The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-18

p 81 60
G. .-..-----.-' ~ -"
ACTUALLY THOUGHT SHOULD DIE.
II is entitled 1.-The Comic Bible,n and is
the widest essay of hideous and daring
blasphemy that the Imagination can con-
ceive Of, And yet it has literary merit,
and is of some value to the student of hui
man nature, both because it is an ingenious
attack on the Jews, showing the feelings
of the French ccmmonalty toward that
people, and also illustrates how completely
a certain set of educated Frenchmen have
Invested themselves of the ordinary feel
ings of men. The great wonder is that
man of ability, as the writer evidently is.
should have labored from the first verse of
the Bible to the last to produce such a
monstrous production as this If one is
ever disposed to test the sensation of fesl-
ing real wicked, p" he can take this book to
his private room, lock the door and read
ten minutes, and the thing will be done.
Fortunately it is in French No transla-
ion has ever been made, and / was rather
pleased to learn that the publishers could
not dispose of an edition, so it is sold at a
few stalls at less than cost.
Now in England work of this sort sim
ply couldn't be written The most pro-
neunced English infidels, from Tom Paine
to Bradlaugh always write of Jesus Christ
with a certain respects they freely concede
the honesty of Christians, and Englishmen
OF all ranks pay profound respect to the
religion of their country, no matter what
their private opinions may be. Even that
levity which many Americans indulge in
as to Bible characters is offensive to En-
glishmen, and it is very rare indeed that
an English orator illustrates by a jocose
use of 2 Bible phrase or story. In short, if
ishould PIT fundamentally, would say
that an Enghshman has twice as much
reverence as an American, and an Ameri-
can fifty times as much as a Partisan
And now | begin to suspect that this is
the bedrock reason why nearly all Ameri-
cans | meet on this trip have high
opinion of the British government and no
confidence at all in the French govern
ment. / have often wondered why it was
so; but / can see that of all the Americans
met in Paris not one in ten has any con-
fidence in the permanency of the republic
Many are outspoken, the rest merely shake
their heads; but to me it seems that the
French have proved conclusively that
they cannot be governed by monarchs
priests and aristocrats, and there is at least
a UDdU Uiley can govern
themselves. / have not got the hang of
their politics, but as near as L can make
out there is the same division as in all
lands where discussion is Free One party
wants more law and the other wants more
liberty. One mind is SO constituted as to
long for security and stability, another
man would gladly take the risk of going
wrong for the glorious privilege of going
haT AID - 1,1l,- i
seem as il. the French had secured as just
an equipoise between these two forces as
any other people, considering their pecul-
iarly embarrassing circumstances.
Then why this unfavorable opinion
among Americans, the large majority, per-
haps. and at any rate the vocal class? Isit
because things are so different from those
at home that they fail to comprehend? Or
is it just barely possible that wealthy
Americans who stay in the mother land
awhile grow snobbish, worshipers of rank
and power? Oh, tell it not in Gath!
When came to leave Paris realized how
clean and pretty it is. The Seine, for in
stance, is clear a spring branch, not
muddy and greasy like the Thames 1t is
walled all through the city with tolerab.y
smooth square rock, the wall rising to a
balgstrade ii is thicllset III its lower course
with bath houses, and is constantly
traversed by steam launches, which carry
passengers long distances for three or four
cents. Add that it winds about in a pleas
ing way, and is lined by trees and smooth
walks through its entire course, and it will
be plain that 1t affords the most attractive
of routes.
The Seine is apparently not quite so wide
as the Thames, but it is practically clear
water canal, as there is a continuous series
Of dams and locks from above Paris to its
mouth. Within the city limits are twenty
one bridges, and for every bridge landing
place and station boat, the landings being
named for the bridges. And each bridge
has history. The Pont National, first Oh
the east. was built by Napoleon III, and
bore his name till 1870: The Pont Marie is
noted for its foundation stone. laid by
Marie &c Medici; the Pont d'Arcole is in
homo of Bonaparte's victories in Italy; the
POM Notre Dame and Petit Pont were
first built by the Romans when their cita-
Gel was on the island and lastly comes the
Pcnt Neuf, built Oy Henri III in the Six
teenth century. 1t is the same all over the
city; streets, avenues and places are named
by regular system to keep ever in the
minds of the people their military and
civic achievements.
The Arc de Triomphe was my point of
departure, as twas but few minutes walk
from my room, and it illustrates the sys-
tenn. The large open circle around it is
the Place de PEtoile ''Place of the Starr.
Double rows of trees line it all around, lit
tie groves cover the vacant spaces at each
point, and from it as radii from center
go the avenues of lena, Kleber. etc
names of battles and generals All these
places, indeed ali the main streets of Paris,
are thoroughly showered whenever they
get dry There is lavish abundance of
running water everywhere; the fountains