The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-02-11


rails.
Special Correspondence of THE NEws.l
PARIS, France, Jan. s, 1876.
Dear Ners:-It has often occur
red to me to send you some words
of remembrance from foreign
shores.
The locality being none other
than the veritable capital of the
world, you might expect something
very worthy in the way of epistol-
airy miscellany, but it is my duty to
try to avert the progress of that
fancy for, really, 1 must assure
you that it is the most difhcult
place about which to write satisfac-
torily that ever suggested itself to
an American errant. There Is act-
ually too much to see and know,
and the mental organ often revolt
against the severe application it re-
ceives here. Even among the ma
tives this trouble is breaking out,
and 1t 10 observed by an English
scientific journal, Justly perhaps,
that the French are gradually grow
ing crazy. This intelligence is be-
coming frightful to strangers. and
most of US hold ourselves in readi-
ness to fly at any hour, when we
become convinced that the malady
is contagious. There is a growing
superstition that it Is after all only
English envy and meanness. / do
not know. But the reason for these
alleged symptoms of incipient in
sanity Is the key to my difficulty in
writing about Paris. There is too
much distraction, there are too
many opportunities to learn; too
many temptations, also, to be igno-
rant. Everything moral andphysic-
al is excessive. In short, France Is
a grand adjective of which only the
superlatiYe degree is used. Aston
ishment, wonder and awe are the
first impressions, and after ones do
not correct them.
We have just passed safely
through the holidays, which, ]
think l am safe in saying, have not
been more splendidly celebrated in
any other part of the globe. The
French rival tie world in the ap-
probation of all the fetes authoriZ-
ed in the common calendar, and
when one comes around they give
themselves up TO it with all their
taste and enthusiasm, and you
know they have considerable taste
in all matters. The boulevards and
the principal streets have been COW
stalls for a period of two weeks
commencing with Christmas, and
are only now disappearing. They
are erected every year for the pur
pose of selling articles of every de-
scription to those in search of pres
ents of no great magnitude, and arr
occupied by individuals of bot
sexes and miscellaneous ages
Packed closely together the who'll
extent of the boulevards and chic
streets, these unhandsome woodel
structures gave them an odd, bu
very attractive appearance. Thes
modest shops on the sidewalks wer
the best possible contrast to the ele
giant stores lining both sides of tn
boulevards; so that neither style {
commerce detracted anything fror
the interest of the other.
Christmas and New Years eve
the whole of Paris came out on til
streets, and well they might; for tn
weather was like the gentle sprin
time in Kansas (when it is regular
Ahi 1t was q grand sight, and ii
prospect of seeing king or quee
"a thing in which all foreigner
unite on mutual ground-could NJ
have brought out more people.
cannot imagine Paris more "swel
in the time of the Revolution, NJ
gayer during the brief sway of Il
Commune. All sorts of curious IL
cidents happened within my hea
ing and vision, and may not be
legitimate correspondent unless
cay, quorum mogn0 pGrS FIJI, for II
deed was q conspicuous actor
one scene damned aside by Il
surging masses 1 was lodged cioi
up to one of these little stalls whe
an old lady was STIMULATING for
-concertina, and to test its capaci
for harmony she ventured a sho
piece. Directly 1 noticed sele
crowd in single file, with pity al
sympathy painted on their count
nances, coming slowly up to whe
we stood, and presenting me one
time their small offering of SO
two sous and so on. resented I
outrage, made a short speech of
dignation in original French, e
planning that l was not the old W
mans son, that was not seeki
aims, and producing my passpC
dared any one TO challenge my biz
"in the land of the free and
home of the brave" The old la
stopped playing, and essayed
mild remark with great christi
forbearance, that she had better
home before she brought any ott
honest young men into trouble.
fingered about the scene of
disgrace, hoping in some way
have it atoned for, thinking, p
hsps, that 1 might be mistaken
President MacMahop, or one of
seventy-flve new Senators, but
was destined to disappointing
Not single Frenchman remark
such a resemblance. nor invited
to the usual compliments of a neil
boring cafe. Aud still it is Pa
the dictairess of all codes of poll
ness.
The French people are exceeds