The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1878-08-02

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Since lastwrOte / have seen the cata
combs Of Paris, where the bones of three
millions Of skeletons are arranged, ana
have also seen the great illumination
IN honor of peace and industry, which
it Is estimated was witnessed by no less
than two and half millions of persons.
I hardly know which most to admire
the cataeombs or the Jste. As the old
rhetorician said in his parallel Of w
gil and Homer, the first was more cor
rect, the latter more impressive. The
catacombs are the accumulation Of the
last hundred years from the ancient
cemeteries Of Paris. and they consist Of
literal thousands of cords Of human
bones, arranged on each side Of subter-
anean galleries, extending for miles in
various directions under the city. Our
party of about 200 representing many
tongues.and both sexes, each with n can.
die, decended SHAFT of leg steps below
the surface of the earth, and then walk
ed without stopping for forty minutes
before We reach the point of ascent. We
had however explored but 4 srnan por
tion Of this popnIous city Of the dead,
for thetv are as many as sixty different
places of entrance to the catacombs, and
we passed numerous galleries leading of.
from the ono through which we We're
conducted In the afrangenentofbon
q must say bones for did not see an.
entire Individual skeleton amene tl,en,l
I am again compelled TO admise the
French ornamsntation. IN the first
place their rsgsllsrity is pelsecl. On
the iloor and back to the wall, about i
yard in depth are arranged leg and arm
bones, on top of these a layer Of skulls,
then another series Of LIMB bones, di-
versiied with skulls on top Torelieve
the monotony of these long CHASTITY gal
leries, the skulls are at intervals for a
few rods arranged in graceful curves,
which present to the spectator as pleas
ing an appearance as, considering the
material used, could be expected. Then
again the facade is Diversified by artis-
tie presentations Of death heads and
cross bones, used BY druggists 10 label
poisons, but made of the genuine ma
telsali We observed in passing that
many of the skulls had bullet holes,
some more than one. in the forehead;
others had the appearance of having
been crushed by sabre stroke. There
has been no effort made to keep the
bones of different individuals separate.
Only of late years have the bones dis.
from different cemeteries been
in distinct galleries, and prince
and peasant, monarch and revolutionist,
and lnfdel, friend and enemy,
male and female been made to exchange
and mix limbs in a most grotesqne and
moralesque manner. 'sHastetheeto my
lady's chamber and tell her though she
paint an inch thick to this favor must
ahe come at last" | observed that
many of the skulls were toothIess, and
from the way in which an American
dentist, (he said he was-a dentist1 pull
ed at the teeth as we passed, I thought
| had hint of how they became tooth
less. What a ridiculous mania for rel
les some people have
Every thing favored the great illumi-
nation in honor of peace and industry,
that has for days been the talk Of Paris.
The weather was clear and pleasantly
cool The boots,uyds were lined on each
side with gas pipes with jets of light
about four inches apart. The trees in
The parks and along the streets were
hung with Chinese lanterns. The pub
ic buildings and churches were outlined |
n the darkness by jets Of gas on their |
ines Of architecture, and the dome des
lnualides and the church of st. Angus |
in, especially, looked like temples of Gre.
The main avenue Of the garden of the
Fatile,1es was gorgeous with lattice
work Of light, in various designs, which !
Inning through glass Of different coloFs,
= scene Of ipdesrribable beauty.
But by i;sr ti.c i'ost interesting part of
he spectacle was the hundreds of thous-
.nds of French thinking, acting, and
ipeaking men, women and children, of
Ill classes, mad with excitement and
surTendering themselves to
he mcrriment of the occasion with a
'olatile abandon that some would call /
,hildish and others ridiculous. The in
'idents and episodes of that night will
lot he forgotten by those who witness,
ID them, and they will furnish key to
French-history such as cannot be found
n volumes of brilliant dissertation.
Hundreds of professions composed of
'oys, girls, middle aged and well dress,
d men and women, servants male and
emals, with white caps and aprons,
inging the Marsaillaise or a love song,