Wichita eagle., 1889-03-28
AN EARTHLY PARADISE.
Where Even the Wind Is Tempered to the
Shorn Lamb.


Shorn Lamb.
Whatever may be the proportion Of philo-
sophie spectators and of conscientious opp
nents Of gaming to inveterate gamblers and
cursory punsterS who risk q few louis now
and again, ''Just for the fun Of the thing"
the fact remains that Monte Carlo has be-
come an earthly paradise, says the London
Standard; that the gardens, with their sub
tropical vegetation, are enchantingiy beau
tiful; that the views from the terrace are
more than Neapolitan in their soft lowell
ness; and that the drive from Nice along
the Cornice road and through Villefranche,
Beaulieu, Rochebrune and Monaco Is almost
unequaled in its bright picturesqueness.
The hotels of Monte Carlo, to those who
know how to choose their domicile, are not
more expensive than those of Nice; the res
ident doctors are skilled and moderate in
their terms; and, if the population be not
about the happiest to be found on the con-
tinent, the blame assuredly does not lie at
the door either of the paternal Grimaldi or
the more than paternal Banque de Monaco.
The Monagasques pay no takes, are subject
to no CONSUMPTION, enjoy the advantages OF
excellent paving, lighting, drainage and
sanitation, and run no risk Of being injured
in pocket through the vicinity of the Casino,
seeing that a paternal government does not
allow the natives Of the principally to play
at the tables. Health seekers, again, are
arriving at the conclusion that the climate
of Monte Carlo is in winter warmer
and more staple than that of Nice;
that the cut-throat ''mistral' rarely
careers over the bay Of La Con-
damme; and that the little town is alto
gethere more sheltered than the great
blazing, windy, dusty, Mediterranean
watering place. Then, again, for persons
in really delicate health, the amenity of
Mentone is easily accessible; and beyond
the Riviera in its Italian section, opens up
whole chain Of delightful winter resorts be-
tweenVentimiglia and Savona, which, twenty
years ago, were never heard Of in England
San Reno, Bordighera, Alassio and
score more pretty and genial sea-
side hamlets have now their regu-
lar complement of wealthy patrons
from England and the States, and every
season spacious. elegant and clean hotels
and pensions" continue to spring up, SUI
perseding the artistic and pretty little
''osterie" and ''locande" OF the past. Have
the roulette and trente-et-quarante tables
of Monte Carlo been exclusively, or even
prlnCipalIy, iHSlruEl6uIdI III bringing 10
these smiling shores so many thousands of
Anglo-Saxon pilgrims, or is it that the
prime cause of the amazing popularity of
the Riviera is its accessibility from En-
glands Only thirty hours travelling, in
Guiding the steamboat journey from Dover
to Calais, will now enable the valetudinarian
or the pleasure seeker to exchange the
smoke, the fog, the sleet, the raw damp or
the piercing cold Of London winter for the
palms, the cactus and prickly pear, the
oranges and olives and almond blossoms,
the blue sky and bright sun OF the Riviera.
Is it to be wondered at, then, that princes,
peers, politicians, people in society and peo-
pie out of society, that all sorts and condi-
tons OF men and women who can put
money in their purses, are locking to the
Riviera, notwithstanding the potential
wickedness OF Monte Carlo and its gam
bling rooms,