Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-25
DRINKING IN PARIS.

oaugnter we're on their way by sea to their old
home in Maine when the accident occurred.
DRINKING IN PARIS.
There IL = Good Deal of It and 1t is All in
Plain Sight.
From the Detroit Free Press.
II you were to subtract drink from Paris you
would change the whole appearance Of the city.
People drink in Paris morning, noon and night.
They do not drink in the half hypocriticd way
we drink in America and England, but openly,
boldly and on the streets. There are no con-
cealing swing doors in Paris to quickly cover
up the retreat Of man into q sal DON, as there
are invariably in the states. Every body drinks
in Paris, but they don't sneak in and drink
and they don't come sheepishly out as II they
had gone in for light.
Drinking is part Of the life Of Paris. and It is
open, unblushing and sociable Instead Of con-
cealing screens and Opaque window shades
there are brilliantly lighted cafes with great
sheets Of transparent plate glass open to ali the
world. In good weather. Of course mos. of
the drinking and gossiping is done out on the
sidewalks at the little round tables, three, four
or five rows deep. They read and drink; they
talk and drink; they write and drink; they
smoke and drink; they mediate and drink;
they contemplate the passing crowd and drink.
The cafe in Paris is really everybody's club
You get there about all the facilities you get at
a club. You can have for the calling. free OF
cost, writing paper, envelopes, pens and ink,
while II You write letter at your hotel on paper
of the hotel they will charge you for the sta
tionery in your bill. You can have OF the cafes
all the Paris papers, and at many Of them
English and American papers--the expensive
illustrated ones as we'll as the cheap dailies
You take seat on the Boulevard and may drink
inch ar 10 MI and
ell day. There is no appearance Of expecting
you to give many orders il you stay long.
At many Of the cafes in the afternoons and
evenings you may hear the best music the world
has produced and the waiter hands you printed
program free Of cost, while il YOU paw a big
price to hear q concert in London they expect
you to give sixpence additional for the pro-
gram. In one Of the little cafes on the Boule-
ward st. Michael there is an orchestra under the
musical mogul of the Grand Opera House. In
some Of the big cafes they have orchestras
which it wolld cost us S1.60 to hear in the
United States.
People are as quiet and orderly as at church
They listen attentively and approximately to
the excellent music and have been educated
up to realization Of what good music is. The
walters are prompt and unobtrusive. There is
no dickering about how much there Is to pay.
You can pay when you leave, which is the usual
custom, or il you are an American and accus-
toned to pay on the.nail you may do 80 and
there is no possibility of mistake. This is all
beautifully arranged and is one Of the
things they order better in France. You have
q beer, for instance, and the waiter brings you
the glass in little saucer. which you may think
is intended to keep the drippings from soiling
the table. II yoa look closely at it you will
see that the price of the drink is printed on it.
The beer costs you threepence or fourpence, as
the case may be, or it may be as cheap as five
cents in American money. The saucer is marked
IN ~ f0vkxy <vro $x-f e.
case may be. II You pay on the spot the waiter
slips this saucer out from under your glass and
takes it way with him. If you postpone pay
ment until you leave the different saucers are
piled up in front Of you and their total repre-
SCENTS your indebtedness.
The 1oungers at the cafes 90 in for strange
variety Of weird tipples. There are numerous
sirups OF different colors whose composition no
man knows. There are many horrible decoc-
tons that q man OF an investigating turn Of
mind tries and shudders at. Doubtless the
most popular drink L. absinthe, which is, per-
haps, the vilest stuff man can befuddle himself
With. Beer, which they call book. is q very
good second, and that il now largely imbibed in
Paris. For some reason it Is more popular than
1t was o few years ago, and some Of the French
breweries are doing large business Perhaps
In time they will learn how to make beer At
present the secret for some purpose or other 10
withheld from them, and French beer Is the
poorest and dearest in the world.
Coffee and brandy Is another very popular
drink. In serving this the stranger within the
Paris gates may make the mistake Of thinking
that they trust to his honesty. The black coffee
is poured out into the tumbler, with two or
three squares of sugar in a little saucer, and q
flask Of brandy is left with apparent reckless
carelessness by the "garsong." who leaves You
TO do as you please. II you will look closely at
the brandy flask however, you will notice that
it is marked with little lines and usually num-
I nd 20 or MI
his thumb nail at the first line and pours out
the brandy with the general air Of carefulness
that Q physician uses in making up q prescrlp-
ton. He takes exactly his quantity and no
more. He sees that he gets all he Is entitled to,
but is careful not to take drop in addition.
The careless stranger dumps what he wants in
his glass, but il he goes hairs breadth over
the line he finds he has to pay for two doses.
Rum punch is . seductive drink that e much
called for when the weather IL chilly. / hereby
the stuff is brought to him blazing. The thin,
pale alcoholic fame on the top Of fhe punch is
not noticeable to the amateur, but you can bet
your last dollar that it is right there all the same
and ready for business, as you win find out
when you bring Il to your lips Lie there and
bit through . red pepper pod, thinking it was
pickle. Imads Somewhat -sfmilar remark the
hrst time I met Parisian rum punch, but . re-
mark which Il II perhaps better not to repeat.
What would Hike to know i where the people
get al the money they spend in drink in Paris.
Paris seems to Be drinking all the time and
everything II more expensive than In any other
city In the world. Even The hqueurs which
they make In France are dearer In Paris than
thsy are in New York IN spite Of the tariff. Then
there h another astonishing thing. Notwith-
standing THU continual tipping you rarely re
. drunksn man IN Park. I'm sure / don't know
how they manage IT,