The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-05-01
PARIS IN 1898.
A Vivid Sketch of the City from Victor
HugO's Last Novel.


Very few of the largest shops were
open. Peripatetic haberdashery and
toy-shOps were dragged about by wo-
men, lighted by candles, which dropped
their taIlow on the merchandise. Open
air shops we're kept by ex-nuns in
blonde wigs. The mender, darning
stockings in a stall, was a countess
that dress-maker a marchioness. Ma
dame de Boufflers inhabited a garret,
from which she could look out at her
own hotel. Hawkers ran about offer
ing the "papers of news" Persons
who wore cravats that hid their chins
were called "the scrofulous." Street
singers swarmed. The crowd hooted
Pitou, the royalist song writer, and a
valiant man in the bargain. They
| danced the carmagnole in great circles.
They no longer said gentleman and
lady, but citizen and citizeness. They
danced in the ruined cloisters with the
church lamps lighted on the affairs,
with cross-shaped chandeliers hanging
from the vaulted roofs and tombs be-
meath their feet. Blue "blue tyrant's
waist-coats" were worn. There were
liberty cap shirt pins, made of white,
blue and red stones. The Rue de Rich
elieu was called the street of law; the
Faubourg of Glory; statue of Nature
stood in the Place de la Bastile. At the
Invalides the statues of the saints and
kings were crowned with Phrygian
caps. They played cards on the curb
stones at the crossings. The packs of
cards were also in the full tide of revo-
luton the kings were replaced by
genii, the queens by the goddess of
liberty, the knaves by figures represent
ing equity, and the aces by impersona-
tions of law. They titled the public
gardens the plow worked at the Tuil-
cries. With all these excesses was
mingled, especially among the con-
quered parties, an indescribable haugh-
ty weariness of life. A man wrote
to Fouquier Finville, "Have the
goodness to free NE from exist
ence. This is my address" Newspa-
pers appeared in legions. The hair
dresser's men curled the wigs of women
in public, while the master read the
MoDiteur aloud. People went to have
their fortunes told by Martin, at No. 173
of bread, of Goals, of soap. Flocks of
mich COWS might be seen coming in
from the country. At the Vallee lamb |
sold at fifteen francs per pound. An |
order of the Commune assigned a pound |
of meat per head every ten days. Peo- |
pie stood in rank at the doors of the |
butchers shops. One of these files had |
remained famous; it reached from |
grocer's shop in the Rue des Petit Ca
neau to the middle of the Rue Monitor
gueli. To form a line was called ''hold-
ing the cord" from a long rope which
was held in the hands of those standing
in the row. Amid this wretchedness,
the women were brave and mild. They !
passed entire nights awaiting their turn
to get into the bakers shops. Wood |
cost four hundred francs in coin per
cord; people could be seen in the
streets saving mp their bedsteods. In
The winter the fountains were frozen
two pals of water cost twenty sous
every man made himself water carrier.
A golden louis was worth 1890 (paper)
francs. A course in a hackney coach
cost 900 francs. After a days use of
carriage, this sort of dialogue might be
heard: Coachman, how much do /
1--WE you ?" "Six thousand francs" A
green grocer woman sold 10000 francs
worth of vegetables a day. A beggar
'aid: Help me in the name of charity!
It took 230 francs to finish paying for
ny shoes" There was no fattering
lmong this people. There was the SOM
)re icy of having made an end of
hrones. Volunteers abounded each
treet furnished battalion.