The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-10-04

6uAO0U WbAhop AOWok kn10O1os AV1AsoIsoS
merry-go-rounds for the children, cafes
ohantants or open abr concerts, and every
imaginable form Of amusement, which,
with the crowd of gay equipages, riders and
pedestrians make it on summer afternoons
and evenings the pleasure resort. Of the
world, and give to the tourist an oppor-
tunity of studying to good advantage the
peculiar features Of Parisian outdoor life.
OF the churches Of Paris the Cathedral
Of Notre Dame, located on an island In the
river, is entitled to the first mention. It
was founde in 1168 on the site Of temple
to Jupiter and is q little over 400 feet in
length with nave ITO feet high. The e1-
terror is especially pleasing, the three
stories Of the FACADE, with richly sculptured
portals below, the statues of the French
kings above. surmounted by gallery OF
pointed arches, and the twin towers rising
the interior hardly sustains expectation.
The stained glass windows are of great
richness, however, and the great rose win
dow, AZ feet in diameter, is one of the finest
in the world. Tie massive columns of the
nave present the peculiar feature of Gothic
alternating with the circular. In 1892 the
church was converted into Temple of
Reason. Near Notre Dame and also on
the island is the Palais de Justice and in
one of the courts is Sainte Chapelle,
small Gothic building of wOndrous beauty,
regarded as the finest specimen of the
Gothic in France.
Beyond the Seine and near the Lu1em-
bourg palace is the Pantheon, or church
| of st. Genevieve, the prctectress of the
,S%r IT, npAfrrSaa a s,1incp rnoyfinr1
| and is one of the finest architectural
structures in Paris. It's groups of statuary
are especially fine. Nearly east of the
Pantheon, ON the south bank of the Seine,
| is the Jardin des Plantes, containing a fine
collection Of flowers and plants, as well rs
menagerie and valuable museums of an
atomy, zoology, botany, geology, etc.
Ia Concorde, is the church of the Madeleine,
a classical structure, modelled after the
Parthenon at Athens. Its colonnades and
porticoes are very striking in appearance.
Near by is the Place Vendome, with the
Vendome Column, erected by Napoleon ! in
honor of victories over the Austrians and
Russians. More than 1900 captured can
non we're used in its construction to
| furnish the bronze plates with which the
core of masonry is covered. In general
appearance, it is not unlike Trajan's
colnmn at Rome. It was thrown down by
| the Communists of 1871, but has since been
re-erected and the shattered statue of the
great Emperor restored.
AS is to be expected, Paris has no lack of
theatres and other places of amusement,
| but the Grand Opera is the only one which
claims especial attention. This is the
largest and most magnificent theatre build
ing in the world, and cost s., ,000, 900. The
exterior is adorned with numerous allegor-
ical groups Of statuary, and the decorations
| Of the interior, with the grand staircase,
surpass any other modern structure.
OF the numerous points of interest in the
vicinity of Paris, the palace and gardens
historic paintings and their wonderful
fountains, and the Abbey Church of st.
Denis, for centuries the burial place of
French royalty, were the only ones visited
by us.
Months instead of days should be given
to Paris, but as our time was limited, we
were obliged to pass hastily over many
points of interest and leave almost un-
touched many things which under moro
! favorable circumstances should receive
greater attention.
From Paris our trip was an uneventful
one. We went by train to Dieppe, thence
across the channel to Newhaven and on to
London and thence to Liverpool, where we
again took the good ship City Of Chicago,
| Va sAA0 AAAA1A AAAAAoI oA0 dASS6 d pISdodut
but somewhat rough voyage, reached our
native land and home in safety, with
broader views of the world and humanity
and better appreciation Of the blessings
we here enjoy.
| In closing this series of letters we feel
like thanking those friends who have fol-
lowed Us so patiently week after week in
all of our wanderings. We have felt, pain
fully at times, the disadvantage under
which we labored in attempting to give in
correspondence written amid the hustle
and changing scenes of travel, any salts
factory idea Of the lands beyond the sea;
but if the broken, disjointed and fragmen-
tary descriptions we have been able to
present, shall be the means of arousing in
the hearts of those who have read them q
better appreciation of this beautiful world
in which We are permitted to live, and
of stimulating in the minds of the young
q desire to know more by study and travel
Of it's wondrous history and present condi-
ton, then these letters have not been
written in vain.
Farewell, OHAS. l.. NOBLE,