New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-06

to the front OF the pavilion, standing little mart
from the Ministers and the staff about HIM. There
is nothing the French do better than a military
parade. From the first order till the last soldier
had passed there was no delay. no halt no mistake
The Ecole PolytechniQue heads the column. fol
lowed closely by engineer and artillery schools,
all OF whom we cheered. we did St Cyr which
brings up some of these boy soldiers Then comes
the garrison Of Versailles. nine regiments alto
gcther as counted--enGincerS first then two bat
talions Of chaSseurs. two line regiments one regi-
ment Of artillery. two regiments Of light horse
and one of cuirassiers. They are not. l think.
picked troops, but good average SOL
dicrs each Of their class The en-
gineers and infantry are far the best Of all
The men are we'll got up for their size, which is
not big enough, for their new levelled rifles with
fixed bayonets look too heavy for the men to
handle quickly. The marching is extremely
smart all TO quick or double quick time drums
and trumpets going like mad-a hundred OF them
at least in the band that went by first. re
were, perhaps, 1000 men in all on the grULnd
The broad avenue is an admirable area for dis
phy. 1t is no longer that Versailles which, 200
years ago, was one great court of $4,000 persons,
It's streets lined with palaces OF great mobiles.
The architecture Of to-day Is mcagre enough, but
there are still the three great avenues ending
in the Places des Armes Beneath the long lines
OF these trees, over the heads OF these gttcring
troops, your glance goes on and on past the bar
racks, over the great open space Of arms through
the gilt grille and past the equestrian statue Of
the king, till it rests on the ONer.sculptured
over-commncd, but still grandiose and magnificent
front of the great palace that the great Louis
built.
1hither go the President and all the notabil-
tides who have quilted the red and gold pavihons
The spacious courtyard of tho palace CLEANS with
steel and scarlet and re-echoes the martial sounds
as the cheers come family down the wind. The
palace is peoped again, the great Hall Of Mirrors
once moro flashes back faces OF armed men, Of
statesmen, Of schOlars-few nobes indeed and no
king, any such splcndor of costume as filled il
one hundred years ago Nor is there the dread OF
the German conqueror, but many bitter memory
is left uneXpressed Of the day when William Was
acclaimed In this same gallery the German En-
peror. The President OF the French Republic holds
here his modest court and makes his modest
speech. The modest company breaks up and goes
its way
1t has been but modest pageant on the whole
poor indeed, il we compare il TO that prOcessio on
of king queen and mobiles who on the morning
Of the 4th of May, l7sO. went 10 hear mass Mt
Notre Dame, and then traversed the city 10 the
church OF Saint Louis. Then all Paris came, in
stead Of to-d8y's few thousands Then Mirabcau,
with his leonine head was near, on whom every
party gazed' whom every party hoped for as a
leader. tn sole figure OF modern days who could
be likrnel TO him is gone, and all there WAS Of
real political genius in France lies buried with
Gambetts G. S.