The New York herald., 1875-12-26
A Shrewd Radical Motion Hurt
ing Polite Republicans.
DAUMALE AND THE PRESIDENCY
[srEcrAL DESPATCH TO THE HERALD By CABLE. |
HERALD BUREAU,
No. 81 AVENUE DE L'QPERA,
PARIS, Dec. 25. 1876.

No. 61 AVENUE DE L'OPERA,
PARIS Dec. 25 1876.
No matter how much interest centres in
political matters the last ten days of the
year in Paris are given over to the joys of the
festive season. French gayety bubbles over
and the domestic virtues receive their
wonted tribute in the prettiest of presents
interchanged between families and friends
until it fairly seems that every one of its
two million or so of inhabitants must have at
least dozen presents apiece When we add
to those for Partisan consumption, the noun
tains of packages sent to country cousins
and those bought by the tens of thousands
who flock in from the distant suburbs
THE TRADE IN ETRENNEs
or New Years gifts, will be seen to figure
enormously in the commerce of Paris. The
quantity and variety of articles furnished by
French industry and fashioned by French
ingenuity for what is known as Ia petite COM
nserce, which you call 'notions' in America,
is truly astonishing and an approx
mate idea Of its Importance to Paris
could be gathered yesterday by
STROLL ALONG THE BoULEvARps
1t was not 50 easy to stroll there, however,
as on the afternoons when nothing can be
more delightful than to participate in the
easy movement to and fro upon the broad
pavement, The coming and going of lounging
thousands which Parisians, with sublime but
pardonable egotism, never weary of describ-
ing as 'the march of civilization" the
gress." Yesterday it was difficult to move
in any given direction for ten PAGES without
being obliged to apologize for sharp contact
with portly bourgeois and his wife, or to ac-
cept as graciously as may be the " Pardon,
monsieur" Of smiling ouvrier, who, in his
needless delight had trodden on your toes.
If the objurgations of the Frenchman are
unique, surely also is his politeness, and
there were as many hats raised and pardons
begged yesterday as there were bullets fred
in the last week of the Commune.
PARIS ON CHRISTMAS EVE
was one huge fair. From the Place de la
Bastille to the Madeleine, the booths of the
venders of fancy articles extended, each one
surrounded by throng of votaries and chat
ferers 1t was easier to halt occasionally in
front of these extemporized Joutiq,tes than to
move along and glance at the marvels of
French taste and ingenuity was really worth
the trouble The resources of inventiveness
seem to have been exhausted. There were
MARVELLOUS NEW TOYS,
and Henri Taine to describe Everything
walked and talked and danced and jumped
and played airs from LA File de Madame
Angot" or "Girohe- -Girofa." In fact, it re-
quires but little stretch of French inven-
tiveness for the faJriquierS to turn out the
average Frenchman in the shape Of toy,
and one can easily see, then, how the govern
ment could ell the benches of the new
Assembly and the Senate with creatures who
would vote ''aye" or may" when the Pres
ident
TOUCHED A SPRING
In this manner NJ. Buffet could keep the
conservatives in power indefinitely, and Sc
cure that majority next year which circum-
stances do not promise now. 1t is appar-
emily about the only way that the republi-
cans can be kept from troubling MacMahon
and the legitimists, and l commend it to
their attention before it is too late. This en-
passdnt
AT THE MAGAsINs
The "fancy goods establishment Of Giroux
was regularly beseiged all day, and the
houses Of Boisser and Siraudin we're equally
unapproachable. At the latter the sale of
bonbons was immense. Sweetmeats of every
kind, done up in every imaginable kind of
package, box and cone, flaming with gold
foil, tinsel, colored isinglass and ribbons
were literally scrambled for by the throng,
who were as earnest over their purchases as
they were light Of heart in being able to make
them.
NEW YRAR's CHARITY.
Nor in all this joyous holiday preparation
| have the Door been FORGOTTEN. TAere are