The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-01-10
TINE CATACOMBs OF PARIS.


Grace Greenwood Tells us NIL About Them
In tho Most Interesting Manner.
+ The famous cntacombs Of Paris will
always be q subject OF interest. In q
letter to the New York Times, Grace
Greenwood tells us about them rs fol-
lows: Our party entered the catacombs
ut the old Barricre a. Enten. At this
point each visitor, after being provided
with candle, descends nearly one hun.
dred steps Of q dark winding stairway
to narrow passage, damp, andof course
utterly dark. From here we walked
through q perfect labyrinth Of other
narrow passages, all doubly somber
from tbe heavy coating Of candle smoke
on the rock oyerhead-walkcd for nearly
half.an hour before coming to the great
depository Of bones. On each side, all
the way through theold quarries, opened
other arched passages, leading off into
awful distance and darkness-wavs
barred by chains or marked "danger-
ous." We passed caverns like "drifts"
in mines, and once We came upon.a rail
ing surrounding q pit, whose gloomy
depths we vainly sought to sound with
the trembling lights OF our candles. To
those in the rear tho effects OF the long
line Of lights Pickering, waving, passing
in and out Of the dark arches, winding
and doubling, was sometimes strangely
weird and awful. AL felt oppressed by
the great darkness and silence which we
were SO boldly invading. For our part,
We were inclined to speak low, and to
watch anxiously each her bit Of candle,
for no friendly echoes Of our voices came
back from tho gloomy passages, only
dull, warning roar, and the heavy
night, beaten back for little space by
our tapers, seemed about to rush upon
and overwhelm them and us. Surely
there is difference between the dark
ness OF ever so somber spot which
at some time has known daylight and
that OF place which no ray OF sunshine
has ever reached. The darkness here
was OF the kind which "can be felt'-
something menacing, sulleu, almost
savage-a hopeless, blind night, which
never dreamed OF the day. So somber
and solitary, so unearthly, though
earthly, was all this weary, winding way,
bordered with gloom and mystery, that
it was positive relief when wc reached
the ossuary. = j ~ &
Here, at least, were the representatives
of what had once been life; for in these
long, wide galleries, these subterrancan
streets and courts Aro gathered the
bones Of 100000 llulan beings-the
yellow harvest OF tine, OF pestilence,
and OF revolution. In these dismal
coulisSeS stand silent at last the actors
OF many fearful tragedy of French his
tory; but out Of those eyeless sockets
stares such strange look OF watching
and waiting aud fellowship that it al-
most seems as though they are ready to
rush buck on tho stormy scene and take
up again tho roles OF the conspirator
and the revolutionist This gigantic
Golgotha, this mighty magazine Of
death, is arranged with frightful rogu-
larity and system. 1t seems to me that
it forms sort of ghastly complement to
the city overhead. The great passages
arc named after tho streets and boule.
vards whose course they follow, and
suggest, by the contrasts of stiffness,
darkness. and immutability, the uproar,
tho brightness and the rush OF tho busy
day above. They suggest, with moro
ovcrpowering force, the great, the dread
mystery OF death which forever under
lies our life. Here, beneath beautiful
churches, fragrant with incense, gor-
geous with pictures and marbles, be
meath altars bright with tapers, md
cleaning with golden vessels and cruel
fixes, are chapcl-liko chambers, cut in
the rock, whose air is heavy with tho
odor Of mortality, whose ceilings Hro
darkly frescoed with smoke, on whose
rough columns Hro solemn inscriptions
in black lettering, whose walls bear
crosses of skulls, set in mosaics OF bones.
There is even shown here singular col
lection, arranged by q celebrated sur.
gGou, OF discussed boucs-a sort OF
osseous hospital. -.-
The catacombs were consecrated as n
burial place before the first revolution,
but the bones-brought from the various
cemeteries by night in funeral cars, with
religious rites-,were shot down u shaft
and'lct in a DShty indistinguishable
heap. 1t was no till tho time Of Napo-
leon-the man o. men to bring order
out OF chaos and to discipline even death
that the present system was adopted
and thc mass Of comingled mortal re-
mains ranged into ranks. Since then
inscriptions have been placed over every
now section, telling when aud from what
ceuetery they were removed. This is
MI tho distinction now. Hero only is
real equality and fraternity. Here, side
by side, aro heads which once toiled at
the great problems Of science and hui
manlty, aud heads TINT once plotted
small thefts md assassinations; heads
that once wore coronets, heads that fell
under the knife OF the gllillotine, heads
once pillowcd on the breasts OF princes,
heads thAt have lain on the black slab
OF the morgue. Hero are skeleton
hands that were onco soft aud fair and
glittering with jewels; strong hands,
once dripping with blood; cunning
hands OF musicians, rude hands of exc
cutionecrs; feet which marched in ali
the, campaigns Of Napoleon, feet that
tranped The weary ways Of want, feet
that have gone on pious pilgrimages, feet
that have danced ut the Mabille. Pom
padour may hero have mingled her bones
with those OF somo gentle sister OF
t,1nro,,