The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1881-03-08
OUR PARIS LETTER
ENGLISH, FRENCH AND AMERICAN
HOMES CONTRASTED.
PARIS. Feb, 9th. 1881.

GOOD old English word home, nor is
there any part of the French char
acter in common with those domes-
tic traits which make the English
mans bone not only his castle, but
his sanctuary.
All over England we were con-
stantly seeing model homes for the
working classes. On most of the
large estates, there is a uniformity
in the architecture of the cottages,
and all are neat and comfortable and
made attractive by shade trees green
grass and flowers around about
them. On the Queens estate at
Windsor, and on the large domains
of the Dukes Of Devonshire and
Rutland, and others that we visited,
the cottages were built of brick or
stone, with two rooms and lean-to
kitchen on first floor, and two to four
low ceiling sleeping rooms next the
roof. The outside front was flow
er garden, through which ran a
broad gravel walk ; back, was the
green sward and few shade trees,
around every window and doo r-post
were climbers, or reses, and some
times the whole front was green
with climbing plants.
The seats, or homes of farmers, or
overseers Of the farms into which
the estates are divided, are larger
and more pretentious, but not more
attractive, and correspond with our
better farm mansions in New Castle
and Chester Counties. The castles,
or homes OF the proprietors, are
magnificent in their proportions and
occupy the most commanding posi-
tions, generally fronted by acres of
flowers, amid which are statues and
fountains and lakes, &C., and backed
by rock work and forest.
In Ireland the dwellings of the
peasantry are everywhere wretched,
except where kept for show, and be-
speak poverty, Incidence and suf-
fering, whilst the dwellings of the
! overseers and farmers have forlorn
and neglected appearance.
In Holland, which is the only
Continental state where the houses
at all suggest the idea of homes,
the farmers and working people have
their cottages and their farm build
ings located on convenient parts of
their farms. But all such dwellings,
lack the adornmentS of the English
homes, and for flowers and vines are
; substituted gourds and cabbages. Yet
the people have contented look, and
their unLiring industry always brings
plenty,
Throughout Prussia, Germany and
Bavaria, the peasants cluster in small
1 towns and villages, leaving the opeI
= country with lonesome and foresak
Y en- appearance. There is little be-
: tween the villages to break the monot
5 ony except the shrines, which are al
{ evey corner and cross road and OF
( every farm, especially the hillsides
{ which are planted with grape vines
' the planters believing much in the
4 luck that follows faithful discharge
. Of religious duties.
/ The only disconnected dwellings il
. these countries, are in the woods anC
by the lakes and trout streams, anC
: are occupied by forresters and fisher
men of the estates.
Tho dress and general appearance o
these people are quite suggestive O
the wild things under their care. No
unfres uently we have met the forrest
ers clad in skins from hat to booIs.
= In the 1 yIol and about Ober Am
: mergau, a hilly or mountainous and ,
t stoney country, the houses are gener
) ally built of wood, with wide, Ma
t overhanging roofs and broad porches. A
, certain seasons the winds sweep dowI
the valleys with great force, uprootine
a trees and even dismantling the houses
. where not firmly built. 1t is, there
fore, necessary to secure the light
wooden structures, and they load the
, roofs with tons of stones, and faSten
them with ropes.
In France, the country houses have
look of solid comfort and prosperity
abous them, without much show OF
ornamentation either as TO their arch
itecture or their surroundings. The
II large chateau or substantial house Of
;; The proprietor, forms the centre of 9
u group of dwellings occupied by the
. various workmen. Tho village hal
. it's carpenter shop and its blacksmith
y its dairy and It's dwellings for work
men. Every thing possible is made
n on the farm; nothing is purchased tina
II is not aDs )lutely necessary, and every
p thing is sold that can be spared. -
Their practical motto is to eat or ust
nothing that will bring ready money
and keep at home only such produc,
as will go farthest toward maintain
D ance, and yet command the least casl
in the market. By such a policy the,
N grow rich wherever they have sufh
I'd cient time, and such habits render th,
French agricultural classes the mos
prosperous Of any on the continent.
a. In direct contrast, however, is thu
custom in Paris. Here the prevailing
III style is ostentation and luxury-pro
fusion IN all that is seen outside, Will,
the inside and unseen is characterized
,. by management that seems to us lik
pinching economy. Parisians have n,
- houses; the houses where they sta,
as are resplendent with the costliest be
longings, more adapted to ornamen
than use. They seek elsewhere fo
their amusements, and comfort is
word of which they know not the sig
MITIGATION. They live out of doors, i
N other peoples houses, at salons, opera
d. and at the Cafes, and spend but littl
m of their time iii their own houses an
with their families. The sentiment
of the sweet old song
"Home, Sweet Home"
would never be apprecia ted bV