New-York tribune., 1875-12-11
PARIS REVISITED.
LETTER FROM HENRY JAMES, JR.

very entertaining remarks might bc made under the
title of "Paris Revisited "remarks that would find
an echo in many an American heart. The American
who comes TO Paris for the Is time receives of course
multitude of agreeable impressions; he takes to
tbe French capital, generally speaking as a duck to
water and he is not slow in maturing his opportuni-
ties for diversion. But no American, certainly since
Americans were, has to Paris but once, ,'and IL
is when he returns, hungrily, inevitably, fatally,
that his sense of Partisan things becomes Supremeiy
acute. In the interval it may have faded and fal-
tered. and tempted him 10 fancy that distance was
lending enchantmeut and memory playing him a
trick. Was it really very good as all that 7
Were the dinners at-wherever you choose
so unfathomably to the purpose; were the
shop-frOnts in the Rue de la PAX 80 pictureSquely
irresistible: there III the acting OF Ccne Chau-
mont 80 infinite titiliatiOni Our friend comes
hack with "a standard, with an ideal, and il is now
his pleasure to whether the city of his prcdiec-
ton Will keep her promises. 1t is safe to say that
a. a general thing, she does, and that at those
points where she is really strong she wears we'll
You may not like Paris, and if you not extremely
fond of her you viii all probability detest and
abou,inate her. | have known admirable cases
of both states of mind and the hight of my ambition
is to do impartial justice 10 each But even II yon
don't like her you must any rate admit that there
are certain matters that she understands TO periec
tion and that it, from necessity or from choice one
allows these things play large part in his fe one
inevitably comes to think that the problem of exist
ence is solved more comfortably here than else
where. The French have always fattcred Themselves
that they have gone further in the art of living in
what they call repec Ella ric than any otherpeopie
and with certain restrictions the claim is just. So
fsras man lives in his senses and his tastes, h. GER
taiuly lives as well here as he can imagine doing ;
and so far as he lives by he short rum it were
rather than by the long he is equally well Off They
seem to INC to understand the long run much bet
ter in England There. if you hive by the year. or
by the scmi-dccade, say, you are free to find your
self at all points ia relation with the worlds best
things But the merit of Paris Is that you nave not
TO look so far ahead, and that without heavy ma
chineTy, by the day, 10y the month, by the season.
you are surprisingly comfortable. There Is 10 be
found here in other words a greater amount Of cur
rent we'll being than elsewhere. And if spoke just
now of geutlcInans senses and tastes, it Is that
they are certainly "a very respectable class OF pie
nomena We most Of Us transact our moral and
spiritual affairs in our own country, and II Is noi
cynical to say that for most OF rs the trans
action is rather rapidly conducted. We wan
der about Europe on Sensuous and @sthctc
basis-cating good dinners, rolling over smooth
roads. served by sympathetic domeSticS star
ing al picturesque scenery, listening TO superior
music, watching accomplished acting. We have all
onr private joys and misores which demand
greater or less amount of attention; but the aver
axe American Europe traveller OF resident, makes
up the substance OF his Gf, out of these things
Whether he might not d. better is a question am
not discussing certain il is tsat these things are
offered him in Paris in a fashion which enables him
10 lay down his money with ONE hand and take
with the other in perfect security. His security
puts him in good humoT. and though he has decid-
edly to lay down more money each year than the
last he finds nothing to break the charm, and mutt
lates an axiom which he considers philosophic' to
the effect that il IS better to pay much for delights
than for dsappoiniments.
This artunnal season. which is Just coming to a
close j. the time at which this appreciat've alien
may be chiefly observed at his devotions. The nu-
mcrous Americans who have been spending the
Simmer in Europ. lgrcgglc douLy during Septem-
Der and October upon the classic region, about a
square mile in extent which Is bounded on the
south by the Rue de- Riyoli and The north by the
Rue Scribe and Of which the most sacred spot is the
corner Of the Boulevard drs Capuclnes which basks
i'm the smile of the Grand Hotel. The ladies' week
after week, are trtadng the devious ways OF the
great shops-the Bon March,. the Louvre, the Com
pagnie LyonnaSe; the gentlemen are trcadng other
wavs. sometimes also, doubtless, triie devious. 1,
has seemed to me however this Year. that our com
patriots are decidedly less numerous than usual, ana
thatona walk from the new Opera TO The Pdlals Royal
one really hears almost much French rs American
The explanation Of the mystery, OF course, Is III the
fact that people al home feel poorer" but the
American idiom Is dear 10 Partisan ears, and the
sorrows of Wall Street find an echo on the Boue-
wards. i don't mean by this OF course that the
shops are perceptbly shabby. Paris seems more than
ever. superfcially, vsst fancy bazaar huge city
Of shop-fronts But IT may at leas, be hoped that If
the autumna scramble for petticoatS has been less
frantic than usual, there have been, in compensa-
ton fewer cases of smiling perjury over the coun-
tiers and of hope deferred at the hotels
Partisan affairs proper are just now rather quiet
and there is nothing very noticeable going on. The
Winter. and what for good for i'll the Winter
brings with il has hardly begun. When speak OF
Paris | DO not include Versailles where, as you
know the Assembly has for some time been III ses-
sion. busily arranging the manner Of IFS own demise
or rather of IFS resurrection The new Electoral
law has been eNhaustycly discussed, and II would
seem that there is nothing left hut to put it manfuy
into practice When thi- has been p,aceably and
regularly done. and new Assembly is lawfully
installed the largest step yet will have been taken
coward makins the Republic seem a permanently
reasonable and comfortable state Of things
H. Paris the first symptoms Of the Win
ter are TO be looked for az the theatcr-
Most of them bringing out at tins time the pieces
which they expect 10 carry them through the next
SIX months-0r through as many OF them as may be-
The Francais. as yet has given only promises Dut
its cast the performances OF the Others ID the
shade. The Theatre f@Hgai- has IN rehearsal
piece by the younger punas and this constitutes
from the Partisan point ri N''N, very greateve y
com detai by Marshal t'arNahOn, an invasion of
France by Irussia--t volld rake something of that
D. to "