Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-06-25
ADJUSTMENTS m PARIS.

The ~Ham'' ana "Glngerbreads Fairs.
General Noisa. hustle and Din.
French people have very strange manias.
and one Of the most peculiar Is 70 offer
themselves at stated periods amusements
IN which there Is nothing really amusing
We are now treated to the Ham fair,
and In day or two this must give place
to the Gingerbread fair. not less dear
to good Parisians. The booths on the
Boulevard Richard Lenoir. to the number
Of $780, are filed with sausages. hams and
lard But since the opening Of the fair
the rain has poured In torrents and the
venders cross their arms and disconso-
lately wait for customers Every year,
Just before Easter. all Paris feels the me-
cessity of eating pork In some form, 9th
erwise there would be no Ham fair.
The Gingerbread fair" that begins i'm
mediately after Lent and continues six
weeks. is the most important of Partisan
fairs: it is held In the Avenue de Vim
cennes. at the Barriere du Trone. half
mile beyond the site of the Bastile. The
road Is not an agreeable one. and to many
1t is known only because of Pere la Chaise
There are days reserved for the fashion
able world. and then in the Boulevard
Voltaire may be seen private carriages
threading their way among carts and cabs
until the fair Is reached Gingerbread Is
very cheap: we can buy M. Carnot for two
sous, and Gen Boulanger in full uniform,
with fine beard made of anise seed. Is sold
for the same price The dust always
gives quite a relish to these delicacies,
and as we whisk 1t of 1t flies away only
to return with re-enforcements But the
people regale themselves. notwithstand
ing. and the urchins. besmearing their
faces and smacking their lips. constantly
repeat: "Comme c'est bonp'
In the center of the fair are numerous
stalls of charlatans. swings. merry go
rounds. circuses. ridiRg schools with
wooden horses. balls. to which dancers are
admitted for five sous-in short. thou
sand tents that cover noise. bustle and
general din. The theatres have most
attractive form-an Oriental palace and q
portico with Doric columns The subjects
Of the plays are usually taken from fairy
tales. We admire the device of the wrest-
lers. Academic d'Armes; on peut lutter
avec eux. mais les TOUGHER impossibleI"--
a striking union of wordsi In front of the
wrestlers' tent there Is always great
crowd The master of ceremonies has an
immense speaking trumped and continu
ally shouts: "Will you wrestlef There is
glove" The professionals beclkon the
amateurs into the ring. and together they
roll In the sand The triumphant profes-
sional exclaims ''There you arel Rise If
you wish But the crowd often insists
that all has not been fair. and the struggle
recommences If the amateur be victori
GUS the professional is angry. and SO it
goes
As night approaches the dancing halls
are brilliant with electric lights. the
group Of visitors become more talkative.
gayer. In fact. forgetful that II they have
not como in carriages there Is scarcely a
possibility Of return to Paris unless on
foot. There are no cab stands. omni
buses: the horse cars accommodate com
| paratively few. and the Seine boats are
always full But the crowd crushes.
jostles and hurries one down the Boule
ward Voltaire. Place de la Republique. tie
Grand Boulevards and Champs Elysees
until home Is reached Baroness Althea
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