Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-10-04
JENNIE JUNE IN EUROPE.
Gay Paris and How II Strikes an
American.
NapoIeOn's Tomb and the Sunken Chamber
"A Visit to the Grave Of Lafayette and
Some Other Famous TOmbs---The
BOis de BOuIOgne, Arc de Tri-
Omphe, and Other Sights.
Copyrighted 1851

Heterogeneous
PARIS, September 2-45 Rue de Cichy.
From Berlen to Paris is long step, even
in Europe, where distances seem 50 short
compared with travel in America. But the
intermediate ground was traversed too
rapidly to afford subjects Of interest, especi-
ally in the face of the enchantuent which
still renders Paris the most attractive city
in the world, to the pleasure seeking tourist.
Nor are its object Of interest altogether OF q
superficial character. 1t is true that 1t is
built to form a series of magnificent perspec-
tives, that it seems to be always aRe grande
pose, ike Victor Hugo or Sarah Bernhard;
still it is much more than spectscle-it ID
a theatre for the most part diverse and ex-
citing exhibitions of popular taste, feeling
and enterprise, and these comedies, tragedies,
melodrumas and burlesques lie IN wall, Tor
YOU at every street corner and make Paris
different from everything else in the cities
and towns of the world. Superficial as is
the knowledge gained BY passing glimpse
of the brilliant panorama, as seen IN the
shops, bouleyards, theatres and hotels or
cafes, one quickly realizes that these are not
Paris, but only the mask or mantle that
Paris wears; behind it is the Paris Of the
Rue ST. Antoine, of March and September
and July. This Paris does not change; 1t
does not trouble itself about the novelties OF
the Bon Marche or very much in regard to
the politics Of the hour. 1t wears its blouse,
it eats its onion soup, it drinks it's beer, II
smokes its pipe, it ia patient, and suffers
many Inconvenience and discouragments
without making a complaint. But some
fine morning it wakes up angry, mad,
rayiDg, and it upsets things generally until
a change of some kind has been effected;
ard then if gradually subsidies much the
worse for it's wear and tear. One thinks OF
these things, taking general view OF the
Place a Ia Concorde, and up through the
wonderful vista Of the Champs EIysees to
the Arc de Triouphe, or watching the
crowds Of working people waiting, waiting,
waiting, for an omnibus to take them to
some green spot on Sunday, or to their
homes on week days, standing IN rain or
cold for fifteen minutes or half an hour, only
TO see when the vehicle arrives with its crowd
on the roof and the rows Of heads inside, the
ominous word "complet" on every seat
taken. The passing stranger and the we'll
,to,do Partisan does not realize the dlScom'
iort-the actual daily misery, OF inadequate
sccommodation-for cab hire is so cheap
that, like the princess who wondered why, it
he common people could not get bread,
they did not eat cake, one cannot bel p think
ing that if they cannot get an omnibus they
might take hack. But to the masses who
stand in the rain or wait the moment OF
sterling at the omnibus stations, ssou, even
a centime is a consideration, and the lum-
boring relic Of the old stage coach is the
sole means of travelling the distances be-
tween their work, their pleasure aud their
homes.
1t is curious that republican form Of
government does not take into serious con-
sideration, in so inhammable a. city as Paris,
the absolute necessity Of providing for the
cheap transfer OF laborers to and from their
work and homes. But on the contrary the
city Of Paris itselfrenders the situation utter
" hopeless by system ofexcessive taxation
which is prohibitory to competition or indi-
vidual enterprise. There is only one omui'
bus company generally, and much abuse is
lsvished upon it By foreigners, and especially
Americans, for the lack of vehicles and
inadequate accommodations for the traffic
But the truth is the company are taxed so
heavily for each vehicle ( 1900 per annum)
that they are compelled to limit the number
of convevances to those which are sure of
being filed, and have organized a system
by which they secure the distribution Of the
passenger traffic over the different hours Of
the day more thoroughly than we de. On
nibuses pay little attention to passing signs
from pedestrians-the system is more like
that of the New York Elevated Railroads.
People 90 TO the stations, get their tickets
which are simply pieces of paper numbered.
This entities you to seat inside, or outside
thirty centimes (siX cents) for one, fifteen
three cents) for the other. When your
number isresched there is no overcroWding;
everybody is entitled to a seat and gets it,
but is sometimes necessary to wait long
time for it. Taxation in Paris has become
SO heavy that it is difficult to do business,
ard rents and prices have gone up in pro-
ton. Itisno longer the place for Americans
WHO want to live cheaply, aud without
trouble 10 themselves for the enterprising
uaid,cf all-work, who was also cook, and
hcusekeeper and general surveyor, in most
the American households in Paris, has
learned how TO add her percentages and
while holding up her hands, and exclsining
loudly, makes her transporting aud ineff
cient mistress pay eight frances for every
chicken.
Sight seeing in Paris has been brought
down 10 fine point, and for those who
have only few days or weeks in which to
gain their knowledge Of its beauty and
variety there is no better way than to take
a guide or Join the parties of excursionists
who daily during the season make tour
taking in the principal objects, The tomb