The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-02-10

| "SeAlpB 5iA VI soNen uecOThuOuei lne Dhn0 play
ing, and the sun shining on the polished gun
barrels and bayOnets, made upa very pretty pie.
tuIe, but not equal to that OF the old town ITSELF
The rampaTts, the many church spires, the an.
Client towers, but above all and dWaGfing all sur.
roundings by It's Immense Size, the "old strong.
hold OF the Popes," gloomy and threatening
Fortress crowned by the green foliage Of the treoS
in the garden on "the RoCher" and the figure Of
Notre Dame on the Cathedral. On the other side
the peak Of VentOuX rose white and brghtiB tho
sun light having during the night "slipped into
clean shirt Of snow. And this is about all there
is TO suggest winter except that many Of the trees
| are leahess, for In the sun II is too warm.
Although there Is ais an absence OF birds that Ia
noticeable, but II may be that the great number
Of sportsmen has as much to do with this aB the
time Of the year. You hear and see some EmRlI
birds in the heldS, but not many. A peasant in q
blue blouss and cap creeping along behind the
hedges with gun ready looks as II he might do
some execution, bur party OF French "bloadB''
armed and equipped like so many Buffalo Bills,
wearing kid gloves aud eye eglasses ss they take
the street cars and "go to the chase are not dam
gerous looking fellows.
One leaves Avignon with regrets even after Q
stay OF three weeks, and yet most OF the AmeEi.
cans and English who go there only stay one day.
Taking a carriage they drive to the "RooheE."
stopping on the way at the Papal palace, visit
some Of the old churches, perhaps the museum
and may be cross to Villeneuue, may be not, but
stop at picture stOre purchase few photographs
and hasten on to the places on the Mediterranean
where there is more life at this seas III OF the year.
The question arlsss is this the way TO travel and
get what one usually travels for even II 1t iB nOt
health and resti II the creates. pleasure TO bs
derived from travel is as some people believe, in
the anticipation and in the excitement Of getting
ready, then this may be the way to go, but II the
enjoyment lies in the fulhlment, fixing well in
the mlnd the scenes visited, learning something
OF the geography and history Of country as we'll
as the customs and manner Of the people, and
this takes with 1t some labor; or in after years
calling up from memory pictures OF what you
have seen, reading and talking about the places
you have been, then II is not the way go. Pho
tographic art faithfully reproduces buildings,
monuments &c, and no doubt assists memory,
but the pictures that memory paints have much
that art cannot reproduce, and are often bright
even when she refuses to recall what occurred
but the day before. party OF Philadelphia Ia
dies stopped at AVignon last week who had land
ed on Nov 18th, had already done" Liverpool,
London, Brussels, Antwerp Paris, Lyous, &c, and
could hardly decide to spend day at Avlgnon,
bat did sO and before leaving, said: I'VE count
this our best day" Certainly in this instance the
cities visited must have been "underGone," or the
ladies "oVerdone." Ishould like to kouw some
thing of the life OF the farmers Of France and the
people in the villages how they live, what they
live on, what chance they have to accumulate
means, aud how much education they get, and
not only for my own satisfaction, but 1t would be
material for letter Of this kind that would be
really interestil g, not only to farmers but other
people as well. But to do this etfeCtually would
require not only strong pair of legs, but sus-
} pect very strong stomach,
Coming from AVignon to Mines you leave the
main line of the railroad from Paris to Msrs9illes
and take branch that runs down fertile valley
well cultivated, but bounded on either side by
ranges Of calcareous hills Part Of the way where
the land does not seem so rich 1t is covered with
trees, something like our apple trees, and giving
E the appearance of continuous orchard but what
the trees are, am unable to say, for although a
fellow passenger gave me long account OF them
|
that they produced something to eat for he told
me that by his gestures. You see the farmers
ploughing and digging in their gardens as If It
was spring instead Of just before Christmas, and
there is noticeable an improvement In the farm
houses and buildings over those OF the country
farther north, but even here the sight Of French
farm house is enough to give an American a ct Of
/ the blues" So utterly lireess and dull 81 old
and worm eaten in appearance as II the country
had been for years subject to the blight Of dry
rot" as If they were built hundreds of years ago,
never painted (Which is the case). and no i'm.
provements or repairs put on since. The sight of
= one Of the whith cottage farm houses that are 80
, plenty In all our Western States would do ones
, eyes good.
The trees too have the same look, except those
. just mentioned, large trunks with a few crooked
knots or short arms but no long limbs nor grace
J full branches no leaves no place for them, only
few scattering sprouts that stand up, you some.
times see few stiff hairs on an old mans head
! Why they are kept trimmed down 80 do mot
! know, but suspect it is because the branches are
cut off every year for fuel and 80 they will moi
shade the land But In France outside Of the
public gardens and parks and some private places
you see no handsome trees and you only then re-.
alze how beautiful they are and how much we
would mis- them were they taken away. Mines,
fine city Of co., 600 inhabitants IS quite modern in
appearance, has many handsome buildings, Q
number OF public squares aud little parks or gar
dens, bouleVards with double rows Of trees on
either side, and is said to be richer in Roman ru-
ins than any other city except Rome itself, 1t Il
| nj nf a mar far pla nd
there several regiments Of artillery aud infant
o ry stationed here.
Going from one city to another In France is Oft.
en- like going into another country entirely, fol
not only is the general appearance OF the place.
different, but also the manners and dress, and
even the language varies. 1t is said In this parl
Of the country the French has many idioms In
L common with the Spanish and Italian, and these
Il are more marked as you draw nearer TO the re
u spective frontiers At Macon nine.tenths OF the
% people wear wooden shoes; here not many an
70 seen there too there was a style Of dress worn
. among the peasantry quite different from thai
worn here and at Avignon, and there is q differ
ence in these two places, though they are notove
70 thirty miles apart. At Macon the women Wor
y something on the head made Of black crepe o.
or similar material, that stood up several inohe
shaped like an old fashioned center table, straight
+ stem and spreading out at the top, or like an UNI
brella with the RIBS at right angles to the handle
a here 1t is pulpitlike arrangement built up from
thc back Of the head Of black cloth or ribbon viii
band Of while, and iS very pretty and becom
=, ing to the dark eyed, black.halred Provence
= beauties but the Macon Styl is ugly, especially
Z after 1t becomes brown and weather beaten, 70
. here and there they have no other covering 70
70 the head.
p The men always wear the bag like blue blouHeI
= never saw SO many beautiful little children an
~ so handsomely dressed as they are In these town
" nor yet so many miserably iororn. looking boys
N a little larger growth. The boot-blacks are
10 sight The American ''shine 'em up is sWee
scented and clean compared to his French brotE
y er, but how many more layers Of dirt they carr
IT will never be known for they never wash Her