The daily gazette., 1878-11-07
OUR PARIS LETTER.

4
Irregular Correspondence.)
| PARIS, Oct. 21, 1878.
The old saying of thing going up like
rocket and coming down like stick.
must be reversed in speaking of the ex-
hibition of 1873. Nothing could have
been more unutterably miserable than
the opening ceremony; nothing more
successful than that which has brought
the enterprise to close. For weeks
after the Inauguration, the palace in the
Champ de Mars was to such an extent
encumbered with unopened packing cases
that, except In the English section, the
exhibition was delusion and a snare.
while the Trocadero was kept rigidly
closed after the worlds fair had been
open full month. At this moment the
space that extends from the Ecole Mill
talre to the Place du Trocadero contains
probably more treasures than have ever
been collected together in one spot
since the beginning of the world. 1t is
satisfactory to have to record that the
managers who have worked up what
promised to be a gigantic failure to
huge success have proiited by the exper-
lence OF the opening day, and have avoid
ed at the ceremony of the distribution of
prizes all the blunders that converted the
inauguration into colossal failure. No
praise would be excessive for the really
wonderful way in which the enormous
audience assembled to-day in the Palais
de Plndustrie were conducted to the seats
set apart for the different classes of actors
and spectators. There were no scramb-
ling for places, no obstruction at the
doors, nor was there at any moment the
slightest confusion in the carrying out of
the necessarily elaborate arrangements.
Although some 22,000 persons were
ipresent, the wide avenues were never al
lowed to be blocked up, and the guests
were induced to remain in the places as
, signed to them, by officials whose cour-
tesy was only to be PARALLEL by the OBJ
tuseness of the police at the inaugural
ceremony. The consequence was that
to-day tete, was complete success, and
that everybody was deeply impressed by
the magnificence of spectacle finer than
anything that has yet been produced
under Republican regime. A reproach
often levelled against Republic is that
IL does nothing to satify the love cf splen-
dor inherent in the popular mind-that
in fact it stands at as great disadvan-
tage compared 10 a monarchy as Protest
antism does to Catholicism in countries
where the love of music and color and
pomp is breathed in with the very air.
No such reproach can henceforth be
: launched at the classically modelled head
in which, at to-day's tete, the French Re-
i public was idealized.
With the single exception that the
famous Cent Gardes were to-day re-
placed by the Garde Repubicaine, there
was no particular in which the ceremony
differed from what it would have been If
the Emperor had still occupied the
throne of France; and although the en-
ployment of the military most certai uly
added TO the effect of the scene ,theI Q were
: not wanting rigid puritans who, if they
: could have had their way would not
Y have allowed a bayonet to be seen in a
a place which, for the time being, was en-
. phatically a temple of place. But, as the
soldiers were very useful in lining the
avenues that surround the Palais and in
marking the blocks of seats in the in
terror of the buildings, it is ungracious
: o. pecially in II military country like
France, to object TO their presence
Thanks to the admirable decorations
aud to the extraordinary variety of uni
forms worn by representatives Of every
country under the sun the coup u oei
was as rich in color as the most arden
admirer of Rubens could desire. To sa,
= nothing of the diploIHatists who formed
dazzling group to the immediate righ
. of the President, there were scattered
about among the delegates and commits
sioners of foreign countries specimens Q
military uniforms and civil costumes sue
q a. rarely indeed are brought together
while France supplied her quota OF colo
in the coats, covered with palm-leaves
VS. of the members of the French ACadem
and In the robes of the judges OF tn
Is, various court of law. 1t was only th
~, Deputies and Senators who were conspi'
m uous in their place of honor by tn
plain evening dress which was de rigue,i
IL. for all not in uniform who entered til
building. As they were marshalled u
80, to their places of honor with the SAN
state which was shown to the marsha
the words ..c'est bien distingue" came
.n' HI ones lips, and one felt that under II
As' public the representations of the sove
15 eign people needed no costume to add
their dignity.
IL is not without reason that leadln
Republican journal, while regrettlng N
ns approaching end of the Universal III
position, which now as on the openir
D. day, is the object of the wonder and a.
, n miration of the assembled world de
crlbes it as about TO close in full succes
are The beginnings of to-days rejoicings,
the far as regards the general populalon
Paris, were not so conspicuous for the
!. enthusiasm as they were on May LIST b
. IL must be remembered that the field w
incomparably smaller. The inaugur
ton of the Trocadero and the Champ
Mars was the welcome of the French
ton to the world. To-day's ceremony
the Palais de 7 Industrie was as 1t wer
private {ee in honor o, no She bV Unle' tha
y Combined efforts, have made the succe
,, of the Exhibition.