guard, whose gallant
deeds on many hard fought and bloody |
fields gave honor and renown to France. |
In such grave sleeps Marshal Ney.
But went to one of the tenn Piles erected for |
the worship Of God, magnificent structure, |
the proud Pantheon" itself, whose tall |
spire looks down on all the other churches |
in tho city. In this church, in elegant |
tOmbs, are buried Voltare and Rousseau. |
The city il ornRmented by monuments, |
erected to their memory. They are carved |
in marble and cast in bronze, and set up |
like the golden calf, for the admiration |