The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-18
ALONG PARIS STREETS.
BEHIND ALL THE ACTIVITY THERE
is A HABIT OF LEISURE.

10 - HABIT OE hOAoOhh.
The Shopper, Business Man, Day La
borer and Fakir ali Take Their Time.
A People Forever Interested and
Delighted Ia Little ThinRs-Street
Sellers With Toys Which Caricature
President Csrnot
Sterling HeiIi0 in NeD York Sun.
PARIS, De3. l2-The first and most dis
tinct impression Americans get in the Paris
streets is that behind all the activity there
is habit of leisure The lady goes out
shopping and is able TO take her little
daughter with her; men hurry along the
street, but not absorbedly with downca.t
eyes, and when people eat in restaurants
they are seen to take their time. A very
busy man will cheer himself at lunch with
soup. will perhaps avoid the fish, but then
go on with great placidity aud take the
rest-the ragout, the vegetable, aud often
enough the sweet, the roast, the dessert, the
cheese. the coffee, and the little glass. The
stonemason on his scaffolding will stop to
take a smoke and then resume his job; but
he will 60 at it with deliberateness that
| would astonish the American artisan, who
! work. Even the street fakirs, with strange
toys and contraband books, habitually stand
aud argue with unwilling customers, rather
for the pleasure of conversation than from
the force of business enterprise. All this is
very different from our American habit Of
covering ground, spurred on by the prin-
| clple that time Is money.
Not long ago l was sitting in front of the
! Taverne Pousset in company with of tue
editors of an American magazine. He is a
man OF restless energy, whom the grind of
office life has almost bankrupted in health.
1t was beautiful to see him smoothing down
in the genial atmosphere of the boulevard
OF f1aneurs. He drank his glass of beer
watching with pure delight the goings and
comings OF people so idle that they will
stop to read theatrical posters though they
have no idea OF going to the play. 1t is
true that his repoSe was some what disturbed
by nervous desire to SEQ; but be was try
ing to be as lazy as he could. He is we'll of
| as far as money goes; he has known name
and considerable influence; yet it was not
difficult to feel superior to him here in
Paris.
AS to beer in Paris, 1t has made its way
| even in the Bavarian varieties into all the
cafes which line the greater streets. 1t is a
| drink as mild and innocent as milk ANY
| ordinary, honest man can take a litre of 10
! with no more harm than a pleasant swell
ing of the stomach. This mildness Of the
Partisan beer, in contrast with the alcoholic
strength of beer in America, symbolizes to
me the whole difference between the life of
| Paris and that of our American great cities
| We, perhaps, are too like our beer, highly
| fortified, and with swiftness that is apt to
defeat itself. The Partisan, like his beer, is
slower in tendency, though sprightly enough
exterlorly, aud is far more natural and easy
| going.
The Partisan of pure blood is recognized
by his easy walk; aud when he walks he is
continually loafing Whenever in Paris, a
passer by stops to look up in the cir or TO
| Join q gaping crowd of Others like himself
be sure that man is q Partisan. The Paris
ian before all else, is a badaud, saunterer,
and seer Of sights. He looks a. a wedding
or burial which is passing as If he had
never seen one. He likes soldiers,
and follows them on the curb
stone if he wears silk hat, on
the pave If he is a boy with cap. The
Partisan does not know much, but he mixes
gives his opinion with authority
He dearly loves to perorate In
public, and Is able to prove that all that is
done is badly done. IL people would only
listen to him they would do better. He
always plays to the gallery, which is always
there to listen to his discourse and approve
| 1t. The Partisan has no initiative, there Is
no hustle" about him, and he does not yet
know when he goes tothe railway station at
which window to buy his ticket. Yet at the
age of 50 he generally finds himself we'll
enough off financially to suit his idea of what
| is good for him. He is as anxious to save
money as to make it. Rather than waste
money on gas bills he goes to the cafe rather
than waste money on clothes he effects an
artistic disregard for careful dressing or
adopts a stereotyped costume of a heavy
| frook coat In the winter and light frock
| coat in summer, with evening clothes as his
only change; and in spite of his economy,
or perhaps because of it, he amuses himself
well and steadily.
The characteristics of the Partisan reap
pear in the city itself, which, in spite of it's
cosmopolitan existence. takes its real char
acter from him alone. If the third part of
| a great population finds time to drag pet
| dogs about the street, be sure that they will
| also find time to eat their meals. Good food
too, will be common, and consequently
cheap. Now, where good food is cheap you
will have good digestion, and with good
digestion comes the love of pleasure, and so
with all the rest 1t therefore results that
| Paris is city dear to the pleasure seeker,
who naturally falls In love with the Paris
ian's leisurely ways and frank pursuit Of dis
traction in Ievery phase OF life, just as be
| fees from American hustle and trouble At
| every turn of the streets In Paris he finds
sights to cheer and amuse him, aud he soon
learns to loaf and stare as infinitely and yet
as carelessly as the Partisan himself
| Among the most impressive of these
sights is the innumerable army of the cabs,
with their quick, darting motion and the
scolding strife Of their drivers In summer
the cabs are completely open, with the seat
so low that iG Is but half step to the street.
In winter they are closed coupes, small and
heated with hot-water cans. They are in
constant use because they are cheap, and
the omnibus and street car lines are far
from being sufficient. Any one cab trip in
side the walls of Paris costs 80 cents and a
| few extra pennies for the driver; a full hour
costs 40 cents and few extra pennies for
| the driver. These charges are regulated by
law, and are strictly adhered to. New r.
theless the cochers are disreputable lot,
| peculiarly Il-natured, quarrelsome and
complaining. Collisions are frequent, and
their insoIence to pedestrians III something
| unbelievable.
Bnt many valuable personal rights must
be swalowed up in this whirl of cosmopoli-
tan life The leisure OF Paris extends largely
TO the oochers. who think so well of them
selves that they will not descend from their
boxes for any purpose, except to take
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