The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-04-02
American Advantages Over Paris.

On an average we dress better, far
better, sleep softer and combat the cold
in winter and the heat in summer with
more scientific persistency than do any
Of the SO. called luxurious nations OF
Europe. Take, for instance, the mat
ter of heating and lighting. A few of
the leading hotels in Paris and small
minority among the most expensive
suites of private apartments have gas
introduced into all the rooms, but as a
general thing it is confined to the pub
tic rooms, and the unfortunate wight
who longs to see beyond the end of his
nose is forced to wrestle with dripping
candles and unclean lamps, known only
by tradition in our native land. The
gaslight, which is common necessary
in the simplest private dwelling in an
American city, is here luxury scarcely
attainable save by the wealthiest. And
we do not know how precious our gas
light is till we have lost it. To sit in q
dim parlor where four lighted candles
struggle vainly to disperse the gloom,
to dress for opera or ball by the uncer
tain glimmer of those greasy delusions,
is enough to make one forsWear all the
luxuries of Paris, and fee homeward
forthwith.
Then in winter comes the question of
warmth. What is more delicious than
to plunge from the iced champagne at
mosphere of sparkling winters day in
America into the nest-lke, all-pervad-
ing warmth of an American home ?
Here such comfort is wholly unknown.
The cold, though less severe than with
us, is damp, raw and insidious, and
creeps under wraps with treacherous
persistency that nothing can shut out.
The ILL fitting windows, opening in the
old door-like fashion, let in every
breath of the chill outer air. A fire is
handful of sticks or half dozen
Jumps of coal. The caloritere, poor
substitute for our powerful furnaces, is
a luxury for the very rich-an innova-
tion grudgingly granted to the whims
of the occupants of the most costly and
fashionable of private apartments.
Warmth, our cozy, all pervading
warmth, is a winter luxury that we
leave behind us with the cheerful light
of our universal gas burners. In sum-
mer we sorely miss the cold, pure ice
water of our native land, and we long
for it with thirst which Vi,a or0iasG5re
and Bavarian beer are power1ess to as
suage. The il-tasting limestone tainted
water of Paris is poor substitute for
our sparkling draughts of Schuylkill or
Croton. Ice pitchers, water-coolers and
refrigerators are unknown quantities in
the sum total of Partisan luxuries.
| GCo,1.o oE oo11 ruhioh he
traveller in our country finds gratui-
tously supplied in every waiting-roons
and railway station, every steamboat,
every car and every hotel, is here some,
thing that must be specially sought
for, and paid for at an exorbitant price.
Ide can be purchased only in small
quantities for immediate consumption
Ten cents for few Jumps swimming II
water on tepid plate is the usual tern
for this our American necessity, this
rare Partisan luxury. Nor do all ths
delicate articles of French cookery
suffice wholly to replace for an Ameri
can palate the dainties of his native
land. The buckwheat cakes and waf
ies, the large, delicately-havored, lus
cious oysters, the canvas. back ducks
the Philadelphia croquettes and terra
pin, find no substitutes on this side O
the water. The delicious shad ant
Spanish mackerel have no gastronomi
rivals in these waters, and the sole mus
be accepted in their stead. We miss
too, our profusion and variety Of vege
tables, our stewed and stuffed toma
toes, green corn, oyster plants ant
sweet potatoes.-L6pp5'aeott's.