Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-07-23
THE ARTISANS OF PARIS.
A Visit to Their Disappointing and Deserted
Exhibition.



| am not exactly informed as to the
local status or Importance of the Cham
bre Syndicate Ouvrier, writes Paris cor
respondent to the Herald. | could not
ascertain without Obeying the printed
request to refer for all information to the
committee, which seemed Il rather grave
proceeding for all that my curiosity de-
manded-whether it was sort of trades
union, a political association, or a simple
haphaZard association formed for the
sake of the present exhibition. The dis
play is made in building just behind
the Palais de rIndustrie, and from the
moment of entrance you are painfully i'm
pressed with the preponderance of the
radical republican element. You feel an
immediate conviction, even if you are
lukewarm toward this political side, that
yhur plBce is not there and your presence
is not welcome. On the green, grassy
sward on one side, in rich dark colors,
the letters "R. F. stare you in the face,
while on the other. on newly turned
brown earth, light silvery-leaved letters
show the same designation. Inside the
building, whose rough planks are scanti
ly covered with Turkey-red draperies, the
numerous busts of the republic are lavish
ly decorated and fringed with bright
cloths and orange ornaments. In every
special department - all of these, by the
way, being very small and narrow in their
industrial development portion of
the work is designed to illustrate the re-
public, so that before you get through the
diminutive exhibit You see nothing else
buy tawdry. ugly, and wantOn displays.
There were not more than five
people present when a hard-used
orchestra played away. under a palm
tree and an awning as if their dinners de-
pended on every rattling note. | went in
there on the 8 cent occasion puopOsely to
see the workingmen. and with the hope
that vast amount of originality, even in
the humble sense might recompense for
any possible confusion or unpleasant sur
roundings. Stiffness, quiet, and vacancy
reigned supreme; moreover there was real
ly nothing to be seen. With the excep-
ton of some lonely artificial roses there
was nothing new or nice. There were
yards of passementeries, whole squares
of painted signs-not bit worse than
some of the work close by in the saloon
frames, gilt and otherwise, furs, bearskins
and dresses frightful to look at, shoes,
| slippers with elevated heels, now, that the
dear creatures wear large, fiat. elevated
! foot-stands: bead flowers of terrible in
vention and it is to be hoped of useless
/ enterpris; wainscotted rooms with cell
/ ing to match; enamel work.o coarse make
aud unmesning design-all of this giving
| an unfattering idea of capabilities OF the
/ average French workman, when left to his
| own devices. One thing, however they
| have come to-the wull down bed, From
out of the mysterious depths of book
| case came low uncomfortable couch.
| with mattress bolster and pillow al com
/ plete. Every one of the five inquisitiye
/ strangers present examined the object
/ and all concluded that the French were
| the most wonderful inventors of the cen
/ tury, for, 'of course" said they. moth
| ing of the kind had ever been seen else
l where