The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-05
new MORALS OF PARIS,
Johnny Crapeau Is Not Now as Bad
as He Is Always
Painted.
Tnrning Over New Leaves and Ba
coming Very Proper in His
Amusement.
The Gay City Suffering from a Moral wav.
-Parisians Are Taking to Lager
beer.


don, viz, moral wave. Last week the
would be 'goody goodies'' had an innings
when M. Constans brought in his bill for
tho legalizing of the Pari- mutuels, and this
week they have succeeded in getting the
prefect Of police to prohibit what is known
as the danse a ventre. This dance,
which is common enough where the
climate is sultry, was imported into
Paris by the Spanish Gitanas and the Cairo
Arabs during the great exposition, and it
took root and fourished exceedingly,
Every cafe and dancing hall had place
partitioned off where would-be aimee or
Fatima wriggled about to the music of a
'tom-tom" beaten by Kentucky colored
gentleman dressed up to represent an
oriental chief. The dance was thoroughly
ungraceful, and had nothing to recommend
it but its utter indecency. It became so
bad at last that even the Parisiars could
not stand it, and the pretect had little diff
Guilty in closing the places up.
But it is fact, account for it how you
may, that the Parisians are much soberer in
their amusements, and they are not nearly
SO risque in their nature as few years ago,
heard this accounted for the other day by
q man who gave it as a reason that the
1arisians were beginning to drink beer in
large quantities now, and that beer had the
effect of toning down things in general, and
not raising the blood to fever heat. as did
absinthe and frequent petit verres of
brandy. Be that as it may, End think
there is a good deal of truth in it,
there is no doubt that some of
the exhibitions that made Paris
by-word among civilized nations for all
yUnS IInrr roll md 1,au oAix
things of the past. True the Jardin de
Paris in summer and the Moulin Rouge in
winter have taken the place of the old
Mabllle and Bullier's, and the Elysee
Montmarte still hourishes, but the scenes
there are tame and, comparatively speak
ing, respectable to what ! remember them
In former days. AS to the worst kind of
exhibitions, they may possible still exist,
but one never hears of them now, and their
advertisements are not thrust into your
hand at every turn as used to be the case.
Of course there are things in Paris both in
the way of amusement and on exhibition,
artistic and otherwise, that the five hun
dred Christian women of Philadelphia
who, as the cable announced to us the other
day, objected to the exhibition of pictures of
the nude, would decidedly object to, but the
powers that be in Paris show good deal of
common sense in dealing with such matters.
They argue that there are thousands of
and that the people who do see harm are not
obliged to go there. There are far fewer
busyDodles in Paris than either in London
or some of your principal towns, and the
few that are only so on the war path now
and again when anything very special calls
for their interference, 80 that they are not
the unmltiRated nuisance they are else
where. In fact, they are of distinct SER
vice, and when they go for anything you
may be pretty sure there is some ground for
the interference. This was certainly true
both with regard to the Pari-mutuei and
the danse ventre.
The French are just as much dancing
nation as the Italians are singing one. and
Paris is always we'll supplied with good
dancing halls. The principal one during
winter is the Moulin Rouge, the outside of
which is an exact reproduction of wind
mill. 1t is owned by the same people who
in summer run the Jardin de Paris on the
Champs Elysee. Inside the Red Mill all is
finest orchestras in Paris is to
be heard here. Of course the
great sight is the cha'ut, as the can can is
now called, but this is now danced almost
entirely by professional dancers, who are
paid weekly salary. The only thing that
sayors of indecency in the cha'ut is the fact
that the women dance it in long dresses in
stead of the conventional tights, and a lib
eral display is made of embroidered hose
and lace fal de rails instead of tights and
trunks.
''noni soft qui NAL y pense" might be the
motto over the door of the Moulin Rouge,
if it did not SAVIOR too much of pertide AL
bion. The same women who dance at the
Moulin Rouge. and who are all known by
nicknames such as La Nome Fromage, La
La Microbe, etc., are also hired
to dance at the big maske balls in the
opera house, and are dressed up as queens
and fairies during the Mi Careme pro-
cessions ut Mardi Gras. They are
all about as tough as you can make
them, and would give pounds and
= beating to the Oldest of our old friend
lmre Kiralfy's nymphs. OF course, in
some of the minor halls of the students
quarter you still come across the tradi-
5ional Patisian grisette, who capers about
with her student lover for the fun of the
hing, but they are few and far between.
As II matter of fact, the male Parisien is
ar moro volatile as Il dancer than his sis
er, and it is quite common sight at the |
Moulin Rouge or Elysee Montmartre
o see two Frenchmen pirouetting and |
posing through what they call quadrille, |
nut which bears but small resemblance to |
,ur old familiar, "Ladies to the right, |
achet please" In spite. however, of the
moral wave, Paris is just about as cay now
IS it ever was, and the shopkeepers and
General public are too we'll aware that if |
hey did away with the Partisan reputation
or Gayety they would kill the bird with
he golden egg. in the shape of tourists who
ONE to Paris to be rid of the dull monoto-
y of, perhaps, more respectable towns.
Copyright.