Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-14
FRENCH FETEs.
THREE MILLION OF PEOPLE IN The
STREETS CELEBRATING.
Magnificent Review Pleasure, Gaiety and
Patriotism Combined in Grand
Burst Of Brilliant Scenes.

are so fond of fetes after witnessing thei
manner of enjoying them. They seem pc
culiarly constituted for periodical enjoy
ment, for they have the faculty of riddini
themselves of all care and anxiety for tn
moment and devoting their entire time t.
pleasure. Not that they are generally in
souciants, for there is no nation more eco
nomical and regardful of the future thar
they their entire income of the year, o.
their earnings, are divided up and appor
toned, so much for their living, SO mucl
for their economics (that is a sum put aside
for any emergency or old age), and so mucl
for their amusements, for they are aware
that all work and no play makes Jack {
dull boy" Then their manifestations o
joy are so natural, so sincere and so calm
On that grand fete day, when three mill
ion of people were collected in the streets,
a portion of them communards, there wa.
not one case of drunkenness,
NOT A SINGLE ACCIDENT.
OF what other nation in the world could
so mech be said? The fete was the grand
est success that possibly can be imagined
1t began on the day of the 18th with the
arrival of 10000 persons from the prov
inces, when Paris appeared more animated
than during the most hourishing days OF
the Exposition. The streets were crowded
not only with these strangers but with nu-
merous soldiers, and officers with their
wives, come to take part in the ceremony
of the distribution of the flags. From 8
o'clock in the morning companies of infant
ry and cavalry were seen moving in the
direction of Longchamps, while boats, ON
nibuses and all kinds of vehicles were
filled with people fastening to obtain the
most advantageous position for witnessing
the review. At o'clock all the tribunes
were filled with the most elegant monde of
Paris, and yet the ceremony was not to
begin until o'clock. Never in all the
previous reviews had there been collected
such crowd. The spectacle was magniti-
cent, and the coup d9il of the most impos-
ing. There were the gay dress of the diff
ferent regiments, the sparkling of swords,
bsyonets and helmets, and all that one
vast sea of splendor. A new tribune had
of the race grounds, and near the center,
for the President of the Republic, his in
vited guests, the foreign diplomatic corps
and the Senators and Deputies. This trib-
une was handsomely decorated with Grim
son velvet, and gold fringe on the interior,
and with flags and drapery of the national
colors on the exterior. In fact the national
colors attracted the eye in every direction,
for the day was very warm, and the gay
parasols were turned towards the sun, and
the three-colored fans agitated the air like
so many butterflies. A great number of
ladies were handsomely dressed in
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Of silk or bunting, and as these colors
We're combined with much taste the effect
was really charming. Madame Grevy and
her daughters had but entered the gate
when the sound of the clarion was heard
on the review grounds the drums beat
and the bands commenced playing the
1t was the signal of the ar
rival of the President of the Republic
Gambetta, President of the Chamber OF
Deputies, and Leon Say, President of the
Senate. They were accompanied by the
customary pickets of cavalry. Behind
them followed the commander of the army
with his different aides.de-camp. Mr..
Grevy then pronounced magnificent
speech, short and concise, but very elo-
quent, which the most bitter enemies of the
Republic were forced to state was full of
=" grand sentiments nobly expressed" Dur
ing the ceremony Gambetta and Leon Say
were seated on each side of the President.
The Colonies formed two lines on each
side of the stairway the fag-bearers OF
their regiments advanced also in the same
order and departed by two passages opened
on the sides of the Presidents tribune.
The Colonels and flag met on each
side OF Mr.. Grevy, who received from the
hands of the bearer the flag which he pre-
sented to the Colonel the Colonel then re-
turned it to his flag bearer, and the two
went to join their regiment which was
stationed in front of the tribune. At the
arrival of each flag to its regiment the
bands all played the MarseilIaise. The
appearance of the first flag was hailed
with long cries of
"vIvR LA REPUBLIoUE p
And the enthusiasm of the crowd was in
The ceremony did not last
longer than half an hour. The review
was very fine. As each regiment passed
before the Presidential tribune the flag
was lowered and the officers saluted and
as each flag passed before the tribunes OF
the spectators it was vociferously ap-
plauded, and there reigned an enthusiasm
such as had never before been seen.
When the review was ended Gen. Fare,
the Minister of War, advanced towards
the estrada to salute the President of the
Republic, and twenty-one discharges of
cannon fred from Mont Valerien announced
the end of the ceremony. 1t was natural
10 suppose that all Paris was at the re-
view, but on returning to the city the
crowd was still so great that the immense
concourse of people who had gone to Long
champs were scarcely missed. What
fairy scene Paris presented Not a win
low but what was decorated with flags,
festoons of red, white and blue, and nu-
merous lampions, and the higher up the
windows the greater was the profuslon OF
Across the streets were ex-
tended garlands OF evergreens trimmed with
flags and lanterns, and so thick were they
that the sky was scarcely visible above.
Not single person was to be seen IN the
streets without some NAKED emblem of
his patriotic sentiments, the large rosettes
Of the national colors being the most popu
lar then there were large brilliant medals
representing the destruction of the Bastile;
others with the bust of the Republic be-
tween flags, painted and gilded in exqui-
site taste, and sold only for few sous.
The women all wore flowers and ribbons, and
the children cheap paper hats, besides bear
ing tiny flags in their hands. A piece of
the fete was within everybody's reach, and
everybody partook OF it. Every thing
seemed transformed into
PLEASURE AND GAIETY;
And not only at the entrance of the princi-
pal streets were lofty arches of triumph
erected, ornamented with designs, flags
and lanterns, but even the by-streets and
the dark alleys, where haunt suffering, pow
erty and vice, were covered from view by
these arches, more or less pretentiously
dressed. The sufferings and horrors of
Paris seemed to have vanished to make
d,x- 10 fha ap,ofioDo of