The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-14
How Frenchmen Live.

When the Frenchman in a cafe puts
two of the little slabs of white sugar in
his coffee and the remaining two in his
pocket, it is not meanness but economy.
The four cOnsecrated to the demi-tasse
are paid for, and the purchaser may
carry them home to the canary bird.
present them to the children of the
concierge as II means of maintaining
pleasant relations with that person, or
keep them for can SURGE. Life is not
large, as in the United States, where
there is elasticity in the incomes. Here
they are tixed-so much a year, month";
and day The line about the budget of
expense is rigid, especially in the case
of small renters, who abound in France.
The man of 1900 francs year rides on
top of IL omnibus for three sous; reads
the papers III one OF the small reading
rooms for four sous smokes one or
two sous worth of capOral tobacco a
day, in a pipe goes to the theatre once
q week for three to five francs, and to
the cafe chlntant once or twice, where
his consummatiOn costs him ten sous
each time he eats two-franc dinners,
followed by that indispensable black
coffee for six sous, with one or two sous
gratuitee, at one of the secOnd-class
cifes. The chief part of his time he
strolls on the boulevards, looking i'll at
the windows or the people-never fail
ing, under any circumstances, to admire
q pretty WOman-and in sitting in the
public gardens, all of which is gratuit-
GUS pleasure The man offs, 900 francs en-
larges this programme, but the bachelor
of 1900 wants for nothing. This sum
means q snug little apartment of two
pieces on a street running to one of the
favOrite bOullevards, with pallisaudre
furniture, each room under the glamour
of our colOr-pale rose, sunset beams,
azure sky, or what not; some good
books, few fine engravings, perhaps a
moderately good oil picture, bit of
bric-a-brac in the way of bronze and
porcelain breakfast of three or four
francs, and dinner of five or ten francs
at the Cafe Richie, Vochette, or the
club cabs, theatres, beis de BoulOgne
and kid gloves at discretion. This is
the definition of $4,000 francs-for a
bachelor Twenty-Five thousand, for a
bachelor, is an apartment i'll the Boule
ward Malesherbe, au second, with a
cook and a man-servant, horse and
coupe, a box at the French opera,
Imperial or Jockey club the dwelling
consisting of five pieces, with objects OF
art, one or two of some value. Fifty
thousand represents an apartment au
premier, with horses, carriages, valet,
footman, Gordon bleu, a wine-cellar, a
box at the Italian opera, dinners at
home, with friends to eat them, the
usual art bibelots, small gallery of
paintings, and a good library every
thing that man requires Ia bachelor
hood IF any of these single men were
doubled with a wife, the expenses would
be trebled, perhaps more, the wants OF
woman being an unknown quantity.
The man of $4,000 would have to live
at least like him of 25,000, and he in
tnrnE like him of 10000, which, accord
lug to Frenchmen, is the explanation
and the justification of the dowry sys-
tenn which prevails in France. e.-GGtary.
The pillars of church and society at
Chicago are shaken by an crimonious
dog-war. The pet terrier of Mrs.
Stevens. an aristocratic dame, bit Mrs.
Roberts, also an T. F., and coldness
sprang up between the ladies, which
resulted in Mrs. Roberts's making an
atrocious assault upon Mrs. Stevens
with her husbands navy revolver. She
was ignorant of the first principles OF
pistol science, however, and forgot to
cock the weapon, so no harm resulted,
but it grieved Mrs. S., nevertheless,
and she had her assailent arrested but
as she was prominent in the church and
was wealthy, of course the affable justice
smoothed the matter over, though there
are still rumOrs of wars.
"A San Francisco widow keeps the
skull of the deceased husband ina glass
case. She once remarked to a friend
who was viewing the remains "Alas
how often L have banged those bones
with broomstick 7 am sorry for it
now"