New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-23
THE PARIS EXPOSITION.
Ill.
WITH FLUCTUATIONS OF THE CURRENn
PARTISAN NOTIONS OF HOSPITALITY
TO TILE EOREIGNER.

Paris. May ls..
Hospitality ia a word much in use among the
French ON such occasions as these, pu1 'heS use
Il with meaning of their own which y ho' o"rS.
They attach to it q high rhetorical Naiue' anu
French hospitality is II phrase which has done
duty for q long time past, ana has, p'rhals,
,,,,i. risl.a the foreigner who comes here for
the first time. 1 wish to express WIN as niuc"
a.,,cacv AZ possible the difference between the
rraroh ana the English or American meaning,
and perhaps it may be indicated by saying that
an tha French sense it does not exclude the ldea
NJ naymept in cash. l suggest this with the less
hesitation because French authority Tor IL may
he Quoted, Nothing is sacred in these DAYS To
the Psrisian chroniqueur, not even nme-hohoreu
,mposture or q hollow phrase 10 the greater giory
20 p,ance have been reading long editorial
IN one OF the best known papeSs IN fars' "rn.en
no most editorials in the Paris press are, with
,nucb literary as well as journalistic ability
frha antlor OF il shows frankness which the
true Chauvinist would call cynical faris' lie
ssyx. will have during the next SIX moh.hs an
enormous floating population to whom ~ WI.
have to offer it's hospitality, ana ne 'hnnS
would be well that they should come 10 al unu
.tanainy as 10 the conditions of this hospitality.
a. ho,u,sen E,repcbmen, il means one thing u Is
taken for granted that the guest chamber Oh 'ne
I,.r;s;an ia 10 be made ready for the country
cousin As for foreigners, the duty OF the renon-
va, 10 "a conceal his antiquities TO trea' nm
.;v;,lv and TO get as much out OF him US pose'D
IL ,hould be made to pay well, but not 100 wen
q, Ia ia too grossly overcharged he VIII no' 49,
a, will 10 away. The supreme art is " pr
n. poose without making the creature CRY o".
euch IA the substance Of our farisan
counsel. ,.o,ross NJ this
Tbere IN no DENYING the outspoKenneSs VI 'uS
- un,n, 7. NAV be the more serrlceaoie
60 Won bear in mind that it is NOT desisneu ."
.ninr "a the outsider No superhuous sym pa'n'
4. ,v.staa on him: the wider his purse openH' 'N
$50 for the parisian. The warning Is auur '',o
=. the Psrisisn himself, who Is IhouenO w 10
a., 6anpnr OF OVERRIDING the thing, u io,n1e ,d
,r,ces.beyond what even the American wiz -,
That ia what happened at AmS'eru"A -
Vienna. People, were driven away ,.ndant
n..I 49,. not m.rely exorbitant, but impuden"
'Tt.u came 10 stay week or moh'"
s.n.,ted NEXT day. Putting aside mere sen'ilnenr'
.Ss.-ves the writer whom am quoting-py VIM ,,.
.,n..,s IN mean considerations OF mofa"'S
"a Ss.orcv-the cleverest thing the ho'elKeepe'
and shopkeeper coulu w "o"
his prices too high. r,s,v
rrnbappjly. this view appears to be purely
n..-o,v one 1t has common sense VI
Cts side. but the hotelReeper
shonkeeper do not share IT,
49, ~ ~ two ~ them. and the answer IS not
encouraging. They have been told Dy sne,i p"t
- re,hans borrowed it from the English lna'
all America is coming TO the hAhloi'io, =. -
has money TO spend is coming 10 spehu 49, ~ 80
r1,.r ,de,, of the American is that he hNe' w
snend money, which may be true auu Ut,AU ~
DOG not care what he gets in return "hi'n l''
also be true in fact. 1t Is, at any f""'
a Ia Haas
that IL IL is his first trip abroad ne uoes ~, @"
xnys know what lie gets in return lie may No. -,
q vague notion that lie Is paying 700 mu'n
NAV be aware that he is charged an eA'f" PRIV.
because he is not French. lie may discover "".
for this extra price he does non geI Tic o.'' y.
-,.vu,sdre He NAV detect carelessness in the
.,is;n. and seryice. Often he does not care 70
ur,test or complain. Sometimes he cannot; some
Zines he win not; he goes away silently.
II "a admitted that there is general rise III
,vioas have heard IT, discussed from oo'n
noints OF view the travellers and the nnReeper B.
Tb.re ia n well. known hotel not far from 'he
Place yendome which is rejoicing at lhis mo-
rnent in emptiness IL was full week Deiore i"s',
The landlord all at once doubled his prices, unu
his quests left In body. lie shrugged MS enou'-
ders and comforted himself with the con'icuon
that others would come TO take their places.
asked my landlord for his view. les. ne SSiu'
~ have raised my prices, but not douoieu lhen
II may Judge from my own case wha' ne soy
Is true am paying just IS per cent more thAn
the price Of last January for rooms one nooi
higher. There is always, however, dluerenes
between the Paris rates OF winter anu sunlnef
ss there il in London. lit Is only ialf' liz
went on,,1 that we should make some pfoht ou'
Of the Exhibition. We don't have an Exmoitioi
every YEAR, 1 tried TO put before him the vie"
"a Paris,
he retorted; "people will come TO Paris IN any
easp But they may 60 away II they are over
cbareedp "Others will come in their places.
His mind was evidently made up. There Is
believe. a tradesunion among the Paris Bonifaces
and their idea is that If all agree 10 increase tn
tariff. the stranger within their gates is helpless
as he urobably Is Not only is the apartment b.
occupies dearer but food is dearer ana wine
desrer-which will please the total abstainer.
should say that the American who knows fari
mny be prepared TO find his visit this summe
cost him nearly, II not quite, twice US much d
usual. while the American who does not know
Paris will be likely to think 1t city almost a
expensive as New.York. The actual sum demsnde
ut any given moment seems TO depend on the Oh
cretion, or perhaps on the digestion. OF the aske
There is no such thing as q market price, or
there be- why should an apartment be quoted III
francs in the morning and 200 in the afternoon
One large hotel, however, advertises day by oa
that its tariff for rooms remains as usual al IN
season. 1t may be SO.
Prices at the Exposition itself vary. re
taurant which you find cheap. or moderated
cheap, one day, becomes dear the day after;
perhaps is cheap in the morning and dear in u
evening. The law Of supply and demand,
precious to the political economist and often
odious In actual life, explains this vsriabilit
II there are few customers they may have the
outlet and wine ut reasonable rates II there d
many, they must paw for the charm Of each other
society: and for the competition. Every rssta
rautkeeper inside the ratings of tho Champs
i Mars has sworn an oath to retire next Novemb
With fortune There IL no prospect that any oil
- &i,sp. ,x,ll he fnrsworn But time and u