Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-08-28

THE OLD MASTERS.
Our tastes are very depraved-there is
no question about thet.
We all admired the paintings BY. the
modern artists much more than those
by the old masters. They are, OF
course. fresher and far easier TO COM
prohend, as the masterpieces are
nearly ell allegorical. Old man Rubens
seems to have monopoly on the louvre.
and nearly everywhere one goes IN the
building bis works appear. All OF bis
pictures are very large. and Il would hard
~ be an exaggerarion to say that there are
enough in the gallery 10 cover one side OF
the Capitol building. We are informed
that there are ms many more in other coun-
tries, and how he MANAGED TO ind tine 70
pant them all is O miracle. One womb
almost imagine that he used ewhitewash
brush IL tho delicacy Of his touch were
not appreciated.
such thing "a hurrying through the
Louvre Is impossible. II should bs seen
slowly and carefully, or not at all.
TIKI TOMB OF NAPOLEON.
OF course we have been 10 the Hotel des
Inpdldcs. Not TO have done so would have
been 20 admit that we had not heard Mr..
Royalps lecture on The Little Corporal
or read the newspaper discussion that fol-
lowed between him and " Frdncdtse "a
lady whose identity has never been as
covered. though she moves in the highest
circles of Richmond society.
The hotel itself is large, but not hand
some. All the beauty of II Is IN the prac;;
tical evidence il gives that tho disabled
veterans of France are well taken care OF /;
but the tomb ia superb. There is none TO
equal IL. There is beauty in the majestic
dome and in the solid stone building
which surmount il: greater beauty yet ia
the rotunda where the sarcophagus IS
plsced. and greatest Of oil III the altar you
know the tomb is in o church, fitted with
bronzes and lighted from windows filled
with am ber-colored glass. The enect as
you enter from tho main door Is impress
sIve in the highest degree.
Around Napoleon's tomb, under the
same gilded dome, but in separate rooms,
nre sarcophagi of or cenotaphs TO various
other soldiers of France.
Soldiers -red-trousered soldlers-are to
be seen everywhere in Paris. Generally
they are understood men, fairly sprightly
in their movements, but not particularly
erect in bearing, or well-httedln uniforms.
Nor are the polioe-the QeHddmes-re-
marksble for style, In personal appear
ance they do not begin to measure up
to the London, New York, or Richmond
standard. These are things that we all
wonder at, siLce the French arc military
people and excel in matters OF this sort.
THE HOUSES.
There may be some few red-brlck houses
in Paris but If 50 we have not seen them.
The material IN general use Is cream
colored sandstone, which is agreeable 10
the eve. easily cut and carved. and very
enduring, rs IS shown 10y the buildings
constructed of 1t centuries ago ana sui
standing in good condition.
nv frs. m q
are near here audit is very abundant there,
and. we Judge, quite cheap. Ia London
wind and weather." dirt and SCOT, be-
Crime the houses before they are FIVE years
wears old. Not so IN Paris. Here houses
keep their color a long time-as long, II
not longer than they would III Richmond.
The streets whereon the heaviest tratilc
is done are paved with Belgian block; the
others are of asphsltum or wood. And
beautiful streets they are
Why cannot we have asphaltum streets
Richmond has had a few samples OF as
phaltum paving done, but 1t may be
doubted II it was well done. However,
Colonel Cutshaw, who has made n study
of the streets OF great cities, and has per-
sonally inspected those of London, Paris,
and Berlin, doubtless knows what material
for paving best suits our climate and condl-
tions.
THE CHOLERA AND THE WATER.
Before we came to Paris We were told
that the cholera was here. Perhaps 1t ls,
but if so we have not seen II. Nor 90 we
ever hear II referred 20, ana the city is
crowded with strangers; but the old-time
resolution of the people not TO drink Paris
wa ,er seems TO be more strictly adhered 10
than ever. Nobody here drinks water.
For the matter of that the article Is like
wise "taDooed" in London. aud member
of our party VINO tc0Hd order glass az
dinner In that great city was looked
at with profound surprise and asked
whether she would nave II served hot or
cold?" Likewise on the Cunard steamer,
when another of our party on a hot eve,
ming asked for iced tea" he was stared
at as an insane person would have bean,
and was served with a cup Of hot tea. into
which a lump Office had been plunged,
Ice is little in vogue in England-reallyl 1t
is not much needed there-but Is better
known IN Paris. Here, at the best restau-
rant YOU can get bottle OF wine. or OF
Munich beer-a fine artlce-fresh from the
ice-bOx. And one does not so much won
der at people refusing TO drink water when
they can get wine at any price per bottle,
from cents up.
WOMEN WALKERS.
We shall not dwell much upon the pecu-
crow hying over a great stretch of country
can get about as good an idea OF the
land beneath him as the tourist who
rushes along with the speed that Is com
mon with us Of this age and of our coun-
try. But we may remark that the lady of
our party has elected the admiration OF
sundry guides by her capacity as pedes-
TRAN. They say English women eau
walk: French women Gun walk, but Ameri-
- xIn ntagT
see an exception in our favor II
excites special interest and admlfa-
ton. and they ask US the reason why. We
eyade the question; We hardly dare an
swer but in ENGLAND we noticed that the
loyehest girls OF the best families wore
GOOD, large, stout shoes-eyerywhere
called boots and that they thought
nothing of walking two or three
miles, and he'd no fear Of ram.
Likewise we observed that these Eng
lish girls had cheeks which surpassed
the peach-blow, and which excclled all
human cunning in the use of powder and
rouge. and we have heard IL said that
this all comes OF the shoes that these girls
wear.
THE HERALD.
Tho New York Herald nowadays pub
fishes only a Sunday edition an London,
but in Paris II confines Its daily. which
is great boon to Americans on the Con-
tlnent.
By II, and by it only. we keep in con-
slant contact with the United States. for
the average English and French paper a.
most ignores our country. Little Is
telegraphed from the United states TO
them except what deals with deeds
of violence. No wonder that we
are misunderstood abroad The
Herald. on the contrary, gives US many
precious bits of homo news. and keeps
track of the American travellers in Great
Britain and on the Continent, and thus
enables us 10 keep in touch With one an
other. as we'll as with the folks ct home,
all of whom, we doubt not. are thinking
about Tug ADsESTEEs.
Complaint of "a Smokestack.
To ne Editor Of the Dispatch:
Win you kindly permit an asphyxiated
citizen TO call attention with HIS last gasp
l. A HNHWr hos los -