The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-08-21


for the French have much taste in little
things; heavy lace curtains at the win
dows keep out the gaze of people cross
the way, and comfortable easy chairs in
cline to repose; but the rooms are never
well lighted, for gas is not used in the
bedrooms, being considered unhealthy,
and two candles or little lamp give but
poor illumination.
Having described the rooms, the next
thing to be considered is to know what
is furnished to eat in Paris pensions.
This is an unpalatable subject with me,
for have become tired of the mOnoton-
ous tables ThOte, after several years
residence abroad, and long for good
square meal on the American plan, even
If thirteen vegetables are served at one
time and eaten all on one plate. Before
| came to foreign lands used to think
how delicious the dinners were in French
restaurants in Boston and New York,
and how nice it would be to always live
on pdties and other little nOthings,"
but have become tired of them and
wish for something more substantial.
looks with its high sounding names for
''baked windr and other nothings, but it
has not the charms for me that the more
extensive and prOsaic American hotel
''bill of fare" would have, if | could
order my fill from it as in days of yore
But let us return to our Paris pension
A small cup of coffee and two rolls are
served in the bedroom, if one wishes, be-
tweenS and 10 o'clock, and that is all
one has until the regular breakfast at
noon. In some very unaccOuntable way
Paris has become celebrated for good
coffee, but it Is fact that it is as bad
here as anything Of the kind can be. Not
even i'll the best restaurants can a cup of
delicious aromatic coffee, such as is OBJ
tainable in America, be had So there is
another illusion about Paris dispelled.
At noon the boarders all congregate
around the festive board tastefully set
with pretty china and glassware. for the
French are nothing if not artistic, and
wait for the deiener Ia .fOrchette to be
served. First comes some eggs with
hashed-up spinach, or little pate con-
tanning nothing but air, then course
of meat with potatoes, and that is all, ,ex-
cept some dry Swiss cheese, and little
current jelly, followed by tiny cup of
black coffee. The boarders fortify them
selves as at dinner with sour French
wine, for which they pay extra, and
good French bread, which latter is the
only thing they get enough of. At half
past six or seven dinner is served.
This is more extensive meal, and
ones plate is changed seven or
eight times. The ceremony occupies
more than an hour, and If one were to
enumerate all that one had eaten, it
would sound very well, especially in
high-fown French; but the fact remains
that the inner man is not over nourished
and Doarders jim Paris pensions are
obliged to conform to the physicians
advice and leave the table hungry. l
doubt if that is healthy way to do, and
think will have to return to America
soon to recupeTate and eat enough to
last me during another "trip abroad. II
often wish had one of those wonderful
new inventions, the "telgastrograph''-|
the latest thing in electricity-one end of
which is placed in the mouth and the
other in an oyster stew from Dorlon's S, or
a chicken salad from DelmonicO's, and
all the delicious flavor, but without the
substance, unfortunately, 'sconveyed to
the palate. 1t would be a satisfaction,
however, to even taste one of those
dishes.
1t is mistake to suppose, as many do,
| that Paris is cheap city and that every
| thing here is less expensive than in "the
States" A few things, such as rents,
cabs, manual labor, etc., cost less than
in America, but everything to eat is as
dear, if not dearer than in New York,
and fuel is almost luxury if one wishes
to keep comfortably warm during the
long wet winter, consequently it costs
more to keep house in Paris than in any
city in America, except perhaps New
York, If one lives in the same style.
However, French people are not extrava-
giant, in fact am inclined to say they
are very stingy, and they do not live
nor entertain in the expensive way that
most Americans do. 1t is the custom
here for ladies TO receive only on certain
afternoons in the week, and have some
times made ''party CALI on some
countess or French grdnde dame on a
cold wintry afternoon, and the servant
only proceeded to light the fire in the
parlor CRATE when she saw there was a
visitor. In this way the countess econo-
mized fuel, When good chickens cost
S1.5O each and "tenderloin" steak is 40
cents pound and other eatables in pro-
portion, one cannot expect the boarding
house keeper to always supply the best
the market affords. During each Paris
exposition the prices always go up, but
strange to say, they never come down.
One can have a good room with board in
Paris from @ to 12 francs (S1.20 to $2.40)
lper day, according to location, etc, those
are the usual charges, but, of course, in
the Latin quarter students might live
for less, but am speaking now of the
Ordinary Paris pensions. Paris is, un-
dOubtedly, the dearest city in Europe ex-
cept st. Petersburg. One can live in
Germany much better at one-half the ex-
pense, and the price of board throughout
Italy is much less than in Paris, while
Switzerald is not dear; but Paris pos
sesses attractions, especially at this
season, which make up for the addition
al cost.
The people who live in pensions are
chiefly Americans and English, belong
ing to that large class of the 'hoating
population" who have no settled home
or business, for passing tourists, who re
main only short time in each promi
nent city, generally stay at hotels
Prominent among pensions boarders il
the elderly gentleman, retired from ac
tive life, who has come abroad with his
wife and daughters, and who finds he
can be free from care and get more fol
his money by living thus in continental
cities, while his daughters study art ant
music and acquire certain superficial
European culture and smattering of va
riOus languages which render them in
teresting cOnversationalists, but unfi
them for prosaic married life in practica
2 America, where the knowledge they
! have gained abroad is of little value
Then we have the married lady, SO mex
: plicable to French minds, who leaves he
9 husband at work in America while sh,
9 spends long years over here for the os
S tensible purpose of educating her chill
: dren, yet she is not divorced, only sep
9 arated, for time by the broad ocean
u and her dutiful husband, entirely wrap
}, ped up in his business, sends her none,
o regularly. Selfish Frenchmen and ego
4 tistical Englishmen, who never let thei
. wives leave them for any length of tim
S any more than they would any othe
7 property that belonged to them, canno
I understand such case as this. Thel
e there are the art and music students AM
5 an occasional 'ite.ary parsonage liv
a ing over here for purposes of study an,
d work, and who find pension life' NOR
s convenient than any other. And last
u but not least, there are the 'old maids
!, of all ages and classes, who, having n,
e home of their own, find in pension
Q haven of refuge. As rule, they belonI
IS to the upper English class, of good fami
IS lies, but limited incomes, whose eide
o brothers have, through the unjust Eng
o lish law, inherited the ancestral hom
d and nearly all the property, thus cor
N demning their sisters TO live in pension
% on the continent. These old maids ar
Ie often interesting and always amusing
a for they dress in the style of the days Q
K their youth and they generally have som
It ''hobby." In Italy it is always Ruski
s. on whom they dote and who tails ther