The Portland daily press., 1874-11-04
THE PRESS.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, No. 4. "a
Au Afternoon in Pfis'

L .
back across the ocear manuscript accounts OF
their adyertares. trat to-day sojourner on |
| this sid of th; sea has an uncomfortable |
feelis of trespassing in following the time
hcored custom, and we dare only continue |
), by first fervently asking the readers par.
don for what is coming.
Every one knows that Paris is gay, beauti- |
full and wicked. Instinctively these three idas |
come to one from bits of stray reading, where |
in the half of the world who have visited the |
French Capital have written down their i'm |
pressioEs-for the other half who stay at
home. This afternoon we are starting forth
for ramble through the streets Of Paris, and
we invite all so disposed individuals to join us.
Bodily we are three in number, otherwise.
we cannot count our party, since you-our
invited guests-are invisible we can only
hope that you are accepting the invitation.
1t is nota sightseeing expedition. You need
not come with vague idea OF
doing-at least 'Pere Ia Chase the
Louvre and the Catacombs. No, on
the contrary we start out at random, having
no particular object in view, except to pass
away the afternoon in ''amusing ourselves"
as the French people say. al4
One O'Clock P. NJ, and we embark on
gay little steamer which will convey us down
the Seine, into the most beautiful part Of the
city. The deck is covered with miscellaneous
crowd of travellers. Solemn old priests and
friars, pretty little French sewing-girlJ, peas
ant women in their snowy frilled caps, SOL
diers in holiday uniform, are laughing and
talking together. The captain gives the sig
nal, and the boat sails away. At first it
passes through the suburbs on the river bank.
Long lines of men and boys are patiently and
vainly fishing. Behind them rises at first
background of grim old houses, but soon the
scene changes. We approach Paris. On
one side lies the ''Hotel des Invalides" where
the brave old soldiers of Napoleon found,
and the few survivors still find, home for
their old age. Here we see them, working
in their little gardens or wheeling about in
bath chairs under the shadow of the gilded
dome rising over the tomb of the hero OF st.
Helena.
On the other side the garden of the Champs
Elysees throws bit of green among the mass
i've buildings. We pass the great public square,
the terrible place Of execution in the dark
days of the reign of terror; we pass the Tuil
lerieis gardens, and the palace of the Louvre;
then we land in the heart of the city. ---
There is nothing more picturesque in Paris
than the scene which presents itselfto spec
tator standing on one of the numerous bridg
| es which span the river. On either side
open gay streets filled with a hurryng crowd
of foreign faces, and here in the endless pro-
cession OF passing vehicles, the costly equip
| age of some foreign ambassador is thrown
into close proximity With the poor little don
| key cart of stout old peasant woman. Be-
| low the river runs TRANQUILITY along, pre-
| senting in itself almost another city. In the
open washing establishments floating on its
surface hundreds of poor women are bending
/ over the narrow trough allotted to each,
occasionally giving their linen an extra rinse
| Near either shore are long rows OF bathing
and swimming schools, while the centre of
| the river is occupied by heavily laden pleas
ure boats, and tn regularly plying steamers.
As we turn away from the water the question
comes to us--what would the Parisians do
| without the Seine? 1t serves them for drink
| ing and washing, it furnishes them with all
the amusements of the seaside, and last OF
all, it offers quiet end to lifes miseries.
Ony wv uieIn W w iIau az -. ~ "uose. 1.i
.una.e, mno LAS pas'eu Wy i's uop'ns o''' "
| We follow the first boulevard which opens;
his leads us to the portals Of that famous
tcathedral, Notre Dame de Paris. The door
stands open, we enter and wander about un-
der lts quiet oid afcnes. Inc vast interior
VIII i1s long saiieries, anu Us many sue
chspels, Is put nan olStlnct IN tne everlasting
tWnlsnt, stray ray OF stnsnine Ialis tnr0uSn
lose Winuow ~ tne vaulIed TOOL anu loSes
i.sen 'lnong Ine 1iu cak carvings peiow, d
lew tapers purn before tne nigh.ai!ar; at the
shilhe ol Ine virgin a httie 1taiian street-
Singer Is 'enins ner peaus, anu Two OarmeiiIe
Drotners 10 coarse grey robes are devontly
clossing themselves as lney pass rom a.ar
10 altar. mere anu tnere stray EnsnSn
Courls. PreSensS himself, out otnerWise tue
catnedrai Is lor tne momene 9eserted. ~ ls
sery srauu anu yeIy quiet. oust aS we are
la,ling unuer 'se il,auence oi tne place, oal
sous ana mlnGs are distracted Dy TWO OLD
ladies VINO suddeniy emerge from the neigh,
Doring poriaL Iney might pc OF any period
or any nation, and we recognize in these two
characters worthy OF DICKENS immor-
talization. The elder has but one eye,
tne otner IS lame, ana Dotn are dressed
IN curious antiquated costume. IL IS
curious TO watcn tnese TWO ola nsures, ana 10
near the low muttered discussion $40 IN which
tney seem aeepiy interessea. we leaye tnem
si, Ses.eulae.ns az Sno ioos oi 'ue nlSi .ll'ar,
and pass out INTO tne open ar; tne clearness
OF the Day tempt US 10 ascend the a1n; LOVE-,
scramble IN the dark up tae ior, morn Snse1
brings us OIL ON tne iong ganesy Mora
wln glotesqug s'one heaus anu % ia1,e .,it,
we res: anu talk win .ne De,, r1use' 1;,si' wno
WIN ms Wile, Hves in iunhy httle CABIN
nestleu alhonS tne sulre's, tnen we inoun1 c'
70 she loP anu look uoMn y, Oh quans 1id i9E,s @
anu Minuns S'rSss ~ - se'y qu;oS ~ .,o;u sno
SQUARE DeioW. Two slseeIs ol ciiari.y ~ suen
| pig wnte caps are se9ately crossins 'ne p,aoe,
ana ~ nosPtaI garden we see tne oiu lnen
smoklns' anu warming themselves ~ 'le sun
snlne' a., ,..o. oil ,ook;no ao,rr
we iean over Ine eurlet anu looking Iown
tne giaay uslsus' 4ncy ourselves Ie,' 1aSa Ss III
3 tlmes Oh . vHeor nus1s MonuerluI s1oly,
wnen shs ntue uwafl 1en-linser rans sne