National Republican., 1883-11-16

conts. Any dish Of vegetables costs cont.
large bowl of soup with scraps of meat,veg-
otaoles, and so on, costs 2 cents; bread and
cheese / cont"
We passed into the rofeectory. The room
OF immense height was large enough TO have u
center and two side aisles, with shelves for
tables on each side of iron pillars. There
were certainly foufor five hundred seated cat
ing, whilo numbers were constantly going and
coming. Imagine the size of the room 10 the
left was a grating with opened windows as at
q bank. Back of this wiro fence were tho
furnaces or stoves, with shining pots and
pans, glowing Goals, and o delicious odor of
vegetables and meats, which would tempt tho
appetite of even an epicure. 1t was so savory
that felt pangs Of hunger myself. In order
TO see the pension at its best, | had to go at
ii a. M, thereby missing my own breakfast
but from 10 until IL is the right timo in
which TO see the greatest crowds. Then, and
at the dinner hour, any time after p. IN.
Ihe meat dish, costing four sous, consisted
of piece of roast beef nearly as largo as my
two hands, half an inch thick, done to turn
brown at the edges and underdone in the
center Thorc wore potatoes, gravy, and
mustard. The gravy looked like the gravy of
an Irish stew. IL was thick, and filled with
floating bits of meat and vegetable. There
were mutton, veal, and beef-not bad choice
for plat do jour costing but cents. The
plate in size was almost an ordinary dinner
plate, and was completely filled. The forks
were of pewter, the knives of good steel, tho
drinking mugs, or cups, also of pewter.
The dish costing cents is ~ well gar
nished vegetable soup with scraps of meat
The vessel is the size Of an ordinary tin pail
holding quart 1t was of q white metal re-
sembiinR porcelain and was nearly two
thirds full. If tho sight Of rost beef narrowed
me utterly collapsed at sight and smell of
That soup. 1t was positively too appotizing.
came near brealSfasting there myself. Each
person waits upon himself. One goes up to the
little wire fence, rosy-cheeked, white
capped bonne,with grave, unsmilng face, takes
the tin check in at one window, reads and passes
what it calls for out from another. No one
speaks, there was no noise, in fact very little
talking at all; and the happy possessor of
his days meal, perhaps the only one he may
have, goes and seats himself quietly at one of
the tables. He helps himself TO spoon, knife,
or fork from the wicker basket at the feet of
each table. He eats, then goes down tho
confer aisle to fountain whero fresh water
pours in limpid stream from the mouth of a
smiling figure in the wall. On either side
are panels with various notices and inscrip-
tions, recommending tho usual virtues One
read, Aid one another that the Lord may
aid you" The Others were in the same
strain.
l came home not i'll pleased with my visit.
l advise visitors to Paris to neglect old
haunts and look in at Rue dc Ia Verrerie, No.
is. After it will not be difficult to understand
the prosperity of the French ouvrier. l
thought of London and the smell of gin
which vilifes certain atmospheres. Happy
the man who can quench his thirst at q differ
ent source. To tell the truth, l was deeply
interested in my pension Alimentaire," but
l still think of that wondrous grab bag with
regret. BLANCHE ROOSEVELT,