Omaha daily bee., 1890-02-19
MARDl GRAS DAY In PARIS.
The French Populace Enjoys the
Festivities Immensely.
STREETS FILLED WITH MAskeRs.
Remarkable Order and Good Nature
Prevail Evcrywhcre-Denth OF
Count Andrassy, Ex-Pre.
mier of Hungary.
A Red Letter Day In Paris.

tCopnf0ht 1890 bp James Gordon Kenneth
PARIS, Feb. lS,-fNew York Hcrala
C~able-Speciul to tn BEE. The carnival
today was one Of tho best and heartiest
France has enjoyed in years. The weather
was perfect, tine crowds were tremendous.
the costumes were striking aud abundant
and the fun universal. The sun shone warm
and bright and Paris relaxed its features,
which have been darkened these past weeks
oy the influenza and gloomy weather, into
one vast, comprehensive metropolitan smile,
which spread far aud wide along the
broad boulevards and up and down the
narrowest alleys, bringing gaiety to every
house and heart, even OF the poorest. and
making little children dance for Joy. while
all the fathers and mothers and grand
mothers of the city and all the prospective
fathers and mothers and grandmothers
suddenly awoke to the fact that there were
still a few things in this world to make life
worth living, and one of these was the mardi
gras. The clown musician Is one of the
great features of the Partisan mardi gras
Just as the mardi gras is one of the red
letter days in the existence of the
Partisan clown musician, On the day
preceding Lent the entire population is di-
vided into two classes-those who sing songs
they don't know into accompanying instru-
ments they can play, and ahose who can dole
out copies with good. natured resignation to
those decorative members Of society who
make fools of themselves to suit the public
taste, and who are not by any means such
fools as they look.
In the course of tie evening the writer
got INTO a conversation with a gentleman
whose left eye was heavily dressed
In black, the rest of his face
being white with the Wilderness of
chalk, and whose raiment was variegated
in a manner calculated to make Joseph's ia
nous coat retire from public life. This con-
versation took place in a cafe on the boule-
| ward IN which he of the mournful eye had
marched with great twanging and footing,
followed by two other gentlemen dressed as
young ladies of the most advanced decollete
school-that is, d~ecollete IRON the neck down
and from the ankles up. After the chalk
faced leader had concluded a solo ABOUT cer-
tain blondes ct fins ~fllettes, which wound un
with a touching ira lace de ira lace dou,
he volunteered the information that the
days total receipts had 30 far amounted to
over 300 francs, and the night was still
young, As there must have been on duty
several hundreds, if not several thousand
similar sets Of i%tinerant twangers, each
uoTe aCcOulpltSueu tuau any OUuer ana more
Enthusiastically nttired. 1t is easy to see that
Paris pays handsomely ON mardi. gras sor
the privilege of INDUCING indefinitely IN mu-
steal monstrosities. More interesting than
these antics were those of another
contingent who wore costumes and
DISCUSSES, and numbers of young
men and women had decked themselves
out in quaint or amusing fashion from pure
love of the thing. Such were to be seen
everywhere, vieing with one another III at
tracing attention to the crowds, making
every one laugh and laughing them
selves as heartily as any one ut
their W absurdities. Egyptian sirens
impersonated by agile farceurs from
the batignolles quarter, dancel the dance du
ventre in n manner calculated to scandalize
the performers of the Rue del Cairo.
Wild Indians in feathers aud paint
cavorted about in orthodox manner, play.
fully attempting to scalp the Spanish
bull fighters, who, drawing their little
swords, valiantly refused to be scalped.
Negroes, whose bonny faces contrasted
sharply with the white skin of their arms,
flirted desperately with tripping damsels
wearing brilliant robes and sending mis-
chievous chances through eye holes of their
black velvet masks. Dashing troubadours
strutted about with guitars, while all sorts
of old-time characters, with queer wigs and
trousers and more or less exaggerated
noses, lived again for the moment and
lived right merrily. Particularly happy
were the little children, for whom numerous
fancy balls were gwen ia the afternoon and
evening. Strangers IN Paris must have
been struck by the remarkable order and
good nature which prevailed everywhere.
There was no fighting, no drunkenness and
hardly a shout, though the great streets
were so blocked by the crush Of humanity as
to be all but impossible. Parisians are GER
tainly a race of philosophers, who believe in
taking life easily and enjoying its good
things as they come, so they did today.