Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-11-08
NEW PARIS.

the wonderful Recuperattve Ener.
gies of the Freneh.
] have been most impressed for these
few days with the French facility of
mending tits wonderful. 1t so chanced
that in the year 1871 ! passed a few
hoursin Paris, returning homeward from
a hurried trip to Switzerland. 1t was
just after the city had been delivered
from the desolating sovereignty Of the
commune. The saddest of the sights
was Paris then. On every side were
evidences Of the destruction which
Frenchmen had dealt to their own chief
city. The Tuieleries we're a ghastly and
almost still smoking ruin. The Hotel
de Vile, which had been perhaps the
most sumptuous building in the world
was scattered and smashed into distorted
heaps Of blsckened stones. The proud
column of Vendone, wreathed about
with the long record Of the victories of
the first Napoleon, was broken into un-
distinguishsble bits, its pedestal alone
remaining.
Many other public buildings stood
with staring windows and halls despoiled
by FIRE and blackened walls. Private
houses in every street we're swaying and
tottering in various wreck. The fronts
of those still standing were pitted from
top to bottom with the scars OF shells
and bullets. The magnificent statues
in the garden Of the Tuileries, in the
wondrful Palace de la CoHcorde, and in
the public works were here headless,
there armless, yonder legless. At the
gates, where the fighting had been most
severe, the scene of confusion was in.
describable. There was not a church
which did not bear in broken windows
and shattered columns and peeled and
fractured walls the traces Of the terrific
fraticidal conflict. The ruin which the
Prussians spared Paris out Of pity for il
and out of reverence for its huge treas
ures Of architecture aud art, French.
/ men themselves had set rioting through
all its pleasant places.
No description can do justice to the
| immense destruction which French van
dalism and French fury had wrought in
their own beautiful capital. But wha
was Paris then you would scarcely recog
nize as Paris now. / have been aston
ished beyond measure at the change
There is scarcely q trace of the ruiz
which had captured almost the entire
city. True, the Hotel de Vile has no
yet completely risen from its ashes, bu
It is rising. Certainly, you can see th'
remnants Of the storm which smote the
Tuileries, but these backened footprints
are being rapidly effaced. The Column
Vendome towers again, with no trace o.
destruction left upon it, save only thai
the summit, on which stood the statue o.
the first Napoleon, is empty; just nov
these queer French people are in largI
doubt whom to place there.
You would never know there had evel
been conflict in the streets by the lool
of them. The houses have been rebuilt
The wounded galls have been healeC
with skillful plaster and skillful stone
The statues have been so deity patched
you would never know they had evel
been touched by bullet. The old gaiety
flashes and resounds along the streets
That singular recuperatiYe energy Of the
French, seizing the future Immediately
however bad and disheartening has beer
the past, concentrating the forces Of th'
nation to the payment of the enormou
war indemnity almost in moment-tha
quick and indestructible and heroic spiri
which no disaster can ever cspture--ha
| received no better expression and illus
tration than in this sudden rebuilding 0
| this marvellous city. almost as desolate
| little time ago as was Jerusalem, whel
the Romans smote it and gave its TEN
pies to the flames.