The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-09-11

we stood by the coffin of Victor Hugo,
resting yet where it was placed the day
of his funeral, awaiting the completion
of a vault, and covered by the many
floral offerings of various societies and
orders. thought of the brain that had
given to the world of literature such
wonderful works as Lies Miserables"
and ''The Man Who Laughs" and mar
veled that so many of the people of
Paris could believe that whilst these
remain, the mind that gave them being
had gone back to dust. The Pantheon
is not used as Catholic church, but, as
the name implies, for those of all and
different beliefs, and hence Hugo, who
refused to receive the last rites of the
church, could be buried here. Here
also we stood by the tomb of Voltaire !;
and in the great cemetery lying just
outside the city we visited the graves
of poor Abelard and Heloise, and
wandered amidst the resting-places of
the great singers and composers.
But of all these the tomb of Napo-
leon I. is the most grand and impress
sive. 1t is situated beneath the gilded
dome of the Hotel des Invalides, vast
establishment occupying some thirty
acres, and the home of invalid soldiers.
There is an open circular crypt thirty
six feet in diameter and twenty-six in
depth, with walls of polished marble,
adorned with representations Of civil
and military orders, events, and illus
trations of the victories of the great
soldier. In the center, on the mosaic
pavement, representing a wreath of
laurels, rests the sarcophagus. 1t is
one great block of reddish granite, and
weighs over sixty-seven tons, and was
brought from Finland at cost of 14O,-
900 francs. The lofty dome rises $50
feet above, and altogether is solemnly
and grandly impressive.
Having seen the great cathedrals our
next curiosity was to see the finest
opera-houses, and of these the new
opera-house in Paris is the most mag
nifcent structure of the kind in the
world. The ground upon which the
vast edifice stands is in the center of
the city, and covers an area of nearly
three acres, and cost $4,000. For the
completion and decoration of this great
temple of the dramatic art the whole of
Europe was laid under contribution {;
green and red granite were brought
from Sweden and Scotland, from Italy
the white and yellow marbles, and red
porphyry from Fenland, whilst other
varieties have been brought from Spain
and different parts of France. There
is nothing of the kind in the world that
equals this magnificent opera-house,
and to support it the government gives
annually nearly 100000, and the cost
of the building was $1,000, 900. There
are four tiers of boxes extending around
the entire audience-rOom, and yet its
seating capacity is only 1900; each of
the boxes having back of it room, and
outside of these is the vast foyer with
promenades and salons of refreshments.
The great and curiously wrought lus-
tire, or chandelier, has $40 burners, and
everything is upon similar scale Of
magnifcence. The stage is 100 feet in
length, and 17S in width, and in some
parts of the opera no less than $50 per-
sons appear. We accepted the invita-
ton of Mr.. and Mrs. Featherstone and
Mr.. and Mrs. Holmes, of Chicago, to
occupy their box, and witnessed the
finest display and heard the finest music
orchestral and vocal, that even Paris
can produce. Of course anything upon
such magnificent scale is possible only
when supported, in part at least, by the
government, and only in this way were
the vast cathedrals built. The evening
we attended, though in the midst of
summer, the house was full, and be-
tween the acts the audience strolled out
in the spacious walks and halls of the
foyer. The opera began at P. M. and
closed at 1870.
A carriage ride of some twelve miles
brought us to Versailles, the former
palace of Kings and Queens and here
we wandered through miles of paint
ings, stood in the room where no less
than twenty-seven of the royal house
were born, and by the beds where some
had died. In the royal carriage house
we saw the carriage used by Napoleon
on the occasion of his marriage, and at
the baptism of the late Prince. 1t cost
only $250,000. 1t seems incredible that
such vast outlays of money should have
gone to make up the externals of roy
atty, but so it was.
In the Louvre we visited the large
collections of paintings by all the great
masters-ancient and modern-and so
extensive are these that it takes over
two hours to simply walk through the
fifteen halls. Here, also, is the great
museum of Egyptians, Syrian, Grecian,
and Roman antiquities. 1t would take
months, and even years, to study all
these works of art and wonders of the
ages that live only in the silent monu-