The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-01-25
Almost an Entire Absence of CONGREGATIONS
and the Causes of Such Absence.

Especial Correspondent of the Chicago Tribunc.l
Paris is a spectacle, n show piece, theatre,
an opera, circus, panorama, all combined.
For more than century the rulers of France
have sought to make it the worlds fashion.
able headquarters, where all the idle and
pleasure-lovng men and women with pecuniary
means would come and spend their leisure aud
their money-especially their money. And
they have achieved their purpose, although it
has cost hundreds of millions.
The natural tastes of the people of Paris
unite with their interests. and peculiarly
qualify them to eclipse all rivals in catering
to the fashionable, extrayagant, and butterfly
classes of society.
Thus it is that Paris, without any natural
advantages whatever, has made herself the
second city of the world in population and
wealth. and the first in point OF beauty and
art. Paris is not a seaport, and has no direct
foreign commerce. There are no great de-
posts of coal or other valuable mineral in the
vicinity to furnish steampower or materials
of manufactures not even q fertile country, for
the soil 10 thin and poor, and requires good
culture to make itiproductive. There 10 no
and scarcely fit to drink. But Paris has tri-
umphed over all these disadvantages of stu
alton and denials of Nature, and has fairly
eclipsed all her rivals and carried off the
prize
Paris owes its particular location to a little
island formed by the river Seine, which in
closed within it's embrace about 80 acres of
land, on which wandering tribe, some 9 500
OF more years ago, built their huts and lived
by fishing and hunting. The insular position
strong, deep current. rendered it natural
fortress, difficult of invasion by any other
tribe. Aud hereon was founded the city of
Paris; and when it was covered with houses,
villages grew up on the opposite shores, and
in time great city was constructed around
this little kernel. This island, for q thousand
City.
Upon the conquest of Gaul by julius C;esar,
he found branch of the tribes calling them
selves PARISH occupying this river stronghold,
until the time of the Emperor Julian, AID. $50,
that Lutetia changed its name to Paris, and
obtained political franchises and the dignity
OF Roman na colonial city On tho Island is the
Westminster Of Paris. 1t was first built about
A. d. 1852, was burned down and rebuilt sew
eral times. Tho present walls have been
One way of describing Paris is comparing it
with London or New York. 1t contains a little
more than half the population of the former,
A city almost twice as populons rs the COM
mercial capital of America must strike the
reader as very largo city.
Paris covers an erea of 10 :271 acres or o triile
under 81 square miles, of compactly built ter
ritory. Its exterior form is an oblong circle,
egg-shaped, miles in longest and miles in
shortest diameter, and 81 miles in circumfer
ence. 1t has no suburbs, properly speaking,
but is wholly contained within the wall, erect
ed during the reign of Louis Philippe. between
1871 and ls4s. In military parlance, the EN-
of $40 yards each, with a ditch of the average
depth of 20 feet and breadth of 60 to 160 feet.
There are sixty five public entrances, vix.:
ffty-one highways, ten passages for railways,
and four posterns. The walls average 40 feet
in height from the bottom of the ditch to the
parapet. They are strengthened by sixteen
ing ninety-three fronts, which defend the APP
Proaches and are connected Herewith by q ser
les of underground strategical roads. During
the seige of Paris the Germans were unable
tDr9ll6nCe Of he fort
. and never got near the walls until after the
city surrendered by force of famine.
The main value of these walls of circumval-
lation IN time of peace is to prevent the SNUG
CLING of food OF drink into the city without
hrst paying heavy octroi duty thereon, from
which tax is derived the chief revenue of the
city government. Nothing can enter the city
except at one of the gates, which are guarded
by police and soldiers.
The first system of Notifications of Paris
were erected in the days of the crusades.
They were called the Boulevards (or bulwarks)
they embraced circuit of about seven miles
and extended just about q mile in each dreo-
In the course OF time this space of four SQUARE
miles became completely filled up with popu
lation.
About the year 1870, the government pulled
bitches, and laid off grand highway, about
200 feet wide in the space formerly occupied
by the wall and ditch. Two rows of trees
were planted around this circle OF the greater
part of it, leaving a wide roadway between
them, and sidewalks 80 OF 40 feet wide, which
now swarm with pedestrians. Many of these
trees are still standing, especially those plant
ed at the Sonth boulevards about 100 years
ago. This wide, sweeping driveway retained
the general name of the boulevards, though it
has q score of submarines. For instance, COM
mence ut the Madeleine church-which is a
magnificent structure, built exactly in the
style of the Temple of Jupiter at Athens-the
6fst section is called the Boulevard de la Mad
eleinej next tho Boulevard des Capucnee
Fronting which 1 sit); next, the Boulevard
des Italiens; then, the Boulevard Montmartro;
next, Possonniere; then, Bonnie Nouvelle.
This brings us around to the Arch of ST. Denis
and the Arch of st. Martin, where two promi-
nent streets intersect the boulevard, about q
mile from where We started. The next change
of name is the Boulevard st. Martin tEen,
the Boulevard du Temple then, the Boulevard
des Files da Colverie then, the Boulevard
Beaumarchais; then, place do la Bastile, being
the place where stood the old bastile of the
revolution. At this point dozen more
streets converge from every direction. The
distance from the bastile TO tho Madeleine is
something over two miles, and In that space
the street, it will be observed, changes its
name ten times! In the remainder of the cir
cult it changes its name ten times more, ma