Daily Republican., 1878-12-17
LETTER FROM PARIS.

Champagne Cellars.
spsoisl Correspondence Of the RxruBLIcAS.
H., % Rue JACOB, PARIS,
November, 29th, 1878.
MxssRs. RplroRs.--I have lust return
ed from . delightful and instructive
trip to Reims, the center Of the cham.
pagns industry, and one Of the most
important wool manufacturing towns
| In France. 1t Is a historic town, the
capitol Of the Rimoise republic; the
metropolis Of Belgian Gaul under the
Roman Emperor, has now -a-days politi,
oally nothing. In the time Of my an
cient enemies the Caesars, 1t had four
gates, a catadel and no end Of temples,
palaces, triumphai arches, aqueducts,
and. other regulations and conve-
niences.
It seems TO he an older town than my
beloved Dijon; that is, there are vesti
yes Of olden construction, as the four
su bterranesn passages leading outside
the walls, part OF wall and portals
built by the Romans In houOr Of Caesar
and Augnalus, when Agrippa built
the magnificent roads. As have CON
menced on the Antiquarian, i must
keep on, before diving into the cham
pagns caves, and walkinf eingerly be-
tween the carding machines. The
whole town Is built on a chalk stratum,
and they use the material somewhat in
building, az a piling, the Romans made
huge cataracts now used rs VINE Gel
lars. In 1929 they commenced new
walls Of chalk all around the city, bat
they were chalk and crnrpbled. (Moral
use Brandywine granite.)
There were As churches in 1880, not
built OF chalk, but rather heavy load
for a Town of this size; and now there
OILY IS; two OF which are worth coming
to Reims to see. Noting the statue OF
Colbert by the public promenade near
the depot, was reminded that the
great minister Of finance was born here
and tried to invent an ancestor, even
worse, smug9led a tomb into the cathe.
dral, "all cut aud dried, and to the
eutCL tIht tufIF " a5 oiioV uPoh - t'h'
some centuries before, one having his
name, (nearly.) In the museum GNU
scum means picture gallery on this side
OF the water.) ] saw a rather good pic
ture representing the great Mazarin
recommending Colbert to the young
Louis xiv. There is a statue to Louis
xy-of whom don't think much as he
managed to let slip through his fingers
nearly all that his great grand uncle
gained and left. However, let's get
back to the times which Columbus used
to read about az the long long ago.
say 1000 years ago, there was a tow n
here then, Druidic religion; along about
A. ID. 800 the sisters and Pinice came
to preach the gospel, and IN 36s the
principal citizens were baptizrd-a
large canvas la the museum chronicling
this.
In 400 the Vandals pheasant visitors
always; had a taking way about them)
massacred St. Nicaise here. In 4b9 ST.
Remi baptised King Cloris Chilperic
in SIT destroyed it Charles Martel
battered IL down in 7l9; 80 did Charles
d. Lorraine in 800; the English Edward
in 1853 didn't take but had to retreat /;
but in l42l it surrendered to the Eng
lish. All this before Columbus was
born JEANNE Dare (she is not Zearne
d Arc,) led the victorious Charles VII
her. and had him consecrated, and all
the Kings Of France since Philip Au
gustus have beeu crowned here, with
most imposing ceremonies in the cathe-
dral which | will describe now that 1t
is on the tapis Especial memoranda
not to translate this on the carpet, v
as tapis here is the table cloh.) We
stopped at nice hotel, the Lion d. Or,
right in front Of magnificent tower OF
this grand old Gothic pole, which was
commenced in 1912 and finished in
1880. It is much out of repair fire
and weather have helped to bring it
from its glory; but it stands immense
and beautiful, labor Of skill and love,
with windows, curved portals and
graceful pinnacles towers with light
outlying columns, upholding roofiets,
and interspersed with grotesques, gar
gyles and demous, and peaceful saints
aud long dead Kings
The stained glass windows are per.
feet giories; statues are prodigal; one
saint holds his head in his hands
quite cherrfully-perhaps, tho, little
reproachfully; owing to the aubjec. Il
is little difficult to catch the expires,
sion! There are l22 about the portals
only! There is any quantity of tapes.
try. Some fresh and beautiful and
hardly to be distinguished from oil
painting; others old faced, dingy, rag,
ged, stiff and ridiculous; but as it is
by "old masters" We must admire
"whether or no " As these belonged
(some of them OF leas.) to Clovis, we
can excuse some fading and wear and
tear. The sacristy contains the cups
and candlesticks and religuaries,
after seeing so many dozens one gets
tired of looking at any more.
st. Remis is an archbishopric of
cours" everything ecclesiastical is in
good style; hence we saw several hish
ops and canons in purple and fine linen
and heavy guns" they are,-at least
so say the wise ones. The most re-
markable thing was the bass voice of
one of the choir; an old man with a
close shaved grey beard and villain.
Gus roll to his eye; but the roll of his
voice among those stone vaults was all
atOnement.
did not climb the tower of this ca.
thedral, as had toiled up five hundred
and twenty steps at st. PauPs, London,
and eight hundred and odd at Rouen;
to say nothing of the Brussels and Ant.
werp spires. am saving up my legs
for Strasberg spire, the highest in the
world although not nearly as high as
intended; and the Philadelphia City
Hall u IN nyar toWer IL if ever yats fin