The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-09-11
EUROPEAN LETTERS.
THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE
AND THE BOURSE.
A visit to the Louvre. The Place
VendOIne, and Churches of the
French CapitaI-The" "E'Ot BOire"
FienCI Always OH Hand.
PARIS, August 2S, 1889.


to cniov a city like this is to ramhlc
around it's streets without having any
plan marked out for ones movements.
EVERYTHING is strange and new, and OBJ
iects of special interest arise unexpectedly
at each step. Ofcourse, to follow this
suggestion one must be strong and well,
and fond of walking because the dist
anCcS are immense.
A stroll on yesterday began at the
Grand Opera house, well named even IN
the English sense of the word grand In
Paris everything is grand" Our land
lady advertiscs "Grand Apartments to
Let" and vet when we asked the cham
bernad for match she replied with
amaZcment, "Madanlc ne fOurriS pDiHt
les aHumcttcS.
But the opera house is grand i'll the
strongest sense e the word, and such
grand prices prevail that we can only
sneak of the exterior; but that is truly
beautiful and located at the junction oi
several principal avenues, so aStOa appear
to the very best advantage. y hall hour
is well spent in walking around and ad-
miring it.
THE BOURSE.
Friends, have YOU ever visited the New
lDIk olNCk lsNNllttli-N III I'iN ''''''''N 49,
son? We have and the scenes there are
as the stiffness of tic tomb compared to
what prevailed in the I}OurSe. Ten thou
sand Frenchmrn, chattering, screaming,
pulling, yelling, gcSticulating, as only Il
Frcnchman can, made a hedlam that Od
Nick himself might envy, but never equal.
If the amount of money made CORES
bonded with the fuss they must be rich
'Hba,a I,,,,,, ~ nhInri made
to strangers entering the principal room
sc did So, and enjoyed for few moments
the tremendous turmoil all around MS.
THE PALAIs ROYAL,
We arc told, used to be the residence of
some one of the old kings, no doubt one
of the Louis, whose name is legion, but
\ now has dcgencratcd into magnificent ar
cadcs of shops. The building composcS
"a rcctanglc, enclosing space of probably
8 ten acres, which is adorned with flowers
and fountains, while surrounded by innu
mcrable shops. principally devoted to the
sale of cwelry. They many windows
fairly flash with diamonds.
TIE LOUVRE.
Our aimlcss walk taking us past this
glorious building, we stop again and
ments of art which 50 beuutity its cXtc-
rior, and to wish again and again that a
cut could be had TO give your readers an
idea of it's appearance. Without taking
measurements we would say that when
the Tuilleries were here the buildingmust
have extended well nigh half mile from
east to west, with an average breadth OF
600 feet. These dimensions we intend to
,I,,Ia tl,a pprlnSpH Inn tlp
buildings, probably amounting to thirty
acres which contain now among many
statues one most remarkable to Gam
bctta, and an arch, similar but smaller
to Napolcon's "Arch dc Triomphc,
called La Place de Carousel."
Remember that this space which we
estimate roughly at thirty acres is inside
of the buildings which formerly entirely
surrounded it, but now, the Tuillerics
being destroyed, only the three sides re-
main.
Both the inner walls, facing upon this
enclosed space, and the outer, fronting
the streets, are almost covered from end
to end with statuary and carvings i'll
stone, while the very rocks of which they
are built are worked in delicate tlaccrieS
from top to bottom, from end to end,
from side to side. We wish we could I'M
.lgine the cost of this work. If as basis
of calculation we. take the foundation on
our Episcopal church, your whole four
pages would be covered with figures.
The interior is no less marvellous than
the outside, and one is wearicd in walk
ing up and down the hetremendousg galleries
covered from floor to ceiling with paint
ings by the most renowned masters,
I,o,.e Ja1yT,%aI fN hist
imens among them several crowns bIaI-
ing with Jewels, and sword the whole
hit of which is one mass of diamonds.
Passing once more through the beauti-
fl gardens which are an appropriate
Tuileries, and looking again at the lovely
fountains of the Place de Concorde, we
find ourselves near the Church OF st.
Magdalene, and at it's entrance have
pleasant greeting from Mrs. Frank Coke
and daughter, whom We last met i'll
Queen Mary's chamber at Edmburg.
How sweet it is to have such meetings
with kind friends Just as one is beginning
to feel lonesome, as though he were the
only person i'll this vast throng who
knew or cared anything about far away
Ashcvilc and the dear people it contains.
Refreshed by Mrs. Coxe's cordiaity, we
resume our ramble and enter the huge
church of
ST. MAGDALENE,
Which covers as much ground space as
from Patton avenue to the Episcopal
church in length, by probably half as
much in breadth. It's exterior is re-
marked by the arcadcs of huge columns
of massive stone, which surround both
the ends and sides. The interior is
adorned with many beautiful paintings,
but is not equal in sculptures to the
church of
ST. ROCHE,
which we by accident find as we pass
along and are tempted to enter, much to
our delight.
As we opened the door our eye was
caught by most peculiar arrangement
of the altar Situated at the junction of
the nave and transept, it is surmounted
by carving representing the Nativity.
The virgin leaning over the infant, who
lies upon pillow, with one little hand
appraised, and as your eye catches the
small finger you see that it is pointing to
a 5.ene ot'the cruci6xion, apparently in
the far distance, and softened in its sad
ness by wonderful gentle light, which
shines barely enough to make it visible
We do not remember ever to have seen a
design which we thought so beautiful,
and SO thoroughly we'll carried out.
THE PLACE vENDoME
Next arrests our steps, and we walk
around once and again the column in its
center, and moved at the wondrOus skill
of its builders. The body of this column
which Is 1 80 feet hinh and hftccn in li.