Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-09
AMERICAN COLONY.
Mrs. John Sherwood Talks Entertain
ingly of the Yankee Paradise.
A PLEASANT CITY TO RESIDE In.
Franklin Compared With the Modern
American Husband.
A GOOD REPUTATION Is DANGEROUS

PARIS, May N.-Thoussnds of my coun-
trymen and countrYwomen are preparing tt
come this city in order to see the wonderful
exhibition. 1t may be interesting to them
therefore, to learn something of the Paris
American colony, past and present. Hence
this letter.
have always wished that Mr.. McLane
would add to his other great services to his
country, that of writing the history of the
American Colony in Paris. Who could do II
so we'll? And whata romantic, historic, prae-
tical and interesting essay it would be.
Having heard General Dix and the Hon.
John Bigelow talk of it; having listened to
the interesting "reminiscences of the Hon.
R. R. Hit, who lived several years in Paris
as the whilom Secretary of Legation;
having read history and memoirs, this frag-
mentary data has led me, in my turn, to at
tempt to say word of the colony.
1t is quite certain that the American col
ony in Paris has always been most import
ant, most noticeable, and most respectable.
We have never colonized elsewhere as in
Paris. To be sure Florence and Rome have
shown respectable contingents, but Paris is
a semI-Amerlcan city. ''I don't know which
is colony and which is Paris, said a wit of
the time of the second Empire.
CoNoUERING EUROPE.
We have not colonized in London, in
spite of that eruption of American beauty
which has made Punch so angry. The car
rying off of British husbands may be con-
sidered in the light of a predatory warfare
after which the conquerors have calmly sat
down to enjoy the fruits of victory, and to
divide the spoils. Although there were
80, 900 Americans IN London at the time of
the Jubilee, as Minister Phelps acknowl-
edged with a deep sigh, very few remained
to live there. The climate and the people
are less congenial to the offshoots of the
Anglo-Saxon than the climate and people
of Paris. 1t is as if we had inherited only
the Gallo traits of the Norman, and as if
the Saxon element had been left out alto
gether from our American blood.
We began well in Paris. We began with
Gouverneur Morris and Benjamin Frank
lin. The first was the 'pieux chevalier" of
the Revolution. A gay, gallant, handsome
man, who became Immediately favorite
at court. Gouverneur Morris did not need
to learn his graces in Paris; he brought
them with him. He was one-legged man,
but his remaining leg was so we'll formed,
that, neatly dressed in knee breeches and
silk stockings, it gained many a compliment
from the fair danes of Versailles. In his
memoirs, just published by his accomplished
granddaughter, we learn very much of the
boudoir history of France, and weare afraid
that she burned up much that we should
have liked also to hear.
Benjamin Franklin was. we are told now,
a good deal of an old humbug as to his
n ol-ar d. abo- II
1t is said that he kept Mrs Franklin and
Sally on short commons in Philadelphia,
while he was enjoying the good dinners of
France. He refused Sally her yellow lace
ruf1es," and writes her that his are old and
dirty, piece of meanness for which no
woman will ever forgive him. When the
ladies at Versailles crowned him with roses,
no doubt the old philosopher knew what he
was about, and had a very clean rufie.
THE GENEROUS AMERICAN.
Let us here add, to the eternal glory of
the modern American husband, that he has
never made Franklin his model. 1t is he
who stays at home while sending Mrs.
Franklin and Sally to Paris, where they
buy as many lace rufles as they wish. The
use which the modern husband makes of
that electric spark, which Franklin drew
down from the skies. is to telegraph to his
wife that her credit at Munroe's has been so
reinforced, that she can never, never, never
overdraw it. Excellent mani
Tom Appleton's witticism that good Bos-
tonians when they died wished to 90 to
Paris, was founded on an intimate knowl-
edge of his country people. Life has so
many attractions in Paris that one would
rather lInger in the Champs EIysees than 90
to those other elysian fields of which the
poets speak. The late Mr.. DelmoId, q very
witty and conspicuous member of the Amer
lean colony, once said he wanted to 60 home
to die. A friend asked "Why?" "Oh,"
be answered, 'there is nothing else to do |
there" eyes" continued the friend. set is |
rather a lonely, sad thing to die in Paris"
II imagine it is a lonely. sad thing to die |
anywhere" responded Mr.. Delmold.
In this conversation we see the one |
shadow, the other side, OF life in Paris,
That universal homesickness which seizes |
US in foreign land has its roots deep in our
common nature. We all lose certain con-
sequence which is dear to us when we pull |
Up our roots from the soil which has nour-
shed us to give up that most sacred tie of
'ountry and home and lineage. We become
,xlles, and exile is a sad word. If we have
rood characters, we have earned them at
lome; if we are worthy of respect, it is at
pected; therefore We lose something, even
n Paris, as colonists.
A HEALTHY WRAP,
It is, however, a curious revelation of the
between the American mind and
he French, that in Paris Americans con-
inue to make homes. They "settle down."
hey live there, they have their churches.
heir charities, they are wholly undisturbed
y political changes. Like Kirby, the old
ctor, who used to wrap himself in the
American flag, and die nightly on the stage,
n being congratulated on his constant re-
ival, he remarked, 81 guess the stars and
tripes as drapery is healthy" So the
american, wrapping himself in his national
olors, laughs at emeutes, coups d'etat, and
evolutions. rightly considering that Paris
ill mend of itself, like the Corliss engine,
nd that it is not alone city, but one of the
reat forces of nature, one of the things
hich can be seen from the moon. It is in
ependent of governments.
The American colony here has one excel J
mt reputation; it pays its debts All the
are anxious to trust the Ameri-
IN ladies. 'They always pay sometime
Iys one of them. We have too good 'repu-
Ition in this respect Our national solvency
as given us a dangerous credit in Paris.
The American home in Paris has all the {
artisan grace and comforts besides. The {
IONS are warmer, there are more rugs on
lie floors than in French apartment, and,
oove all we have given them that vision Of
rental luxury, the Boston rocking chair. !
S Mr.. Everett used to say, in his fine state {
manner, that Columbus stopped with his !
tile boy at the gate Of the convent at Palos :
beg crust of bread; but that we, in re-
living the crowd of emigrants from Europe,
I'd repaid that act of hospitality from the
IA Uorld IN tho dienovarar &c AZ. NJ.