, 1875-01-03
CHANGES In PARIS.

SffT7dton y in the Go3IoH athfcui Ere1aHH Ldzee
Paris seems to be growing duller daily This
ought not to be so, for are entering upon the
season" when Paris begins to fill With foreign
era who think this city ie still the place OF al
others to spend money PLEASANTLY, with French
people who have been on Eea-side OF at medicine
springs; nevertheless, the streets are deserted
Quarter day (15th October) closed many shops
there are short streets having fifty shops With
forty shops shut. This is moro significant il
Paris than .'twou1d bs with you, for the
majority OF shops here are not the sole
dependence for Income. Ihey are kept
by wives whose husbands are otherwise employ
ed, and il the counter passes into the common
pocket profits enough to defray shop-rent Qodg-
ings are invariably attached to the shop, man
aud woman are satisfied. A closed shop here
eigpifes that profits are not made sufficient to
pay the rent, and that tho deficiency is so great
the tenants find it cheaper to throw up shop and
remove to lodgings. Say shop-1ent is $500 a
gear. Lodgings may be had Tor $50. Ii the
shop do not pay 9220 profit it is abandoned.
What are 500 profits to shop-kecper They
arc trade between 9l,100 and 81, 200: daily
sales of between S3 and Sc. Judge how stag
nant trade ia when sales do not reach even these
figures.
L great change, long since begun, is daily more
sensible: the great bouleyards ara destroying
the trade OF the streets, and especially the trade
OF cafes and restaurants. Ten or fifteen years
since each street. almost every square. had it's
cafe, which was the draNing-room or club Of the
neiXhborhood. It was convenient. Newcomers
went there and were at once admitted to the
acquaintance OF the quarter. There was no
splondor. They we're not very comfortable. They
we're cheap, warm. animated with games Of dom
noes or cards, or conversation they had dozen
or more newspapers. For cents one had .
half-cup of coffee, thimblefnl Of brandy, and
Ill these advantages. The new boulevards
brought splendid, luxurious cafes, flooded with
gas, taking all the newspapers and reviews, hav-
ing billiards, animated with continual move
ment Of strangers, where the buzz OF conversa-
ton. the orders of walters, the clash Of billiard
balls, were lond, where amours we're constantly
knit and dissolyed-in fine, the cafe which had
been village became city. Acquaintancea
were not 30 easily made. but there MAS more lib
coffee and brandy we're still taken, but they were
followed by beer and tobacco. The old cafes
wero deserted. Their owners failed or shut up
shop. Musical cafes attracted other customers.
In this way, since the LIST OF October. Cafe Pro
cope (Which WAS the haunt Of Voltaire, .Diderot.
D'Aembert and their friends) Cafe de Buci
(Which for forty years was the resort OF Ameri-
can medical students), Cafe Mazarin (whero
'tfaat students and their woree halves kept
boisteroua mighty, have closed their doors.
A greater change has taken place in eating
houses. Formerly thore we're iu each heighoor-
hood gdrgotes and crenaeries. The former was
low restaurant, and the latter was below the
cafe aud the restaurant. In the g1rgote one got
more TOR his money than he had in the c''eme17e !;
in the latter it was better, sharp fellow. who
Of the cook by the dishes he placed in the win
dow, could get an excellent dinner in some gar
gotes, abundant in quantity and frst-rate in
quality. He would have sense enough never to
ask for turbot or poultry, or game; they ara
generally to be had, but never to be takeu. If
r al Et, 1,A fn4ra hraA5 rr haFrf